The Sunday Times Magazine - UK (2022-04-10)

Price

Power

0-62mph

Top speed

Otherwise the exterior has
been left alone, which means
that, notwithstanding some
messy creases along the
midsection designed to show
off VW’s skill at pressing sheet
metal, the overall look is smart
and stout.
On the inside VW has used
this midlife update to smother
the little Polo with a slew of
tech that not so long ago was
the preserve of leather-lined
mega-limos. As a result even the
base model comes with wireless
Apple CarPlay and Android
Auto, LED headlights, digital
instruments, radar cruise
control, lane keeping assistance
and power folding mirrors. Step
up to this mid-level Style trim
and you also get two-zone
climate control, auto high beam
headlights and onboard wi-fi.
In general the items on this
generous kit list work well. The
only turd in the tech tank is the
result of Volkswagen’s recent
infatuation with touch-sensitive
switches, which now feature on
the steering wheel, where a
careless brush of the palm can
press them inadvertently, and
for the heater controls, where
putting something tall and
textured in the cupholder, such
as a plus-sized smartphone in a
rubbery cover, might trigger the
buttons so that suddenly you’re
getting blasted with heat you
didn’t ask for. These are the
quibbles; everything else is
slick, user-friendly and feels,
you guessed it, solid.
The same word applies to the
driving experience. The Polo
sits four-square on the road,
passing confidently over scabby
tarmac without a commotion
from the suspension or rattling
from the interior trimmings.
All Polos are petrol-powered as
VW backs slowly away from the
D-word, and all bar the GTI
come with the same 1-litre,
three-cylinder turbocharged
engine, albeit with a choice of
power outputs. There are 79bhp
and 109bhp versions or the
94bhp version tested here,
which, allied to a well-oiled
manual gearbox, shifts the Polo
around with reasonable vigour.
If you can’t be bothered
with a clutch ’n’ stick, a
seven-speed DSG box that does
the gearchanging for you is
optional on this engine and
standard on the 109bhp motor.

There was a time when the

Polo felt a little pointless,

sandwiched between the

smaller Up! and the larger Golf.

These days, however, the Up! is

getting old and can’t offer all the

tech tricks of this car, while the

Golf takes the technology too

far with some truly infuriating

touch-sensitive interfaces

you’ll soon want to operate

exclusively and repeatedly with

a claw hammer. As such, if

interior space isn’t critical to

you, the Polo could be the

Volkswagen Goldilocks.

Clearly buyers agree; even

before it was crammed with

more technology than Bill

Gates’s man den it had quietly

become VW’s most popular car

in the UK. Indeed, last October

it was the bestselling car in the

UK, full stop. Which is fair

enough. It’s not the most

exciting small car in the world

but it is, without question,

a very solid choice n

Engine

999cc, 3 cylinders,

turbo, petrol

Power

94bhp @ 5000rpm

Torque

129 lb ft @ 1600rpm

Acceleration

0-62mph: 10.8sec

Top speed

116mph

Fuel / CO 2

53.8mpg / 119g/km

Weight

1,172kg

Price

£21,240

Release date

On sale now

Richard’s rating

The Portometer

Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI Style

1,459mm

4,053mm 1,751mm

The Polo isn’t the most sporty

or playful small car around, but

nor is it a lumpen dullard and,

truth is, VW worked out long

ago that more people will get

more pleasure more of the time

from the warm whump of a

door shutting tightly or the

slick, inky richness of a

high-quality infotainment

screen than they will from

nailing an apex thanks to

Porsche GT3-grade steering.

Head

to head

VW Polo 1.0 TSI Style

v Ford Fiesta Titanium

1.0 EcoBoost

£20,785

94bhp

10.8sec

116mph

£19,820

100bhp

10.8sec

112mph

The Sunday Times Magazine • 79