PoloDriver

With the first press drives complete and the car now in showrooms, the European advertising campaign for the new Volkswagen Polo was launched today. The primary focus will be on the sixth-generation car’s safety assistance and convenience systems, with the first press advertisement proclaiming ‘Your back-up when backing-up’, and promoting the Park Pilot and Park Assist functions.

‘Emotional, authentic and humourous’
‘As one of the world’s most advanced small cars, the new Polo calls the tune in its class when it comes to safety – something that is important to people. Our campaign highlights this subject in typical Volkswagen style: emotional, authentic and humorous’, said Jürgen Stackmann, Volkswagen Brand Board Member for Sales. According to Volkswagen, the new TV commercial, print materials and social media campaign will highlight how the new Polo ‘combines safety with adventure’.

The ‘emotional’ aspect comes in the form of a father and son story illustrated in the TV commercial. The spot which shows how assistance systems ‘can enrich lives’, with the father’s unsuccessful attempts to assist his more adventurous son documented through time. But, when they are both in the new Polo, he can relax as the car will ‘assist’ his son, through its numerous safety systems which include a blind spot lane change monitor, as well as front and pedestrian monitors.

The ‘360-degree’ campaign begins in over 30 European countries simultaneously. The print campaign will focus on modern convenience and safety technologies, while Volkswagen also states that the new Polo will also be the star of ‘entertaining’ feature films especially made for social media channels. The campaign has been devised by DDB Berlin, DDB Hamburg, and Adam&Eve DDB London.

The new Polo’s ‘father and son’ one-minute TV spot can be seen at www.volkswagen.de.

Continue Reading

As well as the first public showings of the T-Roc SUV, the latest I.D. Crozz electric concept car, and the new Polo range in general, Volkswagen also chose the 2017 Frankfurt motor show (14-24 September) to debut the new Polo GTI. Although the 2018 version of the hot hatchback was shown at the new Polo’s global unveiling in Berlin on 16 June, its world premiere at IAA 2017 was the first time the car had been seen by a public audience, just as with the more mainstream models.

200PS, 320Nm and XDS
As well as unveiling the car alongside the smaller Up GTI, more details of the latest performance Polo have also been revealed. Of course, the headlines are unchanged from the June new Polo launch: 197bhp (200PS) 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, 236lb ft (320Nm) of torque, a top speed of 147mph (237km/h), with sports suspension and Volkswagen’s XDS electronic differential lock as standard.

The increase to 1,984cc means that the Polo GTI is in the 2.0-litre performance hatchback category for the first time, while maximum power is delivered between 4,400 and 6,000rpm. The EA888-derived unit’s maximum torque meanwhile can be accessed from as low as 1,500rpm. The car will also launch with a six-speed DSG gearbox (as with the 2010-2014 Polo GTI ‘6R’), but don’t fret: a six-speed manual will follow for all you cog-swappers. For those interested, emissions are 134g/km, 5g/km down on the outgoing 189bhp Polo GTI.

Externally, the car looks every inch a GTI. All the sub-brand’s signifiers which have identified go-faster VWs since 1976 are there: the ‘GTI’ badges, the red grille strip (which, as before, extends into the headlamps), honeycomb air intakes, while the 2018 Polo GTI also adopts key new Volkswagen styling trends such as the C-shaped gloss black lower front bumper sections which frame the integrated fog lights.

2017 Volkswagen Polo GTI: IAA 2017

2017 Volkswagen Polo GTI: IAA 2017

2017 Volkswagen Polo GTI: IAA 2017

> Read More

Continue Reading

In a repeat of July, the Volkswagen Polo steadfastly remains one of the UK’s most popular cars, according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). It held on to fifth place in the UK top 10, the position it climbed to in July. A total of 1,834 Polos were registered in August, with an overall tally of 32,266 examples of Volkswagen’s small car finding new homes so far in 2017.

The Polo’s larger sibling, the Golf, sat atop the August UK chart, 43 units ahead of the Ford Fiesta in second, with 2,236 registrations. The small Ford is still king of the pile when it comes to year-to-date figures, though, its 64,988 units and 17,697 unit-lead over the Focus looking unassailable.

With a total of 76,433 units registered, August 2017’s UK new passenger car market dipped by 6.4 per cent, the fifth consecutive monthly decline. The SMMT states that demand still makes it the third largest August in 10 years. Superminis – of which the Polo is one – and family cars remained the most popular choices. The UK’s top 10 most popular cars during August 2017 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Volkswagen Golf: 2,279 (44,218, 3rd)

2 Ford Fiesta: 2,236 (64,988, 1st)
3 Vauxhall Mokka X: 2,063
4 Ford Focus: 1,995 (47,291, 2nd)
5 Volkswagen Polo: 1,834 (32,266, 7th)
6 Ford Kuga: 1,769
7 Vauxhall Corsa: 1,659 (38,038, 5th)
8 Kia Sportage: 1,541
9 Vauxhall Astra: 1,485 (36,360, 6th)
10 Nissan Qashqai: 1,484 (39,698, 4th)

(The 2017 year-to-date top 10 most popular cars absent from August 2017’s registration figures were the eighth-placed Mercedes-Benz C Class, the ninth-placed Mini, and the tenth-placed Mercedes-Benz A Class with 31,471, 28,647 and 26,875 registrations recorded respectively.)

In South Africa, the Polo retained its second best-selling car status with 2,096 examples rolling off the forecourts. Predictably, the entry-level Polo Vivo claimed the number one spot, with 2,340 cars registered. Based on the facelifted fourth-generation Polo sold in Europe from 2005 to 2009, the Vivo has dominated the South African new car sales charts since it was introduced in 2009, when it took over from the fondly remembered Citi Golf as Volkswagen South Africa’s entry-level model.

Continue Reading

A third Volkswagen Polo GTI Supercar will be making an appearance at round eleven of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship, the World RX of Germany, with VW test driver Dieter Depping sitting behind the wheel. The three-time German rally champion will make his world rallycross debut in the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden-run car at the Estering circuit on 30 September to 1 October.

The 51 year-old will contest the Buxtehude races alongside PSRX team owner and ex-WRC champion Petter Solberg and current World Rallycross Championship leading driver Johan Kristoffersson. The first time former Dakar driver Depping has driven in competition since the 2010 Nürburgring 24-hour race. ‘I’m really looking forward to it, but also have a huge amount of respect for the races,’ the experienced circuit driver said.

‘When Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets asked me if I could envisage starting at my home race in Buxtehude, I didn’t need to think about it for long,’ explained Depping, beaming. ‘I will prepare for the races and am already looking forward to the great setting at the Estering. My thanks also go to Petter Solberg’s team, who are taking me and my Polo under their wing for this competition,’ he continued.

‘Dieter Depping has done a valuable job for Volkswagen as a test driver and racing driver for many years. He was part of the Dakar team, was involved in the development of countless racing cars and played a major role in Volkswagen bringing home a total of twelve world championship titles with the Polo R WRC,’ said Smeets. ‘The start in Buxtehude is a way of thanking Dieter Depping for his fantastic work, but we are also delighted to have a local hero lining up at the rallycross highlight in Lower Saxony.’

PROFILE: DIETER DEPPING
Dieter Depping was born on 7 August 1966 in Hannover, Germany. He first watched motorsport as a rally spectator when he was 18 years old. In 1990 he contested his rookie season in the German rally trophy in a Volkswagen Golf he built himself, winning the competition. Between 1992 and 1994 he won three titles in the German rally championship, three victories at ADAC Rally Germany (1994, 1996, 1997), and finished runner-up twice in the European championship in 1994 and 1995.

He then took a break from professional racing and devoted himself to the family business. He joined Volkswagen Motorsport as a test driver and works driver in 2001. He made his debut in a Volkswagen Tarek at the 2003 Dakar Rally, as the team-mate of Jutta Kleinschmidt. In 2009, he made his second appearance, in a Race Touareg.

Depping has also contested circuit races for Volkswagen, including the Nürburgring 24-hour race. As a test driver, Depping made a crucial contribution to the development of the hugely successful Polo R WRC the end of 2011. That four-time championship-winning machine also formed the basis for the current World Rallycross Championship Polo GTI Supercar.

Continue Reading

Distinctive inside and out, the Polo Beats is a more recent edition to the Volkswagen’s small car range. With upgraded kit and a 300W music system, it sounds like a tempting package. PoloDriver.com editor Rich Gooding takes this special version of the fifth-generation Polo for a final fling and sees if it’s a sound proposition

Red mirrors and special graphics: what’s this Polo all about then?
Introduced in May 2016, the Polo Beats started its life as a special edition model, but has become a mainstay of the current Polo range. And yes, its distinct from its siblings by way of (pun intended) loud – for a Polo – body graphics, ‘Beats’ b-pillar branding, a gloss black front grille, darkened rear lights, 16-inch ‘Knight’ alloy wheels, and those red mirrors (which, can actually be also had in black if a mis-matched look is to be avoided).

But, the main attraction of the Polo Beats is its 300W audio system. Yep, as the name suggests, the Polo Beats is a ‘collaboration’ between Volkswagen and Beats Electronics of California.

Volkswagen states that a lower-spec Polo Match comes with an 80-watt sound system as standard, but along with the upgraded output, the Polo Beats also features a digital sound processor, an eight-channel amplifier, seven ‘high-end’ speakers, and unique ‘Beats’-trimmed seats with quilted silver-grey centre sections and alcantara side bolsters. 

There are also red-edged seatbelts, red-edged carpet mats, LED footwell lighting and ‘Isaac Silver’ dashboard trim. A range of four engines power the Polo Beats, with prices starting at £14,355 ‘on the road’ for the 59bhp 1.0-litre three-door. A tempting proposition, does the sound-focused Polo offer much more for its near-£1,000 premium, or is it more a case of the extra kit distorting the appeal?

2017 Volkswagen Polo Beats (UK)

2017 Volkswagen Polo Beats (UK)

2017 Volkswagen Polo Beats (UK)

2017 Volkswagen Polo Beats (UK)

2017 Volkswagen Polo Beats (UK)

The current Polo is now eight years old, so how does it drive?
Despite its age, the fifth-generation Polo is still a decent drive. Our test car was fitted with the 1.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine developing 89bhp, and although it’s been around a while, it’s still a powertrain highlight of the soon-to-be-discontinued Polo range.

Nippy and very tractable with 118lb ft of torque coming in from 1,400-4,000rpm, it scoots the 1,107kg small VW along at a decent lick, and only loses some performance towards the top of its rev range. It sounds nice, too, slightly reminiscent of the thrum belonging to lesser Polos’ turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit. If we’re talking figures, Volkswagen quotes a 0-62mph time of 10.8 seconds, and a top speed of 114mph.

As has been the way with Polos since the introduction of the third-generation model of 1994, the latest version has a very grown-up feel, with sure-footed and safe handling. The Polo Beats can be cornered with moderate verve, and while we won’t pretend it’s the ultimate in small car fun, it offers a good compromise of mildly involving handling with good grip, a largely comfortable ride, and refined road manners.

The power-assisted steering feels naturally-weighted and not overly light, the manual gearbox has a nice slick ‘mechanical’ action, while the brakes are strong and the car is very hushed when cruising. Not that that is too much of a concern when you have a 300-watt sound system at your disposal…

2017 Volkswagen Polo Beats (UK)

2017 Volkswagen Polo Beats (UK)

2017 Volkswagen Polo Beats (UK)

> Read More

Continue Reading