PoloDriver

The hottest-ever Polo, the R WRC, Volkswagen’s road-going version of its winning World Rally Championship rally car, has been crowned the 2013 Sports Car (Small Car category) by Sport Auto magazine. The 2.0-litre, 217bhp hot hatchback will see its first deliveries start in September. The Polo R WRC road car also features a six-speed manual gearbox (as opposed to the seven-speed DSG in the Polo GTI), 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds, alcantara-trimmed sport seats, 18-inch ‘Cagliari’ alloy wheels, and a white, blue, and grey colour scheme. Prices start at €33,900. UK availability has yet to be confirmed.

Australia’s Drive magazine has named the Polo 77TSI as the Best City Car for the third consecutive year in its annual Drive Car of the Year awards. A winner since its introduction in 2010, the Polo was described as being ‘the benchmark setter in this category – if not the one above’ and ‘hard to fault’. The Polo’s refined and confident nature during cornering and highway cruising were also highly praised. Other Drive Volkswagen winners included the Golf Cabriolet (Best Convertible) and the Up (Safety Innovation Award). The 2012 Drive Car of the Year Awards were judged by an experienced group of road testers over a week. The Drive awards are regarded as the ultimate consumer guide in Australia.

Adding to its trophy cabinet, the Polo 66TDI has also received two Australia’s Best Car Awards prizes. Taking the Best Light Car over $20,000 award, it was again the third consecutive year Volkswagen’s small car has taken the prize, it’s blend of remarkable fuel efficiency and class-leading build quality scoring highly. ‘On the road, the Polo continues to be a standout. On winding sections of road, the Polo is nimble and fleet footed. From the moment you step in and hear the reassuring thud when you close the door you know you’re in a special vehicle,’ said the judges. The Australia’s Best Car Awards represent the country’s most comprehensive and independent consumer-focused vehicle testing/awards programme.

The latest generation of the Polo has been awarded gold and the top spot in a report published by the German-founded independent service assurance organisation, TÜV and German motoring magazine Auto Bild. The Polo was the winner of the two-to-three-year old cars class, having the fewest defects (2.2 per cent of cars tested) over a period from July 2011 and June 2012 and over eight million inspections. The small Volkswagen beat off competition from the Japanese Mazda 3 and German Audi Q5 to emerge victorious. The official awards ceremony takes place in February 2013 in Berlin.

‘The award proves that with the new Polo, technical security is not a matter of price. After years of Japanese domination, Wolfsburg shows that high standards can be met at in affordable small cars,’ declared Hartmut Müller-Gerbes, editor of the TÜV/Auto Bild report. Professor Dr Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of Volkswagen AG commented: ‘The excellent result of the Polo in the 2013 TÜV Report emphasises that Volkswagen is a leader in technology and quality in the compact segment. The Polo’s victory makes it clear that we can achieve quality, no matter what the vehicle class.’

The latest version of the Polo GTI has once again claimed Australian car magazine Motor’s ‘Bang For Your Bucks’ award. It’s the second year the Polo has done so, taking the same best-value performance car title in 2011. Beating off 17 other new and returning competitors in 2012, the Polo GTI receives the award in the September issue of Motor, impressing judges with its performance, handling and standard kit list.

The Motor judging panel said: ‘The Polo GTI is an elegantly stylish, roomy, comfortable, refined, safe, beautifully finished small car that also happens to be a fantastic all-round hot-hatch. What the Polo GTI aces without question are the fundamentals of not just every great hot hatch but every great car.’ High praise indeed.

Standard equipment in the Polo GTI 6R includes a seven-speed, double-clutch gearbox with paddle shifters, ESP, and XDS electronic differential lock. Visual punch is added by a red-trimmed grille, 17-inch Golf GTI-style alloy wheels and VW’s signature tartan interior trim. The 2012 Polo GTI is powered by a 178bhp/132kW/250Nm 1.4-litre TSI supercharged and turbocharged engine, and in Australia is priced from $27,790 (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges for three-door model).

[Source: www.vwwatercooled.org.au]

The Polo has earned another accolade, being named as the best small hatchback in the the Parkers Cost of Motoring New Car Awards 2012. In Match 1.2-litre TDI form, the Polo was judged the best small hatchback to make motorists’ cash go the furthest. The Parkers New Car Awards are in their second year and were designed by the experts at the car-buying website, with the winners determined through the data produced by Parkers’ ‘cost of motoring’ tool. This uses objective data to identify all the different elements involved in keeping a car on the road for three years and covering 30,000 miles, including depreciation, taxes, service, maintenance and repair, fuel consumption and breakdown cover.

The Volkswagen Touran S 1.6-litre TDI BlueMotion Technology also claimed an award, winning the fiercely fought people carrier category. Kieren Puffett, editor of Parkers says: ‘With the cost of motoring continuing to rise, customers are keener than ever to secure the best deal when buying a new car; yet motorists are often unaware of the unseen and long-term costs involved. To win one Parkers Cost of Motoring New Car Award is a real achievement, but to win two is outstanding. These awards are a clear demonstration that both the Volkswagen Polo and Touran provide new car buyers with exceptionally competitive running costs, strong residual values and the latest fuel efficient engines.’