PoloDriver

The current issue of monthly independent VW title Volkswagen Driver features three pages on Rachel Inglis’s 1981 Derby GLS. We saw the car at the recent Stanford Hall event (coincidentally where the photos for the magazine feature were taken) and it really is a stunner. With only 21,000 miles on the clock since new, its paintwork gleams and the interior looks like brand new. Find out more in the June 2010 issue of Volkswagen Driver magazine on sale now.

These first drive reports have literally just pinged into our inbox. Fresh from Volkswagen’s Nurbürging 24-hour race Polo GTI driving event, the two UK motoring weeklies have today delivered their verdicts on the Polo we’ve all been waiting for. They’re – not surprisingly – conflicting verdicts, too. Auto Express states in its drive that, ‘The steering is well weighted and offers good feedback. Body roll is also virtually non-existent, thanks to firmer springs and dampers.’ Autocar’s verdict (which is more relevant for enthusiasts) is delivered in the video below. One verdict is the same, though; that of price. At £18,275, the 2010 Polo GTI is priced above arguably more able – but less refined – competitors.

Edit, 19 May 2010: Autocar‘s written verdict on the 2010 Volkswagen Polo GTI has been posted online today. The Auto Express first drive is in the current issue of the magazine, while the Autocar write-up will be in print next week.

This one’s been a long time coming, but the new issue of UK motoring weekly title Auto Express carries a test of the much-anticipated Polo 1.2 TSI this week. Pitting the new 103bhp small-capacity turbocharged VW in range-topping SEL spec against the similarly powered Renault Clio 1.2 TCe Dynamique with 99bhp, a price difference of almost £1000 to the Clio’s advantage doesn’t quite tell the full story. The latest addition to the Polo range costs £14,710 for the three-door version; add another £600 for two more doors. Head over to the Auto Express website to read more, or for the full test, buy a copy of Issue 1114, on sale now.

[Image: Auto Express/Pete Gibson]

The hottest factory Polo to date was the 178bhp GTI Cup Edition produced in 2006 to tie-in with the German ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup racing series, so imagine our surprise when we saw this 485bhp monster in the May 2010 issue of Redline magazine. Yes, that’s right, a Polo GTI with 485bhp. Faster than a Mitsubishi Evo X FQ-330, Liam Burke’s tuned Polo sleeper boasts a GTI Cup Edition body kit, has 416bhp-per-tonne (203bhp-per-tonne more than the Evo) and 384lb/ft of torque. Quite an improvement on the standard GTI’s 148bhp and 384lb/ft. Available as a back issue, buy a copy of the May issue of the performance tuning title here and read more about this mental Polo.

[Images: Redline magazine]

Latest reports from India suggest that the new Polo Sedan could take the name of VW’s Series 3 Golf-based saloon, the Vento. Autocar India states that as the name means ‘wind’ in both Italian and Portugese, the new Polo notchback would follow the longstanding Volkswagen tradition of calling its cars after prominent winds. The current issue of the magazine also hints that the car will go on sale in July, and that the company is aiming for 25,000 units to be sold each year.

The wheelbase has reportedly been extended by 50mm to allow for better legroom, while the platform and bodywork are similar to the Polo hatchback as far as the B-pillar. The notchback rear body panels – which house a massive 500-litre boot – are said to be well-integrated with the rest of the car, and if Autocar India’s latest mock-up photos are based on fact, then the new Vento could be the best-looking Polo three-box since the original Derby of 1977. Engines are expected to be 104bhp 1.6-litre petrol and TDI units. The common-rail TDI unit could then also be dropped into the Indian-market Polo hatchback to mirror models in Europe, the magazine states.