PoloDriver

What Car? compares the £13,030 1.4 SE five-door version of Volkswagen’s new baby to the Citroën C3 1.4 VTI 95 VTR+ and the Ford Fiesta 1.25i 82 Edge in its latest issue out now. Awarding the Polo and Fiesta five stars and the C3 four, summing up the magazine says, ‘The latest Polo shows that you can still afford a cracking motor if you’re on tight budget. Superminis don’t come any better. The Polo is as classy, comfortable and refined as cars from the class above, yet it’s also cheaper and better equipped than rivals.’

The current Awards 2010 issue of What Car? also features the magazine’s winners, of which the new Polo is one, in its annual prize-giving edition. The refined and grown-up fifth-generation model has won the Best Supermini category in the car buying monthly’s Car of the Year 2010 awards.

UK car-buying magazine What Car? recognised the new Polo at its annual awards last night, held at London’s prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel. Along with the hotly-contested Best Supermini 2010 title, the fifth-generation Polo also picked up the Best Buy award in the more than £11,000 sub-category. Both prizes were awarded to the 1.4-litre 85bhp SE five-door model. The Golf and Scirocco also took top honours in the Small Family Car and Best Coupé Under £25,000 categories respectively.

Presenting the Polo’s award, What Car? Group Editor, Steve Fowler commented: ‘We first got behind the wheel of the new Polo at the Geneva Motor Show and we were immediately blown away by its airiness and the quality of its interior. The Polo’s fine drive and a cabin that is effectively a Golf in miniature had us convinced.’

Chris Craft, Director of Volkswagen UK said: ‘I am extremely proud of these awards and to see three of our key models performing so strongly this evening. The new Polo has enjoyed a fantastic reception since its launch last year, and these latest awards are a good foundation for continued success looking forward.’

Motoring weekly Autocar pits the new Polo 1.4 SE against the Citroën C3 1.4 VTI VTR+ and Ford Fiesta 1.4 Zetec in the latest issue on sale this week. Squaring up to its French and Anglo-American competition, one of the trump cards played by the new fifth-generation Polo is, unusually, its price.

At £13,030 for the 84bhp SE model tested, the mid-range Polo is the cheapest car of the three put through their paces. That doesn’t mean it skimps on comfort, kit or refinement, though; the magazine states ‘There are very few flaws in the Polo’s package. On the motorway it is the most refined car here, and it is perfectly comfortable in every circumstance.’

So, does the Polo triumph? Buy the 13 January 2010 issue of Autocar available until next Tuesday to find out.

The latest issue of Volkswagen Golf+ magazine has a two-page feature on PoloDriver in the club profile section. Showcasing the newest online Polo resource, the article tells the story of how the website came about and details the developments we hope to make, as well as featuring founder Rich Gooding’s 1994 Polo GT Coupé. The February issue of Volkswagen Golf+ magazine is on sale now until 29 January 2010.

The last year of the ‘Noughties’ was a big year for the Volkswagen Polo and one of the busiest ever in the model’s 34-year history. We look back at the major Polo developments and happenings of 2009.

January

• German motoring weekly Auto Motor und Sport names the Polo as the Best Car of 2009 in the supermini class.

March

• Volkswagen surprises everyone and pulls the covers off the new Polo (in five-door form, above) at the Geneva motor show. New model is cleaner, lighter and safer than ever before. New fifth-generation has a new, sharper-looking body and new engines including a 1.2-litre 104bhp TSI and 1.6-litre common-rail TDI. New BlueMotion concept emits 87g/km of CO2, and will do 83.4mpg.
• Rumours circulate about a US market launch.
• VW Polo Challenge racing game app launched on the iPhone, topping 1.4 million downloads.

April

• Volkswagen India starts pre-production of the new Polo at its Pune plant in India, ready for a 2010 market launch.

May

• UK motoring monthly Car publishes its first online road test of the new model: ‘The new Polo isn’t perfect, but it’s an impressive step forward from a model that was well past its sell-by date.’
• Volkswagen release more details of the new model after the International Driving Presentation in Sardinia.

June

• First TV advertising commercials ‘Neon’ and ‘Ready For A New Class’ appear, using Pink’s Bad Influence as the soundtrack.

July

• New Polo launched in selected contintental markets.

August

• UK prices and specifications for the new Polo are released. S, Moda, SE and SEL trim levels announced, with prices starting at £10,635 for the 1.2 59bhp S, rising to £14,910 for the 1.6-litre 89bhp SEL TDI.
• Euro NCAP awards the new Polo a five-star safety rating, making one of, if not the, safest car in its class.
• First official pictures of the three-door model are released.

September

• New Polo three-door (above) and production version of the BlueMotion concept appear at the Frankfurt motor show.
• iMotor magazine publishes its first road test of the 74bhp 1.6-litre TDI, pitting it against its omnipresent foe, the Ford Fiesta.
• UK motoring weekly Auto Express publishes its first group test of the new Polo. The car faces established competition from the Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2 and Renault Clio.
• German motoring publication Auto Motor und Sport publishes renderings of the new Polo GTI flagship and SUV-style CrossPolo, while the UK’s Autocar states that GTD, cabrio, estate and MPV versions of the car could also be coming.

October

• ‘Cool’ TV advertising commercial airs and takes inspiration from Hollywood, mixing Grease-style looks to a Back To The Future idea.
• PoloDriver gets behind the wheel of the new Polo and is deeply impressed with the newcomer, stating: ‘The fifth-generation model is the most refined, luxurious and capable incarnation of the Polo to date and may at last get the recognition it has been deserving of.’
• UK prices are announced for the three-door new Polo range, taking the cost of the entry level model down to £9435.
• Polo Sedan (saloon) spyshots published online. Could this be the model for India and the US?
• New 1.2-litre TSI turbocharged engine released for ordering, slated to arrive in the UK in January 2010.
• New Polo launched in the UK on 16 October 2009.
• What Car? magazine tests the new Polo against nine rivals – Polo is victorious.

November

• New Polo wins the European Car of the Year 2010 award fighting off competition from the Citroën C3 Picasso, Mercedes-Benz E-class, Vauxhall Astra, Peugeot 3008, Škoda Yeti and Toyota iQ.
• ‘Golden Steering Wheel’ and ‘Green Steering Wheel’ from Auto Bild and Bild am Sonntag magazines awarded to the new model at a ceremony in Berlin.
• Volkswagen Driver magazine tests the 1.2 SE and says of the £11,385 newcomer: ‘Volkswagen’s latest Polo is the biggest, best and most stylish yet.’
• New Polo wins Small Car of the Year at the Scottish Car of the Year awards and is crowned with the Auto Trophy by Autozeitung.

December

• Continental order books open for the new Polo BlueMotion (above).
• Car magazine lists the new Polo in its Top 10 Cars of 2009.

With the launch of the new fifth-generation it’s been a busy year for the Polo and also for us here at PoloDriver. We would like to thank the readers who have sent us congratulatory comments and best wishes, and hope that you’ll enjoy the developments coming to the website in 2010.

[Click on the ‘Polo 2009-’ tag in the tag cloud in the right-hand sidebar of the website to see all entries pertaining to the new Polo.]