PoloDriver

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]

We first reported on the imminent appearance of the Polo BiFuel back in March and the brochure has been online for a few weeks, but today Volkswagen officially opened its German order books for the dual-fuel model. Powered by a 1.4-litre, 84bhp engine, when in LPG-only mode the power drops by 2bhp, but bigger savings are assured at the fuel pumps and for the environment. When in Autogas mode, the Polo BiFuel has 9% lower emissions (132g/km when powered by LPG, 146g/km when petrol driven), and, Volkswagen claim, can reduce fuel bills by up to 40%.

As with the Golf and Golf Plus BiFuel, the 52-litre fuel tank is fitted into the spare wheel well and is good for around 807 miles on a single fill-up. Starting on petrol, once warmed up, the twin-fuel Polo then automatically switches its diet to LPG. Fuel choice can then be adjusted while running by the push of a button. The intriguing Polo BiFuel is available in Trendline, Comfortline and Highline guises, starting at €16.325 for the Trendline, rising to €17.625 for the Comfortline and topping out at €18.450 for the Highline.

Due to the limited availability of LPG Autogas, there’s no word on availability of the Polo BiFuel for either the UK or other global markets.

‘The Polo GTI is back. A powerful 180 PS comeback!’ Drip-feeding the hungry and prospective owners and teasing the rest of us, Volkswagen has released more information about the long-awaited Polo GTI. Coming from the company’s German headquarters, the latest press release tells us few things new, but it is, interestingly, headed ‘Wolfsburg/Nürburgring’. Is this where VW is going to let the first media drives of the car happen; does the company have that much confidence in its latest pocket rocket?

We suspect that part of the development work for the new hot Polo was done at the ‘Ring, and Volkswagen is marking the connection, as every new production seems to boast some sort of Nordschleife connection. Whatever, there are eight new photos too, this time of a red car, much more subtle than the white car images released back in February. From the new release, we learn that the interior roof liner, roof pillar trim, grab handles and sun visors are all black, and that the 0-62mph dash takes 6.9 seconds.

With a German launch at the end of May, the 1194kg, 1.4-litre TSI-engined, 178bhp Polo GTI will then be introduced to Europe and Japan. Due to hit the UK in the summer and priced at £18,275 for the basic three-door model, there’s no word in the latest press information about a manual gearbox version, so it’s seven-speed, paddle-shift DSG only. We look forward to bringing you a first drive report later in the year. For now, though, the latest full and unedited Volkswagen press release follows below.

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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]

Here’s the latest UK TV commercial for the Polo range. First aired last month, and focusing on how competitively priced and well-specced the car is against its rivals (therefore how good value it is), the 30-second spot uses classic, subtle humour to good effect. Part of the ‘Volkswagen value’ promotion, check out Volkswagen’s cool value-inspired website here.