PoloDriver

With all best wishes to all readers of PoloDriver. We hope you have a fun-filled festive season and a healthy and prosperous new year. Join us next week when we’ll reflect over Polo developments from 2009 and look forward to what’s coming in 2010.

Rich Gooding updates the story of his 159,000-mile, 1994 Polo Coupé GT, which he has owned for almost 11 years. It’s December, so it must be MoT time…

I’d never realised that the various pieces of paper that make up the MoT document portfolio were colour-coded like traffic lights. There’s red for a fail, orange for advisory items and green for a pass. Yesterday, my Polo Coupé GT got all three. But, crucially, it did pass the annual Department of Transport test.

It wasn’t due until 5 January 2010, but in customary tradition, I decided to get it done early. A good tradition with an elderly car. My Satin Silver GT is now 15 years old, and the days of sailing through the yearly inspection are long gone. It’s not too bad, though; brake pipes have been an advisory item for the last couple of years at least, but this year, something finally needed doing.

The Refusal of an MoT certificate stated that the tester thought that the offside rear brake hose had deteriorated so much that he thought it was dangerous to drive the car. So that was duly sorted, the car retested and a pass given. Yes, there’s still one brake hose and four brake pipes that are ‘slightly corroded’ and will need replacing and also the small matter of a minor leak of exhaust gases from the front section of the pipe, but all in all it could have been much worse than a £150 total bill.

Note for 2010, though; older cars need more care, and one that’s covered 159,000 miles maybe more than most…

UK motoring monthly glossy Car has named the new Polo as one of its ten cars of 2009. Part of The Car 100 – Everything That Mattered In 2009, the Car Top 10 celebrates the best of the best. On page 115 of the new January 2010 issue, the magazine states: ‘Like its bigger Golf brother, the Polo doesn’t grab you from the moment you set off: it’s more of a grower. At best, our reaction to the Polo’s platform-sharing SEAT Ibiza brother has been lukewarm. We’re hot for this little number from VW.’

Volkswagen opened its continental order books for the new Polo BlueMotion yesterday, with prices starting at €16,500 (£14,766). The company state that its new eco-baby is the world’s most fuel-efficient five seater, and if that’s the case, it should sell well in these hardened times. The new Polo BlueMotion made its debut as a concept car at the Geneva motor show in March and will come to the UK at around the same time next year.

We’ve written about the new miserly Polo before, but the basics are a three-cylinder 1.2-litre 74bhp TDI engine with BlueMotion-specific modifications, including a Stop-Start system and regenerative braking. Emissions of left-hand drive cars are down to 87g/km and fuel consumption is up to around 83mpg, or 22 per cent down when compared to the regular Polo 1.6 TDI with the same power output.

There’s also a relatively light weight of 1,150kg, a closed-off radiator grille for better air flow, aerodynamic underbody panels, 15-inch ‘Greenland’ alloy wheels with low rolling resistance tyres, ‘sports’ bumpers with lower lips, rear spoiler, front fog lights and door handles and outside mirror housings painted in body colour. Inside buyers get leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear knob, special ‘Power On’ upholstery and a tyre pressure indicator.

On Wednesday of this week, Volkswagen’s plan for world domination came a step closer. The company signed a ‘common understanding’ to establish a close and long-term strategic partnership. It came out of the blue for sure, with initial rumblings only appearing in last month’s motoring press. The German giant states that each party will respect the other’s independence, but that both companies are focused on ‘achieving synergies in the areas of rapidly-growing markets as well as in the development and manufacturing of innovative and environmentally friendly compact cars.’

The plan is simple. For now, Volkswagen will purchase 19.9% of Suzuki’s issued shares, expected to be completed in January 2010. Suzuki will then invest up to one half of the amount received from VW into the German car maker. The two will then form a long-term strategic partnership which should enable them to offer a ‘compelling solution’ for customers both buying their first car and those who want to downsize and reduce their carbon footprint. It could be a canny move on Volkswagen’s behalf.

What does it mean? Well, essentially, Suzuki predominantly has a good foothold in the growing south east Asian market and India, where it is a past master at selling small cars. Although the Polo is now a recognised face in China and Japan (and will soon be launched on the Indian market), a baby car-shaped boost wouldn’t do any harm to Volkswagen’s reputation. And, depending on how far down the development road the new Small Car Family of sub-Polo cars is, Suzuki could provide valuable expertise.

Of course, what’s more important to us, is whether the new Suzuki Swift and next-generation Polo will share platforms and be jointly-developed. It won’t happen immediately for both companies – Volkswagen has only just let the new Polo take its first steps in the world, and the Japanese company has a new Swift coming soon, which is currently in the final stages of development. One of the best phrases in the issued press release is ‘exciting cars’, which could of course mean many things from improved driving dynamics to cutting-edge tech.

What it means for the sixth-generation Polo is unclear. A jointly-developed supermini could do wonders for the small German’s personality, giving it a more cheerful and sparky character, while upping the Swift’s quality and image at the same time. One of the questions that could be asked is whether the VW Group can support another small car, what with the forthcoming Audi A1, the Škoda Fabia, SEAT Ibiza, and Polo all spun off one platform. It’ll be one deal to keep a close eye on. Volkswagen Polift or Suzuki Swilo anyone?