Our cars: 2015 Polo SE 1.2 TSI –
report two
Tom Goodlad, content editor for Auto Express, has been putting his new Polo SE 1.2 TSI to work, piling on the miles and turning it into full-on flat pack transport. How has the little silver Volkswagen coped with it all?
A lot can happen in a matter of months. Since my last report, in which I was still getting used to my new Polo, I’ve been all over the place and piling on the miles to LP64 HRG.
Trusty and comfortable
In the grand scheme of things, it hasn’t really been a long time, but an awful lot has happened and I’ve spent a lot of time behind the wheel of my Polo and it’s proving to be a trusty and comfortable companion, if a slightly grubby and fly-splattered one.
As mentioned in my previous report, I gave the Polo its first run to my family home in Devon and since then it’s done the journey so many times it could probably do it by itself.
What I’m coming to realise from these journeys is just how adept the Polo is at driving in all kinds of situations. It’s comfortable and refined in the outside lane of the motorway and as easy to use as you’d expect around town, but throw it down a country lane in the West Country and it can put a smile on your face.
Get-up-and-go
Granted, it’s no hot hatch, but it feels light enough on its feet to enjoy the experience (it helps when you’ve got a view of the Atlantic). The 89bhp 1.2 TSI engine is eager and provides more get-up-and-go than you’d expect, especially on the motorway – making easy work of keeping up with traffic.
I do miss the torque of my old Audi A3 2.0 TDI when I just need to put my foot down, but the Polo is hardly a slouch and I’ve got used to the need to plan ahead slightly. I just possibly need to improve my driving in the process to make sure I have the room to make a manoeuvre.
So, as I’m writing this actually sitting in the car waiting for an appointment, the Polo is proving a great place to spend time (even as a mobile office). The interior is standing up well to what I throw at it and the quality really is top-notch.
The seats are comfortable and supportive enough that I can do the three-hour haul to Devon and get out feeling refreshed at the other end. It’s even surprising how much more refined it is than my parents’ Mk 5 Golf TDI, plus I’m currently averaging about 49mpg. It’s a little off VW’s claimed 60.1mpg, but considering the types of journey I do, I’m pretty happy with that.
The Polo is proving its worth as a makeshift van, too. A recent trip to IKEA tested the car’s ability to fit a small dining table, two chairs, a storage unit and a few other bits and bobs in, and it passed with flying colours.
The split-folding rear seats are easy to fold and the variable-height boot floor meant there was no lip to contend with. The front passenger had to squeeze in slightly, but an IKEA trip wouldn’t be truly complete without a mildly uncomfortable passenger balancing some flat-pack above their head.
Over the next month or so I’m due to move house, so there will undoubtedly be more van-like duties for the Polo to get stuck into. Full details next time.
