PoloDriver

The order books for the 2022 Volkswagen Polo are now open in Germany, with the car available to configure at volkswagen.de. All the core trim levels can be chosen – Polo, Polo Life, Polo Style and Polo R-Line – as well as the Polo Fresh special edition which packs in lots of standard features at a price below the ‘Polo’ base model.

One of the most notable features about the 2022 Polo is the standard ‘digital cockpit’, which is fitted to all models, even the entry level ‘Polo’. Digitised instruments are part of the specification across the board, with the 8.0-inch ‘Digital Cockpit’ available on Polo, Polo Life and Polo R-Line models, the Polo Style boasting a 10.25-inch ‘Digital Cockpit Pro’ set-up. Fully configurable with a choice of three displays, the digital cockpits are operated by the multifunction steering wheel.

Alongside the digital instruments, a 6.5-inch ‘Composition’ colour infotainment system is standard on the Polo and Polo Life. Polo Style and Polo R-Line versions get an 8.0-inch ‘Ready 2 Discover’ infotainment system, with two optional 8.0-inch ‘Discover Media’ and 9.2-inch ‘Discover Pro’ navigation set-ups available as options. Additional features include a windscreen-integrated camera for the dynamic road sign display feature.

Online services
Standard features of the new infotainment systems include Volkswagen’s We Connect (unlimited activation) and We Connect Plus (single year activation) online services. Information about the car can be accessed by smartphone from outside it, from the central locking system status – if the car has been left unlocked, locking can be carried out by smartphone – the driving data and parking location.

Volkswagen’s App-Connect system is also part of the on board technology from Polo Life models upwards, which integrates native smartphone apps, including Apple Siri and Google Assistant functions. App-Connect can also be integrated into the Ready 2 Discover infotainment system wirelessly for the first time, as well as by USB-C connection. The Ready 2 Discover system also has a disabled navigation function, activated on demand via the system’s In-Car Shop. A sign of things to come, as Volkswagen transitions to be as much a software supplier as a car maker?

It’s not just the instruments and the infotainment screens that are going fully digital, though. New Polos ordered with the optional two-zone Climatic air conditioning system have an added layer of digital technology as the functions for this are operated by touch sliders and controls, in a similar way to the eighth-generation Golf and the all-electric ID family. A move for the better? Perhaps. While we’ve not tried the new Polo’s system, the digital controls work well enough on the other cars to which they are fitted.

The new Polo range starts at €15,995 for the Polo Fresh – only available in Reef Blue – which just slots in under the €16,795 entry level Polo. The Polo Life begins at €18,475, the Polo Style priced from €22,475. The – for now, the new Polo GTI is coming – range-topping Polo R-Line starts at €23,475. Visit the online configurator at volkswagen.de to see the full range of models, prices and specifications for the new Polo range.