Polo needs more power

By Michael Moroney

With minimum fanfare, Volkswagen has brought its new 2006 Polo to the market. Volkswagen is a traditional German car producer, so don’t expect to see radical changes in a car that’s very popular in the homeland.

You may notice the more modern front end and the teat drop-style headlamps. It’s when you look from the side that you’ll find the overall styling changes seem less obvious. Styling changes at Volkswagen are typically evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

Volkswagen has retained the solid feel that typified the Polo up to now. That runs from the 1.2-litre petrol engine model that I drove right up through the range.

This latest Polo is competing in an ever-bulging super-mini sector. Model updates come faster here than in other sectors and in terms of price it’s also a highly competitive field. That puts the challenge to the Polo; this new model needs to look modern and have something special to offer.

My test car was the Comfortline grade Polo and it came fitted with the basic 1.2-litre petrol engine. The Comfortline specification gives the car some extra features over the basic model. These include height-adjustable front seats, split folding rear seats, body coloured mouldings, front fog lights and remote central locking; it also had the benefit of climatic air conditioning and a metallic paint finish.

So, the new Polo has the comfort features, but in terms of engine power it’s disappointing. VW has retained the 1.2-litre engine from the previous model, despite the fact that it could have benefited with a power boost.

I looked at 17 comparative models in this super-mini sector while analysing the Polo. With engine power rated at 55bhp, the Polo is the least powerful super mini out there. The related Skoda Fabia, which uses the same engine, delivers a similar poor performance.

All is not lost on the Polo, however. The relatively good engine torque makes some amends for the low engine power. Normally, when combined, they deliver good acceleration and reasonable economy. That’s not the result with the 1.2-litre Polo, which most people will be buying. The acceleration is noticeably slower than the competition – and that’s for a premium-priced super mini.

Small-car buyers have economy high on their shopping list demands. Relative to the competition you’ll find that the new Polo is not top of the class.

The overall combined fuel economy rating for the Polo on test was 6 litres/100km or 47mpg. While that may match the fuel economy figure of the new 1.3-litre Toyota Yaris, the Yaris, which is now every bit as big as the Polo, has better acceleration and it’s cheaper. The top two cars in my economy comparison were the Honda Jazz and Mitsubishi Colt, but the Honda is expensive. Delve deeper into the analysis of the Polo and you’ll find that part of the reason for the sluggish acceleration and poor economy is due to the sheer weight of the car. This is the heaviest car in my super-mini comparison group, apart from the Opel Corsa. Weight can be a penalty when it comes to economy.

All is not lost. There is the option of choosing the higher-power version of the Polo, which gives 10bhp extra for about €500 (£550 in Northern Ireland) more. There are two reasons why this option is worth considering: this engine gives a 17% gain in acceleration performance; and there is no loss in fuel economy.

The new Polo retains its solid feel when you’re behind the wheel. Volkswagen tops up this feeling with claims that the new Polo is one of the safest and toughest cars in its sector.

Volkswagen has invested in high levels of body rigidity, ABS with HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assist), plus driver and front passenger airbags for every model in the new Polo range. My own research indicates that the previous model was not without some reliability issues. Hopefully these are ironed out in the new version. Reliability should not even be debated with modern small cars – it’s a given.

The changes in style for the new Polo have been soft and subtle. The new look blends in well with the overall Volkswagen family design. The front end look is the most significant with a new grille section and new headlamps to give a fresh feel to the car. The new Polo is solid and safe but you have a feeling that it still lacks something to make it a little special.

The basic price for the entry five-door model is €15,880 (stg£8,095 in Northern Ireland), while my Comfortline model jumped to €18,582 with its host of extras. That’s a hefty bill for car that gives an ordinary enough drive.