Volkswagen has launched not one but three new cars to the Irish market in the last few days. They are a completely new generation Polo, the brand new to the range T-Roc and a supersized Tiguan the Tiguan Allspace. At a recent event, the Irish Farmers Journal got the chance to bring them for a first Irish drive.

New Polo

The new Polo is no longer a small car. The current one is bigger than the Golf from the early noughties. The Polo is a completely new car, with a longer wheel base than the last model and with Volkswagen’s most recent styling calling card, creases, in every panel.

It is a very pretty little car with its pair of angular headlights with small LED daytime lights running through the lower portion and a silver trim piece slicing through the centre of the grille.

Sitting into the Polo is a completely new experience. It is obviously Volkswagen but bears no resemblance to the previous version. The infotainment system is the 6.5in Volkswagen group standard issue, which is a good thing as it has those lovely twisty knobs for the volume and tuning.

There is a body-coloured trim running around the cabin. In the case of the test car, this was an orange colour and really made the Polo feel young. On the road, the Polo drove as you’d expect from a “small” Volkswagen, with good feel through the steering and sure-footedness when pushed on in a spirited manner.

The little three-cylinder engine producing 65hp was a little noisy when revved but once cruising it was pleasantly non-invasive on my ears.

This new Polo will be a serious contender in its own class and will also give some perennial Golf buyers something to think about. Prices start from €16,795 (UK £13,855).

New T-Roc

The T-Roc is a completely new car from Volkswagen and is its entrant into the extremely crowded small SUV market. The T-Roc is a lovely looking car with its funky styling and very different indicators on the front which are below the main lights and change colour from white to orange when required.

The shape of these really sets off the front of the car and make it stand out from the rest of the Volkswagen range. On the inside, the T-Roc plays the cool card in spades with its sweeping dash, Active Info Display in place of the traditional dials and the very latest 8.5in infotainment system.

This infotainment system comes with satnav and mobile connectivity through Android Auto and Google Car Play as standard. On the road, the T-Roc is a very enjoyable drive, if a little uninspiring in the twisty stuff.

This is standard across this section of the market and if anything the T-Roc is the class leader.

The test car had a 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine producing 150hp. This made the little Volkswagen properly swift in a straight line and an absolute joy on the motorway with lots of power to get up to speed and once there, it cruised very comfortably and with near silence in the cabin.

This will probably not be the engine of choice for most consumers. Most will plump for the diesel or the smaller petrol unit that is available.

With Volkswagen’s marketing of the T-Roc hitting the spot, this car will be a huge seller for them and yet again will not only do well in it class but will possibly replace the odd Golf around the country. Prices start from €24,750 (UK £18,950).

New Tiguan Allspace

The Tiguan Allspace fits into the range above the regular Tiguan and its big selling point over its relative is the addition of two seats, making this a seven-seater. Aside from more seats and a slightly different front-end design, the Tiguan Allspace is exactly the same as the standard five-seat model with no mechanical changes whatsoever.

On the road, the Allspace is exactly the same as the five-seat version. The slightly added length hasn’t adversely affected the good road manners of the normal Tiguan. The popular engine will probably be the 150hp diesel mated to the wonderful Volkswagen DSG gearbox.

The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace gets all the same positive traits of the five-seat model, but adds some extra practicality. There’s lots to like, such as a plush, spacious interior, and although it isn’t exciting to drive, it does what a family SUV needs to do. Prices start from € 34,050 (£29,370).

Volkswagen has added some serious clout to its line-up and these three cars fill the gaps in the range very nicely and will gain market share in each of their segments.

Personally, I think the T-Roc will stand out in the small SUV market with its quirky looks and Volkswagen-built quality making it the front runner from here on.

All of these test drives were conducted over a very short period of time and proper week long tests will be conducted as soon as cars become available.