What is it?
Time waits for no man. Or car. In the time since we road tested the current Volkswagen Polo and declared it top of the supermini class, quite a few new or thoroughly refreshed rivals have entered the fray, aiming for the Volkswagen 's crown.
So it’s facelift time for the Polo. Its design is awkwardly caught between VW’s older, more rectilinear design language and the more recent swoopy monobrow style first seen on the Mk8 Volkswagen Golf, which makes the fussier headlights and bigger tail-lights sit slightly uneasy on the more restrained body.
VW has also revised the trim levels with more kit fitted as standard. Not counting the GTI, there are just three: Life, Style and R-Line. The cheapest Polo, costing £17,885, is now a Life with a 79bhp naturally aspirated 1.0-litre, but really you want at least the 94bhp turbocharged version costing £18,825, which can be paired with a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic as well as a five-speed manual. There is also a 108bhp DSG-only version, which is solely an R-Line model and costs £23,355.
Whichever version you choose, it’s one of the most expensive non-hybrid superminis, so it makes sense that VW estimates 60% of UK Polos will have the 94bhp engine, and 75% will be Life trim. Helpfully, our test car is both.
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You dismiss car's in-built navigation systems as being unnecessary.
But my Golf's built-in navigation has two big benefits over Google Maps - (1) it doesn't send me down ridiculously small/unsuitable roads to save 5 seconds and (2) it can display maps and route guidance on the active info display.
Low income bogan/chav women over 30, your new car awaits!
I am not usually a fan of VWs, and yes this is very dull, however its more appealing than the MK8 Golf, with its droopy syling, and awful button free interior. I am surprised its as slow as it is with 94 BHP, but its OK, and despite looking expensive, its much cheaper than the Hybrid alternatives that Toyota and Honda force on their buyers. Sometimes dull is all people want (sad but true)
Not really, Clio and Juke with more horse power take a second longer.