it's a polo with pizzazz
Saturday November 28 2009
It has been some time since I drove a new mainstream Volkswagen and was overwhelmed. Usually I'm underwhelmed. So I didn't hold my breath for the new Polo. I wasn't disappointed. Bang on cue. I was underwhelmed. It is the nature of the beast.
The Polo is the diametric opposite of the current political spin doctor. Indeed, it is a genuine pity we don't have more Polos in politics (we could called them 'Poloticians' maybe?).
We'd certainly have less spin and, potentially, more doctors to stitch us back together again.
The Polo doesn't spout ould guff about being this and that. It doesn't try to steer you in one direction, or persuade you that Volkswagen knows best how to make a supermini.
This is a good supermini; not a great supermini. Its qualities are in the high echelons of good. Far better than some, more than a match for most. Better than some in a few areas; not as good in others.
It is the quintessential rock-solid buy but it's not a car you'll necessarily 'love' driving. The 1.2-litre petrol engine (mine was 70bhp; there is a 60bhp version as well) is a little workhorse three-cylinder that is grand so long as you don't push it too hard.
This is bit like a shrunk-down Golf (not too much though) with a bit of Scirocco sports car flair streaked across its nose.
The cabin is VW through and through. I could close my eyes here and now and go through every single element on the dash. Familiarity does not always breed contempt; for many owners it breeds content and that is an important part of the continuity VW insists upon.
I drove this new arrival around a fair bit of the country, through gale and rain and, well, more rain. The cousin sat into it outside our home and thought it was a Golf. He hadn't had a chance, because of the rain, to check and see. That will give you an idea of how much they have 'grown' (a great spin doctor's word) the Polo.
I'm a reasonable size and I had plenty of room. The cousin has a bigger frame and he was fine, though I would not want to be the rear seat passenger after he was finished making himself comfortable.
In fairness there is reasonable room at the back.
The moral of all this is that those who have a Polo are likely to continue to own one. Those who are downsizing are likely to look at it too because it is built, as they say, like a mini-Merc. And those working on a tight budget can look as well because Volkswagen have copped on to the fact that they need to price this car right across the band rather than aim it at the middle and top.
The perceived big rivals for your money are the Ford Fiesta and the Toyota Yaris, not to mention the ubiquitous Nissan Micra, though there is a huge choice these days.
Running costs are key in this small-car sector where every euro counts. They shaved a fair bit of weight off the new Polo and tweaked the engines so they are more efficient.
However, the Polo is not as sharp a driver as the Fiesta, a car I consider to be far, far better than is generally accepted. The Yaris gives off an aura of quiet accomplishment, has a three-year warranty and is hugely popular. And the Micra. Well, you just sit in and drive it away; it has nothing to prove.
In a way, neither has the Polo. It has been the sanctuary of many for a long time and judging by this will remain so well into the future.
They have injected a bit of pizzazz into the driving elements. There is a clean, clear feel to the steering and over some rough roads the solid chassis permitted passage to few shocks or shunts into the cabin.
In other words the Polo is what it hasn't been, a car with a decent bit of a drive in it. So I was underwhelmed by it to the extent that I had no cause at any time to either fuss or fret.
As I said, I drove it over a week of high wind and heavy rain and I suppose the fact that it never seemed to succumb to the sharp crosswinds is itself a reflection of just how solid a little motor it is.
It wasn't overwhelmed by anything that came its way. A bit like myself.
Irish Independent
