Volkswagen Polo

Overview

What is it?

It’s the third best-selling car of 2021 in the UK, just shy of its bigger brother, the VW Golf, but some way behind its arch rival, the Ford Fiesta. Still, the chase is on, which is why Volkswagen has recently revealed a mid-life facelift with a fresh look, new trim levels and “big car” tech. Ooh, fancy.

But it’s also a hugely important car to the Volkswagen Group. First introduced to the UK in 1975 and now in its sixth generation, over 18 million have been produced globally, while roughly every one in six VWs sold in the UK in 2020 was a Polo. This car – the current iteration having been with us since 2017 – matters.

Go on then, what’s new?

Well, it looks a little more Golf-y now, truth be told. There’s a new front light strip, LED daytime running lights and headlights as standard, plus optionally available adaptive matrix technology. Round the back the Polo lettering has been shifted centrally under the VW badge, and there are new-shape taillights.

Looks pretty smart though, wouldn’t you say? It’s available in three trim levels, and, like the Golf (and other VW stablemates), follows a simple Y-shape structure. Kicking things off is the Polo Life (expected to account for around 75 per cent of Polo sales), which starts at £17,885, before moving up into a two-pronged structure of comfort-oriented Style and sportily designed R-Line specifications, both priced from £20,785 OTR. The high-performance Polo GTi, meanwhile, will set you back from £26,430.

Please tell us it hasn’t nicked the Mk8 Golf’s infotainment set-up, too…

Good and bad news here. The updated Polo gets VW’s latest infotainment system with either 8.0-inch or optional 9.2-inch touchscreen, complete with touch sensitive buttons and knobs either side to control the volume and map zoom. The graphics are good, the touchscreen is responsive and it’s easy to navigate your way around, while Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are supported as standard.

The climate controls are also entirely separate, sitting lower down the dash. Hurrah! But… while this consists of easy-to-use buttons and knobs in Life trim, in the upper two trim levels it’s replaced by a – you guessed it – touch button panel instead. ARGH. It’s unintuitive, frustrating to use, and worse than the ‘lesser’ system. Said panel (with auto aircon) is optionally available to Life buyers, but best avoided. 

Still, it’s otherwise pleasing enough inside. Even in lowest spec you get an 8.0-inch Digital Cockpit (10.25-inch in upper spec), along with handy features such as two front and two rear USB sockets, power-folding, adjustable and heated door mirrors, and automatic rain-sensing wipers as standard. Space is a little tight in the rear, especially if front-seat passengers are six footers, but it’s comfortable enough for shorter folk, while the boot is more than adequate. More on the interior tab.

What about powertrains?

Four engine and gearbox configurations are available, all 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engines, ranging in power output from 79bhp to 108bhp. 

The nat-asp former is only available in entry-level Life trim, combined with a five-speed manual gearbox. Mid-range is the 93bhp turbocharged TSI, mated to a five-speed manual or seven-speed DSG ‘box, the former of which we’ve been testing. We’ve been suitably impressed, too – it’s quiet, refined and relaxing to drive, and just as home around town as it is on the motorway, if not as engaging as its arch nemesis the Ford Fiesta. Head over to the driving tab for the details.

Top-of-the-tree is the 108bhp TSI, available exclusively with the seven-speed DSG ‘box. Aside from the GTi it’s the most rapid Polo in the range, taking 10.4 seconds to reach 62 mph – some five seconds faster than the nat-asp engine.

If you’re looking for bang for your buck, the 93bhp engine combined with the five-speed manual gearbox is the most frugal and eco-conscious, offering 54.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 118g/km. Warranty, meanwhile, three years or 60,000 miles. Head over to the buying tab for the full lowdown. 

The sixth-generation Polo is arguably as good as it’s ever been, with a recent mid-life facelift adding both more style and substance. Well-built, impressively comfortable, and hugely practical, it ticks a lot of boxes, making it an attractive option for a lot of people, as its current standing in the year-to-date best sellers suggests.

Though it’s arguably not as fun to drive as some of its competitors – namely the Fiesta – it offers a safe-bet combination of pleasing performance and on-road refinement, with its 1.0-litre turbocharged engine up to the task of most family requirements. Put simply, it’s a sensible choice, and one you’ll likely not regret.

Driving

What is it like to drive?

We’ve spent most time in the 1.0 turbo engine with 93bhp, mated to the five-speed manual box, and immediate impressions were good. It’s quiet for a supermini – if more chattery than it is in a Golf – but alert and progressive to your right foot, though not immune to little jerks as you come off the pedal at urban-crawl speed. 0-62mph takes a fairly respectable 10.8 secs, a little quicker than equipped with the seven-speed DSG box, which notches the 0-62mph time up by half a second.

We’ve also tried the auto ‘box and found it to be a very smooth operator mostly, except when moving away from a town junction when the idle-stop has cut in, where you occasionally get a delay followed by a shove. Still, it’s your only option if you’re looking for more power, though we found 93bhp to be adequate enough.

Is it comfortable?

Pleasingly so. It feels like a bigger-than-supermini car, and that’s the best praise you can really give it. Space is more than adequate in the front, if a little limited in the rear for six footers-plus, but no less so than any of its competitors.

Around town there’s a small amount of commotion from the suspension at low speed, but it smooths out most bumps and potholes. Aided by the eye-pleasing interior it’s a pleasant place to be, and anyone looking for a small-ish car to whizz to the shops or commute in will be impressed by how composed and refined it feels.

In fact, much the same can be said for its motorway manners, too. It never felt out of place, with the ride pleasingly soft and plush, while there was very little suspension or tyre noise. No, it won’t be the fastest car up the slip road, but it’s not designed for that. It’s solid and refined, as you’d expect from a Volkswagen.

How does it handle? 

Ah, yes. By supermini standards the Polo handles itself pleasingly enough – it feels fairly well planted, there’s not a huge amount of roll through corners – but up against its arch nemesis the Ford Fiesta is arguably where it just falls short. 

That’s not to say the Polo isn’t capable when the going gets twisty, there’s just a sense that comfort takes priority here. The lightweight steering, for example, which although slightly lacking in terms of any feel, makes it perfect for sitting in rush hour traffic, or the school or supermarket run. You know, the mundane tasks.

If you’re looking for a supermini you’ll have more confidence to chuck around, the Fiesta edges it. But that’s long been its key selling point over its rivals, and the Polo is none the worse for it. Ultimately which you buy comes down to preference. 

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

Logical seems to be the buzzword in here, as you can see from the pic above. Logical, and of course, digital, as is the Volkswagen way. Every Polo now comes with a customisable 8.0-inch (10.25-inch in upper spec) digital instrument display as standard with a variety of different displays. As with almost all TFT instrument displays, we always came back to a view that simulates traditional dials.

Centre left sits the excellent 8.0-inch (or optional 9.2-inch) infotainment touchscreen, with fine graphics and easy inputs in the form of rotary knobs to control volume and map zoom. The layout is refreshingly clean compared to some competitors, devoting almost all its area to the map, music or whatever else you’ve chosen to view, while Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard. Higher spec systems get proximity sensors, so when your fingers get close it brings up options, while voice control is also supported and works well enough.

Below the screen are the airvents, and below those is the elephant in the room. The temperature controls. Credit where credit’s due – in the Polo (unlike the Golf), Volkswagen has kept them separate to the main infotainment display. And in lowest-spec Life trim, it consists of easy-to-use buttons and knobs. However, in the upper two trim levels, it’s replaced by an infuriating touch button panel instead, with sliders performing the functions of knobs and buttons. Painful. Said panel (with auto aircon) is optionally available to Life buyers, but best avoided.

We move on. The Polo’s front seats are a good shape and can be adjusted into exactly the right place for almost any driver. All the pedals and small controls are easily got at too. Open the back door and it’s roomy enough for the kids, though it’ll be a squeeze for any more than two adults, the tallest of whom may find leg room slightly lacking. The boot, however, is impressively spacious – 351 litres plays 292 litres in the Ford Fiesta. You’ll easily fit the weekly shopping or kids’ paraphernalia in. With the seats folded flat you get 1,125-litres, which again trumps the Fiesta’s 1,093.

The cabin feels robust and well-put together in typical German fashion, but there’s a lot of hard plastic – the entire door casings, for instance – but its rough and ready nature at least makes it ready for whatever the family will throw at it. As do the two front and two rear USB sockets, which’ll keep the kids from complaining on long journeys. There’s plenty of pockets for stuffing any drinks/additional gear in, too.

Buying

What should I be paying?

A quick reminder of prices, then: kicking things off is Life trim, which starts at £17,885. The range them moves up into the two-pronged structure of comfort-oriented Style and sportily designed R-Line specifications, both priced from £20,785 OTR.

Monthly payments in Life trim start at around £220, rising to around £250 in Style and R-Line trim, on a three-year agreement with a six-month initial payment.

Which should you choose? Well, we’d suggest avoiding the base-spec Polo Life – at least, that is, when equipped with the nat-asp 79bhp and five-speed manual. The lack of turbocharger makes it feel awfully sluggish – 0-62mph takes a heady 15.5secs.

So, realistically, you’re looking at the slightly more expensive 93bhp TSI, mated to a five-speed manual ‘box, which starts from £18,825. In the same spec but with the seven-speed DSG, it’ll set you back an extra £1.5k. The former seems an obvious choice there.

With the same engine, the comfort-oriented Style trim, exclusively available with the five-speed manual, features highlights including LED matrix headlights, 16-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, and a bigger infotainment and instrument display.

The racier R-Line – available for the same price, remember – is the sporty sibling of the brothers. Think bespoke bumpers, unique alloy wheels, quad tailpipes, etc. In this spec you do have the option of a seven-speed ‘box, but, again, it’ll set you back an extra £1.5k. Manual FTW.

The range-topper is the 108bhp TSI, available exclusively with the seven-speed DSG in R-Line trim, at £23,355. Ignoring the GTi it’s the sportiest Polo going, capable of 0-62mph in 10.4secs. But do you really want, or need, ‘the second-fastest Polo you can buy’? Not really, we’d wager.

All in, we’d probably recommend going for the 93bhp TSI engine combined with the five-speed manual gearbox in Life trim, which comes generously equipped for not a lot of money. It’s also the most frugal and eco-conscious here, offering 54.3mpg (realistic, we found) and CO2 emissions of 118g/km, and what’s more, you won’t have to put up with the touch-sensitive climate controls. Win-win.

Oh, and one final point to add – warranty is a handy three years/60,000 miles.

Keyword: Volkswagen Polo