Overview
VOLKSWAGEN’S Polo has long played second fiddle to the Golf.
And with good reason too, since previous versions of the German supermini have not come within a cooee of the class leaders, never mind its glamourous big brother.
But now the carmaker from Wolfsburg is serious about ruling the automotive world, so the fifth-generation Polo has undergone a Golf-style design, engineering and quality makeover to woo buyers away from the excellent Ford Fiesta and Mazda2.
Has Volkswagen succeeded?
Mostly, as we found out after a week behind the wheel of the mid-range 77TSI Comfortline.
Model release date: May 2010
Previous model
VOLKSWAGEN softened the stark four-eyed look of the fourth-generation Polo released in 2002 with a smoother and friendlier face, as well as a host of refinements and new models designed to build on the driveability advances made over previous editions.
The staple 55kW/126Nm 1.4-litre single-cam 16-valve four-cylinder petrol engine lived on from before, mated to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic, in three and five-door body styles, variously under the Club or Match nomenclature.
Mid-2006 saw a small boost in engine power and torque (59kW/130Nm) for manual models, with a six-speed auto replacing the four-speeder from August 2007.
Meanwhile, VW released the 74kW/240Nm 1.9-litre Polo TDI in late 2005, in five-door/five-speed manual transmission only, as well as the 110kW/220Nm 1.8-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol GTI, which gained its own niche following.
From July 2006 a 77kW/153Nm 1.6-litre four-pot petrol mid-range five-door Match was imported to further complicate the already extensive Polo portfolio.
A minor upgrade from October 2008 saw the series simplified with the three-door Edition 1.4, five-door Pacific 1.6 petrol and Pacific TDI diesel, and GTI.
All included a modest specification gain.