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So how is it inside the Polo? Well, what do you know, it’s even more conservative. The entire dashboard is typical VW, with bits and pieces you have seen in other VW Group cars, including those that cost substantially more than the Polo. That can only be a good thing, right? Thanks to VW’s fabulous platform sharing strategy, even small cars can benefit from high quality components that are seen in the bigger, premium cars. The quality of other plastic parts inside are also of a better standard than what we have seen in cars of this segment, but the whole effort seems watered down by the humdrum appearance of the dashboard to the point that it almost looks retro! Still, it’s all very ergonomic, the controls are placed logically and feel good to the touch.
The dials are also clear and well marked and the three-spoke steering is good to hold. In effect, the Polo looks like a car that is built to last. What VW has not done however is squeeze some extra inches for liberating some rear legroom. At the back it’s more like the Swift rather than the Polo’s own cousin, the Skoda Fabia. The consequence is that there is just about adequate space for the rear passenger — but there’s more than enough for luggage. However VW will ensure that there is enough rear legroom when the notchback version of the Polo comes along, thanks to a longer wheelbase.
Powering the Polo are a diesel and a petrol engine; the petrol is available as we speak, while deliveries of the oil-burner begin in May. Both the engines displace 1200cc and both are three-cylinder units. The 1198cc petrol develops 74 bhp at 5400 rpm and 11.2 kgm of torque at 3750 rpm, while the diesel motor also produces 74 bhp at 4200 rpm but a more significant 18.3 kgm of turning force at 2000 rpm. The 12-valve petrol engine is also found in the Fabia, but VW has eked out some more oomph from it, while the diesel is an all-new unit — this is one of the first applications of the engine for the VW Group anywhere in the world.
Getting behind the wheel of the petrol Polo, I am not surprised by the clatter that the engine generates. That’s the inherent problem of being a three-pot motor, and the buzz stays throughout the drive. The 74 bhp is just about adequate to make this car move, as the Polo pays a penalty for being on the heavier side. On the move, the petrol does not feel stressed-out; the advantages of a little more power over the Fabia are very apparent. It does its job of propelling the car in city traffic, though anywhere below 1500 revs it baulks a bit.
Once you hit the highway, the engine feels a bit liberated. The Polo is most comfortable when you are cruising between 100 and 120 kph, with the tacho needle hovering between 3000 and 3500, but go beyond that and it becomes breathless. The absence of a cylinder makes itself obvious, and even more so when you are climbing mountain roads. If you want to extract fun from the car, you need to keep it on the boil. But for most people, the petrol version of the Polo will be easy to live with.
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