PoloDriver

Milltek Sport has announced a fully EC-approved exhaust system for the latest Polo GTI. Starting at £561.42 plus VAT, the system fits from the gasoline particulate filter (GPF) back, which allows drivers to stay within the confines of warranty as well as legislation.

‘Subtle enhancement in tone’
Milltek Sport claims the new system looks set ‘to equip Volkswagen’s latest hot hatch with higher levels of both sonic and dynamic ability’, although also states that enthusiasts looking for a ‘subtle enhancement’ in tone will be best served by the fitment. It would appear (initially anyway) that the exhaust is in keeping with the nature of the car…

All Milltek Sport exhaust systems are designed and hand-finished from aerospace-quality, non-magnetic stainless steel in the company’s Derbyshire factory, using both robotic and more traditional artisanal techniques to create parts that look and sound like factory option components. Milltek’s extensive R&D on both road and dyno ensures that its new systems deliver a crisp, attractive note, without ever droning or resonating on long motorway drives.

Sports cat and de-cat options
Once Milltek Sport’s road test programme is complete, sports catalyst and de-cat options will also be available. These will replace the OEM catalysts and GPF, and promise ‘dramatic improvements’ in flow rate as well as a useful aural enhancement says Milltek. More power is also stated to be unleashed!

Five trim options will be available for owners to match, contrast or accentuate their tailpipes to suit the look of their Polo GTI. Based on the popular and stylish ‘GT90’ trim, the pipes come in a choice of brushed titanium, burnt titanium, carbon, cerakote black or polished. Plenty of Polo pipe personalisation options then!

For more details, visit the Milltek Sport website to see when each new configuration is launched.

In a repeat of January, the Volkswagen Polo was one of the most popular cars in the UK during February, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With 1,512 Polos finding new homes, the small VW jumped three places to number five, the top supermini behind Ford’s Fiesta which again took the top spot. In the year-to-date list, the Polo rose two places to number six.

A 1.4 per cent rise

Overall, 3.399 units of the Ford Fiesta were registered in the UK during February, with its Focus relative maintaining its runner-up position with a figure of 2.537. The Polo’s ubiquitous sibling, the Golf, matched its year-to-date third place position with 2,410 registrations. The Mercedes-Benz A-Class was in fourth place, with a tally of 2,059.

Registrations in the UK actually rose 1.4 per cent compared to January, with a total of 81,969 new cars on the road. An uplift of 1,164 compared to the same period last year, with demand for alternatively-fuelled vehicles up 34 per cent, the 22nd consecutive month of growth. Electric cars also enjoyed a rise in registrations, but the 731 cars still accounted for less than one per cent of the market.

The UK’s top ten most popular cars during February 2019 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 3,399 (8,798, 1st)

2 Ford Focus: 2,537 (6,934, 2nd)

3 Volkswagen Golf: 2,410 (6,340, 3rd)

4 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 2,059 (5,827, 4th)

5 Volkswagen Polo: 1,512 (4,475, 6th)

6 Nissan Qashqai: 1,449 (5,719, 5th)

7 Ford Kuga: 1,402 (3,654, 9th)

8 Vauxhall Corsa: 1,306 (4,403, 7th)


9 Ford Ecosport: 1,292

10 Volkswagen Tiguan: 1,258

(The 2018 year-to-date top 10 most popular cars absent from February 2019’s registration figures were the Kia Sportage and Mercedes-Benz C-Class with 4,529 and 3,593 units recorded respectively.)

Role reversal

A reversal of recent roles occurred with South Africa’s February 2019 registration figures. The most recent NAAMSA data shows that the Polo Vivo topped the passenger car chart with 2,962 units, just one place behind the Toyota Hilux, which with 3,504 registrations, is the most popular vehicle in the country.

The latest sixth-generation Polo which has traditionally beaten the Vivo in recent months, was South Africa’s second most popular passenger car with 1,605 examples registered. As with January, the Toyota Corolla/Auris/Quest secured third place with 1247 units.

Bolstering its recent award-winning successes, the Volkswagen Polo has been named the Best Supermini 2019 by the UK Car of the Year Awards panel. The small Volkswagen was awarded the What Car? Best Small Car trophy in January, as well as the Supermini of the Year prize from Company Car Today magazine. It also collected the ‘Little Legend’ award from Carwow late last year.

The UK Car of the Year Awards panel was established in 2014 and comprises of 29 respected journalists from across the motoring industry with the criteria under consideration covering topics from interior comfort to infotainment system quality. The Polo was praised for its premium feel and rewarding driving experience, as well as the value it offers as an overall package.

Mat Watson, UK Car of the Year Awards judge and Editorial Director of Carwow, said: ‘Practical, loads of technology, good quality, comfy, quiet, good image, eco engines and “desirable”. Decent value on PCP too.’ Writer and editor Guy Bird described the Polo as: ‘A supermini that’s been hard to fault for nearly 40 years. The latest model continues the fine tradition of small car quality that generations of owners certainly appreciate and quietly love.’

Lisa Hartley, Volkswagen UK Product Manager for the Polo, said: ‘The Polo is on a roll. Warmly received by customers, it is among the UK’s top ten best-sellers for 2019 alongside the Golf, and is on a winning streak with critics.

‘Much-deserved recognition’
‘It’s encouraging to see Polo continue to get much-deserved recognition from the motoring media. The title of Best Supermini 2019 acknowledges the long list of talents that UK customers clearly appreciate.’

The Polo was also named the Safe Car of the Year at February’s FirstCar Awards 2019. An authoritative voice for young drivers for over a decade, the FirstCar judges said: ‘The Polo is the highest scoring supermini the safety experts at Euro NCAP have ever tested. It’s strong in a crash and has lots of safety kit.’

The Up, the Polo’s small city car sibling, received FirstCar City Car of the Year award. The panel commented: ‘We’re impressed that autonomous emergency braking can be specified on every Volkswagen Up. The VW is fun to drive, cheap to fuel, and inexpensive to insure.’

For more information on the multi-award-winning Polo, including prices and finance options, visit the Volkswagen UK website.

The Volkswagen Polo held firm in the first batch of 2019 new car registration figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), and in January was at number eight in the UK’s most popular cars list. A total of 2,963 Polos were registered during the first month of the year, the small Volkswagen also at number eight in the year-to-date list, too.

Fords in top two places
At number one, the Ford Fiesta kicked off 2019 in the position it has held from what seems like the start of time. Overall, 5,399 units of the Ford supermini were registered in January, with its larger Focus sibling one place below with a tally of 4,397. A figure of 3,930 gave the Volkswagen Golf fourth place, with the third place 4,270-registration Nissan Qashqai in-between the two most popular C-segment cars.

UK registrations dipped 1.6 per cent in January compared to the same period in 2018. A total of 161,013 cars were registered, with the alternative-fuel and electrified market surging 26.3 per cent, the segment now enjoying a 6.8 per cent market share. Petrol car registrations were up 7..3 per cent, but diesels were down 20.3 per cent. The UK’s top ten most popular cars during January 2019 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 5,399 (5,399, 1st)
2 Ford Focus: 4,397 (4,397, 2nd)
3 Nissan Qashqai: 4,270 (4,270, 3rd)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 3,930 (3,930, 4th)
5 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 3,768 (3,768, 5th)
6 Vauxhall Corsa: 3,097 (3,097, 6th)
7 Kia Sportage: 3,063 (3,063, 7th)
8 Volkswagen Polo: 2,963 (2,963, 8th)
9 Toyota Yaris: 2,821 (2,821, 9th)
10 Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 2,606 (2,606, 10th)

Pole position
In South Africa, the latest sixth-generation Polo started the new year in pole (Polo?!) position, topping the passenger car sales chart with 2,512 cars registered. The fifth-generation-based Polo Vivo was second with 2,461 units, while the Toyota Corolla/Auris/Quest rounded out the top three.

Volkswagen has increased the range of its natural gas-powered models with the addition of a third ‘fuel’ tank. The bi-fuel-powered Polo TGI – no, that’s not a GTI spelling error! – will now drive 37 miles (60 kilometres) further in natural gas-only mode, while the Golf TGI will travel an additional 50 miles. The Golf TGI also features a new 128bhp 1.5-litre TGI four-cylinder petrol engine: the Polo TGI also has a small capacity petrol unit.

CNG range of 228 miles

The third natural gas tank is made of specially coated high-strength steel and holds an additional 16.5 litres of CNG in the Polo TGI, extending the car’s total storage capacity to 91.5 litres. This equates to a total CNG range of 228 miles (368 kilometres) on new WLTP cycle measurements. The Polo TGI is also equipped with an 89bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, along with a small petrol tank to feed it. CO2 emissions are as low as 88g/km.

The Golf TGI’s extra tank has a volume of 23 litres and increases the total CNG volume to 115 litres or 17.3kg respectively. Total range is up to 262 miles (422 kilometres) on WLTP. The Golf TGI’s new 1.5-litre engine uses the TGI Miller combustion process with a high compression ratio of 12.5:1 to increase efficiency and decrease CO2 emissions. A turbocharger with variable turbine geometry increases the boost pressure, adding more air into the cylinders. This aids low speed acceleration. Natural gas fuel consumption of 3.5kg to 3.6kg over 100 kilometres is efficient, as are CO2 emissions of 95 to 98g/km.

Not widely adopted in the UK, in Europe, natural-gas vehicles are popular, and Volkswagen has sold a bi-fuel Polo since the fifth-generation car was first introduced in 2009. Driving with natural gas significantly reduces CO2 emissions because the combustion of CNG largely produces less CO2. A greater CO2 balance can also be achieved by filling up with biomethane or e-gas.

Lower carbon fraction

Better for the environment, natural gas contains a significantly higher amount of energy as well as a lower carbon fraction. This means that driving in CNG mode produces around 25 per cent fewer CO2 emissions than with petrol. Natural gas generally combusts with less emissions than petrol or diesel, too, so the exhaust gas contains significantly less carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide (NOx), while the fraction of soot or fine particles is minimal.

Natural gas is kinder to your wallet, too. In Germany, the cost saving of a natural gas-powered car compared to a diesel vehicle is currently around 20 per cent, or 40 per cent when compared to a petrol car. It’s understandable that drivers of natural gas vehicles only want to use petrol in exceptional cases only.

The three gas tank-equipped Polo TGI and Golf TGI are available to order now, from €20,550 and €26,780 respectively. Visit www.volkswagen.de to find out more.

1) Polo TGI natural gas (CNG) consumption in kg/100 km: urban 4.4-4.1 / extra-urban 2.9-2.7 / combined 3.4-3.2; CO2 emissions in g/km: 93-88; efficiency class: A+

2) Golf TGI natural gas (CNG) consumption in kg/100 km: urban 4.7-4.5 / extra-urban 2.9 / combined 3.6-3.5; CO2 emissions in g/km: 98-95; efficiency class: A+