PoloDriver

What Car? compares the £13,030 1.4 SE five-door version of Volkswagen’s new baby to the Citroën C3 1.4 VTI 95 VTR+ and the Ford Fiesta 1.25i 82 Edge in its latest issue out now. Awarding the Polo and Fiesta five stars and the C3 four, summing up the magazine says, ‘The latest Polo shows that you can still afford a cracking motor if you’re on tight budget. Superminis don’t come any better. The Polo is as classy, comfortable and refined as cars from the class above, yet it’s also cheaper and better equipped than rivals.’

The current Awards 2010 issue of What Car? also features the magazine’s winners, of which the new Polo is one, in its annual prize-giving edition. The refined and grown-up fifth-generation model has won the Best Supermini category in the car buying monthly’s Car of the Year 2010 awards.

Back in September, German Volkswagen and Audi tuners ABT unveiled its latest take on the Polo, but, of course, this is just the newest in a line of Polo ‘specials’ the engineers and stylists at Kempten have produced. We found this smart (and we should think, rare) Series 2F coupé at German Polo fan site PoloMagazin.

Primarily concerned with chassis tuning and body styling, this set of ABT modifications were designed for Polos from 1991 to 1994. The body was lowered by 40mm by way of shortened springs and dampers, while 7J x 15 ‘A5’ alloy wheels (with an ET of 35) got power down to the road, as well as providing more kerbside appeal.

Finally, a different-looking (and sometimes ill-fitting) front grille made the ABT Polo 2F stand out, if taking away some of its identity. Inside, a sporty ABT steering wheel takes centre stage. With no further body add-ons and no engine upgrades, it was clearly much simpler 18 years ago and ABT certainly took a more restrained approach, unlike today.

UK car-buying magazine What Car? recognised the new Polo at its annual awards last night, held at London’s prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel. Along with the hotly-contested Best Supermini 2010 title, the fifth-generation Polo also picked up the Best Buy award in the more than £11,000 sub-category. Both prizes were awarded to the 1.4-litre 85bhp SE five-door model. The Golf and Scirocco also took top honours in the Small Family Car and Best Coupé Under £25,000 categories respectively.

Presenting the Polo’s award, What Car? Group Editor, Steve Fowler commented: ‘We first got behind the wheel of the new Polo at the Geneva Motor Show and we were immediately blown away by its airiness and the quality of its interior. The Polo’s fine drive and a cabin that is effectively a Golf in miniature had us convinced.’

Chris Craft, Director of Volkswagen UK said: ‘I am extremely proud of these awards and to see three of our key models performing so strongly this evening. The new Polo has enjoyed a fantastic reception since its launch last year, and these latest awards are a good foundation for continued success looking forward.’

It’s starting to feel like 1994 all over again. The autumn of that year saw the third-generation Polo scoop almost every award it was up for and win almost every group test it took part in. To our knowledge no new generation of Volkswagen’s small car has swept the board to the same level since. Until now. Adding to its already full trophy cabinet, the new fifth-generation car was awarded second place in the ‘Automobile’ category at the ADAC ‘Gelber Engel 2010’ (‘Golden Angel 2010’) ceremony in Munich this week.

One of the most coveted awards in the auto industry, a total of 34 cars were up for prizes, voted for by readers of ADAC’s Motorwelt magazine and visitors to ADAC’s website. It brings the total of recent major industry awards that Volkswagen’s new baby has won to five.

The most prestigious is of course, the European Car of the Year 2010 gong, but it has also won the ‘Best Car of the Year 2009: Supermini’ award from Auto Motor und Sport; the ‘Green Steering Wheel’ and ‘Golden Steering Wheel’ from German magazine publishers Springer Verlag and the ‘Auto Trophy’ prize from Autozeitung.

Motoring weekly Autocar pits the new Polo 1.4 SE against the Citroën C3 1.4 VTI VTR+ and Ford Fiesta 1.4 Zetec in the latest issue on sale this week. Squaring up to its French and Anglo-American competition, one of the trump cards played by the new fifth-generation Polo is, unusually, its price.

At £13,030 for the 84bhp SE model tested, the mid-range Polo is the cheapest car of the three put through their paces. That doesn’t mean it skimps on comfort, kit or refinement, though; the magazine states ‘There are very few flaws in the Polo’s package. On the motorway it is the most refined car here, and it is perfectly comfortable in every circumstance.’

So, does the Polo triumph? Buy the 13 January 2010 issue of Autocar available until next Tuesday to find out.