Polo Driver

Suspension kings Bilstein have recently launched a new sports performance suspension kit for the fifth-generation 6R Polo. According to the German company, the B14 kit brings motorsport technology to the small Volkswagen, and transforms ‘every Polo into a sports car, with perfect roadholding and optimum handling and steering.’ It also claims that the new kits offers the ‘perfect blend of dynamics and comfort,’ as well as improved safety and handling. The mono-tube gas pressure shock absorbers with upside-down technology and a flexible height control system also ensure increased lane-holding and braking stability.

A lowering range of around 35-50 mm on the front axle and around 30-45 mm on the rear axle is available. Made in Germany, the surface of the B14 kit is finished in Triple-C-Technology®, with spring plate and lock nuts of special aluminium alloy and high quality sports performance springs, making, the company claims, the suspension extremely strong, hardwearing and durable. Each sports and coilover suspension made by Bilstein is tuned and tested exhaustively by its engineers on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring or at the company’s own test center in Papenburg. Download the company’s latest catalogue to find out more.

[Image: Bilstein]

Long-running UK modified Volkswagen magazine Performance VW features a pair of pristine Series 1 Polos in its ‘Mk 1 Madness’ August 2010 issue, on newsstands now. Part of Belgian pair Kevin Winnepenninckx and Luc Jani’s collection of Mk 1 Volkswagens, both the Miami Blue and Marino Yellow ‘70s cars are flawless and show, that with very few mods, how right the original Polo/Audi 50 styling was at the time and just how pretty those early cars are. As well as the pair of Polos, there is a smattering of Mk 1 Golfs (including a 500+bhp French fancy), a rapid Caddy and advice for giving your Mk 1 a big power performance transplant.

[Images: Performance VW]

Following our recent first drive of the turbocharged Polo SEL and in the first of a new series of articles, Victoria Stubbs from Volkswagen retailer group Vindis explains the technology behind the company’s TSI engines, as used in the new Polo GTI

If you’re looking into buying a new Volkswagen you might have wondered what a TSI engine is, and what the difference is between a TSI and TDI. Simply put, TSI are Volkswagen’s petrol engines and the TDIs are diesel. However there’s a bit more to it than that; the TSI engines actually take features from the diesel TDIs and normal petrol direct injection engines and mix them together.

The 1.4-litre TSI unit is a ‘hybrid’ engine that combines petrol direct injection with what VW call ‘twincharging’ – a turbocharger and supercharger working together. The result is a compact yet powerful engine that scores highly for both performance and economy, runs smoothly and quietly, and produces less CO2.

The following features are at the heart of the TSI formula:

First, a smaller and lighter engine. Decreasing engine size means less power is lost through friction, and reducing weight means the engine has less to move.

Second, direct petrol injection and twincharging. Engines run by burning fuel (combustion). The more efficient the combustion, the higher the power output and the lower the fuel consumption. VW’s twincharging system means a turbocharger and supercharger working together. The supercharger is powered via belt drive from the crankshaft, giving optimum pulling power even at very low revs. At higher speeds the turbocharger (a system that uses the energy from exhaust gases to power the air intake that is essential for combustion) joins in, making the system more energy-efficient.

Volkswagen have used a number of design tricks to make the TSIs even more efficient. These include redesigning moving parts to use less materials (and therefore be lighter) and optimising the fuel injection. This second point needs a little more explanation.

Two of the key factors in engine design are pressurising and cooling air in the cylinder (because oxygen is needed for combustion and air is only 21% oxygen), and pressuring fuel so that it can be injected into the cylinder as a fine spray and mix as quickly and evenly as possible with the compressed air prior to combustion. The TSI’s turbocharger has its own separate air cooler, which means that the volume of air held in the system to charge the cyclinder with has been halved. The pressure required for combustion can build up far more quickly, meaning further efficiency savings all round.

The TSI engine has been well-received by motor critics worldwide, and the 1.4-litre twincharger unit has won the International Engine of the Year award in the 1.0-1.4 litre category every year since 2005. It also won Best Green Engine in 2009. A 1.2-litre TSI engine is also available, fitted with a turbocharger only.

Victoria Stubbs, Vindis
Vindis are retailers for all Volkswagen models including the ever-popular secondhand VW Golf

Following its Moscow debut, the new Polo-based Vento saloon has recently been unveiled in India. With an extended wheelbase and traditional three-box notchback profile, the latest booted Polo takes on a separate identity to the three and five door hatchback models, and is powered by 104bhp 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines. As with the Derby of 1977, the Vento is one of Volkswagen’s more pretty and gracefully-styled saloon cars, with a tail which reminds us of the original Vento’s successor, the 1998 Series 4 Golf-based Bora. To be sold alongside the locally Pune-built Polo hatchbacks, the Vento completes the Polo line-up in India, fast becoming one of the fifth generation car’s major markets. Volkswagen Germany and Volkswagen India press releases and images follow.

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The current issue of Auto Express pits the latest version of the Polo BlueMotion against its arch nemesis, the Ford Fiesta, in frugal ECOnetic guise. The £15,045 Polo costs £400 less than the Fiesta, but has 20bhp less, powered by a 1.2-litre TDI engine. The 94bhp Ford makes it power courtesy of a 1.6-litre TDI unit, but is 7g/km dirtier than the Volkswagen, quite literally soiling its scorecard in eco circles. We’ve tested the Polo BlueMotion recently and found it to be fun in a basic, economy kind of way. Which car wins the Auto Express eco pairing? Buy a copy of issue 1,123 (14–20 July 2010) to find out.

[Image: Auto Express/Pete Gibson]