PoloDriver

In late summer, one of Volkswagen UK’s press fleet Polo GTIs came to rural Dorset with us for a 1000-mile test. J6 VWW experienced country lanes, motorways, and town roads in its time with us, and today, we’ve published a 14-page digital mini-magazine of our 14-day findings with the car. We first drove the latest performance Polo back in June, but the lanes in and around and south coast really gave us a chance to stretch its legs. As a cut-price Golf GTI, it’s an enticing proposition. Read what we thought of the controversial DSG gearbox, the searing performance, and how the car marries performance and refinement. Click the magazine graphic below, or if you can’t see the preview, visit this link. The sixth of our special digital mini-magazines, check out the PoloDriver bookshelf for our previous five titles. The first issue features mini-tests of the current Polo range in general, while the third is an account of our first drives of the SEL 1.2 TSI and 1.2 BlueMotion TDI.

Volkswagen UK has announced a free insurance deal on selected Polo models, as well as £500 off the entry-level S trim. That means the entry-level Polo S now starts at £9495 for the 1.2-litre 59bhp three-door car, rising to £11,605 for the 69bhp S A/C with air-conditioning. In addition, the S, recently-launched Match, and SEL models boast a year’s free insurance* (excluding BlueMotion and GTI) if registered before 31 December 2011. Visit www.volkswagen co.uk for more information.

Polo S offer prices
Polo S 1.2 59bhp, 3dr manual: £9495 (previously £9995, saving £500)
Polo S 1.2 69bhp, 5dr manual: £10,890 (previously £11,390, saving £500)
Polo S A/C 1.2 59bhp, 3dr manual: £10,310 (previously £10,810, saving £500)
Polo S A/C 1.2 69bhp, 5dr manual: £11,605 (previously £12,105, saving £500)

Terms and conditions: retail customers only, vehicles must be registered from 1st October to 31st December 2011. £500 money-off offer can be varied or withdrawn at any time. Only on S. At participating Volkswagen retailers only. For more information on this great offer and to arrange a test drive contact your local participating Volkswagen retailer by calling 0800 333 666. *One years free insurance available from Volkswagen Insurance for drivers over 21, only on S, Match and SEL, excludes Northern Ireland. Visit www.insurewithvolkswagen.co.uk/polo for full terms and conditions. Volkswagen Insurance is sold, underwritten and administered by Allianz Insurance PLC.

Want imposing daytime running lights for your 6R Polo, but don’t want to pay official Volkswagen prices? If so, then German tuning company Dectane may well have something you might be interested in. Replacement whole front lamp units in black or silver are available for €249,00 (plus shipping costs) for the latest Polo, and these also include a strip of daytime running lights, so that you can bear down on other drivers in true menacing Audi fashion. The black units have a code of **SWV24GXB, while the silver fitments’ product number is **SWV24GX. We believe that the price is for one, single unit only. Dectane also offer LED brake lights and licence plate lamps for Polo 6Rs, too, as well as a whole host of custom light clusters for older Polos from 1994. Click here for more details.

The Polo was once again in the UK best-selling cars top 10 for October 2011. Dropping one place since September, selling 3289 units, the small Volkswagen is also number seven in the UK’s top 10 cars for the year so far, with 39,944 sales recorded. Continuing its 2011 sales success story, the Ford Fiesta was October’s top seller, while the Vauxhall Corsa was the runner-up, selling 7308 and 6300 units respectively. The latest set of figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) state that new car registrations rose by 2.6% in October 2011 to 134,944 units, the second increase in three months. Total figures for the year so far are down 4.5%, though, when compared to October 2010.

‘October’s new car market rose 2.6% on last year – a positive result despite the uncertain economic climate,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. ‘Vehicle manufacturers and their dealer networks are working hard to offer consumers value for money through improved fuel efficiency, low running costs and innovative finance. We expect market conditions to remain challenging and hope that the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement later this month will help to boost both economic growth and consumer confidence,’ Everitt continued. The SMMT also says that the Polo’s supermini segment is up 17.4%, while Volkswagen’s evergreen Golf was the best-selling diesel model in October. The top 10 best-selling cars in the UK for October 2011 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 7308 (84,508, 1st)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 6300 (67,259, 3rd)
2 Ford Focus: 5203 (72,875, 2nd)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 4400 (54,413, 4th)
5 Vauxhall Astra: 4159 (53,201, 5th)
6 BMW 3 Series: 3664 (37,314, 8th)
7 Volkswagen Polo: 3289 (39,944, 7th)
8 Vauxhall Insignia: 2923 (41,309, 6th)
9 Nissan Qashqai: 2789 (33,552, 9th)
10 Honda Jazz: 2472

(The 2011 year-to-date top 10 best-seller absent from October’s sales figures is the Mini, selling 30,305 units in 10th place.)

It’s all about rallying Polos this week. Last night, after Volkswagen Motorsport officially released details of the first Polo R WRC test in Veldenz, near Trier, Germany, Rallye-Mad.com posted another video of the premiere run, this time from day two. Another two-minute film, the rally Polo gets really angry, slipping, sliding and handbrake-turning into all sorts of leaf-covered, tree-lined hairpin corners. Once again, 1980s rally legend Carlos Sainz and Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management for the Development Division are the drivers. Sounding as sensationally pent-up as it did yesterday, click here for yesterday’s official preliminary testing details and atmospheric film from Volkswagen Motorsport, and here for the first Rallye-Mad.com video.

[Source: Rallye-Mad.com]