Polo Driver

Dutch car magazine website AutoWereld.com has recently tested the 1.4-litre 84bhp version of the new CrossPolo. The testers seem impressed, too, although as with previous incarnations of the faux-by-four front-wheel drive, higher-riding Polo, they also criticise the more expensive price. Around €2000 more expensive than the continental Polo Highline at €18.690, the CrossPolo is a firm favourite with us at PoloDriver. Distinguishing it from lesser Polos are gunmetal-coloured 17-inch ‘Budapest’ alloys, anodised silver roof rails and door mirrors, grey plastic body cladding with unique front and rear bumpers, a 15mm higher ride height and unique interior trim. The Auto Wereld test (translated English version here) features a Flash Red car with a Hot Orange interior, a colour combination we’ve not yet seen.

[Image: AutoWereld.com]

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First it was on, now it’s off. On off, on off, on off. Reports of the Polo heading Stateside in more traditional saloon form have circulated ever since the fifth-generation model’s debut in March 2009, and now that the notchback version is being sold in India (as the Vento) and Russia, it would appear that the three-box car won’t be heading to the US as originally thought. Slightly at odds with the US arm of VW stating it wants a back-to-basics approach to models in its range, Euro Car Blog reports that as Volkswagen has just launched a new interpretation of the ever-popular Jetta across the pond, a smaller Polo notchback won’t be in such high demand after all.

Do you think that by not selling the Polo Sedan in the US, Volkswagen has missed an opportunity? Leave a comment below and tell us what you think.

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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]

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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]

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