What is it?
Buckle up: this is the mid-life update for the Volkswagen Polo, and we’re putting the ‘new’ Volkswagen Polo under the microscope.
Refresh details and styling
Refresh? It doesn’t look any different...
Fair point - this isn’t exactly dramatic cosmetic surgery. Volkswagen says the Polo gains revised front and rear bumpers, plus the now-standard facelift flourish of optional LED headlights. Even so, you’d need a keen eye (and plenty of spare time) to spot what’s changed.
Volkswagen Polo: engines and performance
Surely there are other changes?
The headline update is under the bonnet. The Polo’s previous best-selling 1.2-litre petrol is replaced by the Up-derived 1.0-litre three-cylinder. You can choose between 59bhp or 74bhp, and both produce 71lb ft of torque. With figures like that, straight-line pace was never going to be fireworks: 0-62mph takes 15.5 seconds or 14.3 seconds, depending on which you pick.
Crikey.
Those 0-62mph times are emphatically not the point of this car. The Polo’s strength is smooth, stress-free city driving, and the 1.0-litre suits that brief - at least in 74bhp form.
It will hold motorway speeds (once you’ve worked your way up to them), and it’s impressively hushed. Truly, it’s BMW 3-Series quiet. A long motorway stint might be unhurried, but it won’t be unpleasant.
In town there’s sufficient torque available, the ride is comfortable, and efficiency plus CO2 improve markedly over the old 1.2. Officially, the Polo now returns 59.8mpg and 108g/km, or 60.1mpg and 106g/km in the less powerful version.
You sound impressed.
Up to a point. The stronger 1.0-litre just about gives the Polo enough muscle, but the 59bhp engine has a tougher time of it. It works well in the Up, yet the Polo is 100kg heavier. Inclines become hard work, and overtaking on back roads is best forgotten.
We’d choose the 74bhp Polo - particularly as it costs only £525 more. It still won’t be called quick, but it feels noticeably livelier than the entry-level option.
Technology, touchscreen and MirrorLink
Have they altered anything else?
A new touchscreen is now available, fitted as standard on every trim level except the most basic. It can connect with a range of Android phones. Apple, however, isn’t co-operating with Volkswagen for now - so if you use an iPhone, you may want to move on.
For everyone else, £150 buys a feature called MirrorLink. Plug your phone into the car via USB and the central display mirrors your handset, giving access to your apps.
Your phone does the heavy lifting, but the car recognises when you’re driving and restricts you to approved apps while on the move. So no watching YouTube clips of a leopard eating a crocodile as you drive, unfortunately.
It performs reasonably well, though it wouldn’t on its own persuade us to buy a Polo. It has the feel of something aimed at early adopters.
Polo GTI update
Anything else I should know?
We suspect you’re really waiting for the Polo GTI. The good news: it also gets a facelift later in the year, including a proper manual gearbox. Hurrah! Power climbs to 190bhp too. Hurrah again! The less good news is simple: we haven’t driven it yet.
In that case, I may wait...
Don’t write off this updated Polo. It may not get the pulse racing, but if you value solid build quality and a refined drive, it stands shoulder to shoulder with the best superminis available.
6/10
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