Sixth generation Polo bigger, better
Sixth generation bigger, better
THE world of small cars has traditionally had one benchmark – and that benchmark has just taken a big leap forward. The Volkswagen Polo has just moved on to its sixth generation, becoming not only bigger inside and out in every way than the Mk5 Polo, but surpassing the 1997 Golf Mk4 in most critical dimensions too.
VW promises the new Polo will introduce groundbreaking safety systems into the segment when it arrives in South Africa early next year, including emergency braking, pedestrian recognition, active cruise control and lane-keeping assist, while also adding optional parking assistance.
By moving the Polo onto the smallest version of the Golf’s MQB architecture, the company has introduced the front-drive small car into the world of the Golf and Passat parts modules, so it also scores a digital instrument cluster as an option.
Headlined by the 147kW 2.0l GTi, the Polo remains VW’s second-biggest selling car in Europe, though it slipped behind the Tiguan to rank third globally.
In South Africa it dominates the passenger car market, a statistic that swells even more when you add in the previous generation, now badged as the Polo Vivo.
Such has been the strength of the Polo Mk5 that it was still the biggest-selling small car in the world and the 15th biggest selling vehicle overall, in the first quarter of this year, attracting 148 331 people – a full eight years after its introduction in 2009.
“The Polo is a young, fresh car,” VW chief executive Herbert Diess said. “It combines charisma with strong technology. No other car offers so much space for its size.”
The new generation’s competition will mainly come from the Ford Fiesta and the Renault Clio, though the Clio isn’t a global player. While the Fiesta ranked 23rd in the first quarter of this year to be the second biggest selling small car worldwide, the third spot globally went to Honda’s Jazz/Fit. None of them, though, has sold anything like the Polo’s 14 -million unit figure.
The move to the all-conquering MQB architecture sees it stretched almost everywhere, crashing through the 4m barrier for the first time in its history. It grows 81mm in length to 4 053mm, while its wheelbase grows 94mm to 2 564mm.
Those two dimensions alone demonstrate the Polo will run shorter overhangs than its predecessor, particularly at the front, and will offer more rear legroom with a bigger stretch between the front and rear wheels. It also gains another 15mm of front headroom and 21mm more in the rear.
VW’s designers claim the other key dimension is that, at 1 446mm, it is only 7mm higher, which enabled them to give it a sportier, leaner look. Its luggage space has ballooned by 25% from 280l to 351l, which surpasses even the 330l capacity of the Golf Mk4.
“The new Polo brings the future to the compact class,” VW’s board member for development Frank Welsch said.
“A whole lot of space, based on the modular transverse matrix, sustainable engines like a new natural gas TGI [not planned for SA], the world premiere of a new generation of the active info display, the latest infotainment systems and forward-thinking assistance systems – these qualities enable this VW to overcome traditional class boundaries,” he said.
VW design director Klaus Bischoff said: “The much better proportions create the framework for a grown-up, confident appearance of the sixth-generation Polo – charismatic, progressive, contemporary and friendly.”
It will begin life internationally with five petrol engines, two diesels and a gas-powered model, though there are plans for hybrid and full battery-electric versions in the future. All the internal combustion engines will sit across the engine bay in a front-wheel drive layout.
One new bit of tech to the Polo is an optional keyless locking and engine start system, derived from the Golf.
But it’s the assistance systems that will deliver much of the Polo’s real-world safety improvements. The active cruise control is similar to the system in the Golf and Passat, complete with stop-and-go for the DSGequipped cars, despite its old-school manual parking brake.
While many of the advanced systems will be optional on upper-level cars, even the base versions will have City Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Monitoring to alert the driver of people or stationary traffic and then brake. There are also optional systems such as blind-spot detection and a semi-automated parking system.
While Bischoff’s team clearly worked hard to make the Polo’s exterior crisp and feel longer and leaner, the interior work also stands out.
The car will launch with three standard trim lines, including Trendline, Comfortline and Highline, plus a Beats edition with a higher-end sound system.