Volkswagen Polo 2006 review

The newcomer is a lot like a condensed Golf and, though it doesn't match the Golf GTi, it is an impressive little car that is sure to accelerate the growth in support for this German brand.

The Polo is completely new and the line-up builds to the economy-focused turbo-diesel model and a hot hatch headliner that picks up the GTi badge together with a turbo motor similar to the one in the Golf.

The price spread for the Polo range is from $16,990 for the 1.4-litre manual Club to $26,990 for the GTi, though you can go even higher with the optional leather upholstery and an electric glass sunroof.

Volkswagen says the aim with the new Polo was to make the car better looking and more refined. And to spread its reach.

Those were obvious targets because the previous Polo, which was never much below $20,000 in the early days and hardly got going in Australia, was always overpriced and underdone in a compact class where the best cars really set the bar high.

Volkswagen has much tougher targets for the new car.

"This year we are looking for 1000 to 1500 cars in total," VW Australia spokesman Matthew Wiesner says.

"The main thing now is that we have a range. Previously we only had a three-door or a five-door, with one engine. Now it has grown up into a decent range."

He also believes the GTi will provide cut-through for the whole Polo family, as well as a potential hero car for the company.

"Our first order for the GTi was a couple of hundred, and we'll watch over the next couple of months on how the mix develops."

Volkswagen wants to avoid the backlog that has created a continuing waiting list for the Golf GTi, but also needs the Polo to bring new and younger buyers to the brand so it can then move them up through the Golf and the Passat, which is about to be renewed.

The Polo plan is a broad sweep that includes a range of models and production sites.

The mainstream cars — Polo Club, Polo Match and Polo TDI — are all built in South Africa, and the GTi comes to Australia from Spain.

Power outputs run from a basic 55kW in the 1.4 to 110kW in the GTi, while the turbo-diesel actually tops the rankings with 240Nm, compared with 126Nm for the starter car and 220Nm for the GTi.

Equipment is good with two airbags, anti-skid brakes and semi-automatic airconditioning for $16,990, rising to full head-curtain bags and electric mirrors, alloy wheels and electric windows in the upper cars.

The turbo-diesel is expected to win more customers to the VW brand with its economy and value, while the GTi is tipped to lure defectors from Japanese brands and is fully equipped with everything from sports seats and cruise control to a trip computer and electronic stability control.

But the small-car class is tough, and the Polo is still relatively small for its price.

It is closer to the Hyundai Getz than a Ford Focus in body size, which means it straddles the compact scene and will have to do more against Barina-Getz-Yaris to justify its $16,990 bottom line and put more punch into its play to win people to the more expensive GTi.

ON THE ROAD

At first we thought the speedometer in the Polo GTi was wrong. The car was always going faster than we expected.

In the Polo TDI, it looked like the fuel gauge was broken. It didn't move for the first 150km.

Those are impressive signs of the potential appeal of the new Polo. There is much more refinement in the new model. The Volkswagen badge is starting to win the following in Australia it now deserves.

The German company might build its cars in South Africa and Spain — and even China — but the thinking is European and so, too, is the basic engineering.

We tested the turbo-diesel and GTi to get a better feel for the Polo, and we were generally impressed.

The TDI has excellent torque, runs along easily in all road conditions while sipping less than eight litres of diesel for each 100km, and is comfy and relatively quiet.

It's not cheap at $22,990, but more and more people are starting to consider diesel power and the Polo could win them.

We spent more time with the GTi, partly because it is the hero car and partly because it shows how far VW can push with the Polo.

It is brilliantly quick, but, even better, combines pace with panache.

Most hot hatches rely on high-revving, noisy and harsh little engines and crash-bang sports suspension to provide their driving thrills. That is fine, when you are 18.

The Polo is more mature, does not need to be pushed hard to get along, and is quieter and more enjoyable.

The turbo engine means power delivery is strong and constant, with good urge from less than 3000 revs, and it will also make an easy 8.4 litres/100km consumption figure.

The five-speed manual gearbox — there is no auto in the GTi — is light to use and has good ratios.

The car stops well, has the benefit of electronic stability control, has good lamps and is easy to park.

We much preferred the sports seats in the GTi, because you sit more on the TDI buckets than in them, though both test cars had a few quality niggles.

There was a bit of exhaust and road roar from the back end, each of them had a couple of plastic-on-plastic sizzles in the cabin, and the TDI took a bit too long — for our tastes — to get going.

It is fine on the open road, but needs pushing in the city, or you are going to get run over by the big-bore Commodores and Falcons.

Overall, the new Polo is a significant step forward and should manage to elbow some space in the small-car scrum.

The GTi is much more, and will be a big hit.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The baby Volkswagen finally gets an overhaul with a GTi flagship that is one of the most rewarding drives in the compact class.