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Volkswagen

Wednesday, 1st of October 2008

The maker knows that customers are now demanding leaner and cleaner models, which reduce bills and increase economy. But what has this done to the performance? The 1.4-litre TDI engine is a corker – the power plant has an output of 80PS and has 144nm of torque between 1800-2200rpm, which gives the little VW real pulling power. The engine is mated to a five speed manual gearbox, which as you would expect is a smooth shifting piece of kit. The Polo Bluemotion is a boon around town and in the outer urban environment it shines too - as the Bluemotion unit is powerful enough to enjoy longer commutes.

Around town the Polo Bluemotion is the perfect supermini – it negotiates the potholes and uneven surfaces with ease and there is no skipping or jumping that spoils the ride of some of its rivals. The power steering is over assisted for our liking but it does weight up a bit when you get out of town – but just not enough. A combination of low wind noise, that well-engineered gearbox and an absorbent ride makes the Polo an brilliant motorway car – but the light steering lets it down on when you’re pushing on.

The Bluemotion VW is the same as standard Polo. There have been small tweaks to the body, which include a faired-in grille, smaller mirrors and a rear window spoiler, which should help its aero dynamics. VW has also fitted the Polo Bluemotion with skinny high profile tyres so that the car has reduced rolling resistance to keep CO2 down and put more money in your pocket. On the inside it is how you would expect a VW to look like – the build quality is first class.

The Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion is well equipped as it comes with ABS with HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assist) to help you get stopped quicker. If you are in an accident the Polo has a driver’s and passengers airbag, for added safety there’s front seat side impact airbags while the doors have side impact protection. Security is also important for the German maker as the Polo is kitted out with central locking and an electronic immobiliser and your wheels are fitted with anti-theft bolts.

The Polo is a practical supermini – you can get four adults in the car and on short journeys you can just about squeeze a further adult in the rear to take capacity up to five adults. The boot is a lot bigger than rivals and you can even fit a set of golf clubs in it while you can fold the seats down if you need a bit more space. There’s plenty of cubby holes to keep the loose change for the car park while you’ll be pleased to the steering wheel is reach and rake adjustable to suit all heights.

In showrooms now the VW Polo Bluemotion with the 1.4TDi engine is priced at £12,125. That’s about the same as the much better equipped Polo 1.4 TDI SE – a model which returns 63mpg but this car returns 74.3mpg and as it only emits 99g/km of CO2 - you have a VED band of A which means you have no vehicle excise duty to pay. It is quite expensive but remember a VW has better residual values than most so it makes good sense if you choose to buy a VW Polo Bluemotion.