volkswagen Polo road tests and consumer car reviews

Volkswagen Polo SE 1.4 DSG 2009

I bought the SE 1.4 5door model with the new 7speed DSG (twin clutch) gearbox and am generally happy with the car. The car has a very grown up feel to it and is very Audi like in the interior. with very good quality black upholstery and dashboard. The equipment level on the SE model is comprehensive, lacking only a few of the more upmarket models features such as air con instead of climate control and lacking the multi function trip computer and steering wheel controls for the audio system. The supplied audio system is, however. very good quality soundwise, albeit with a vivid blue display, which is at odds with the crisp white speedo/ tacho dials and the very professional looking red illumination for the dash switchgear. Several people have commented on the fact that they thought the car was a Golf until they say the badging on the tailgate, which I suppose is no bad thing, given the Golf’s popularity. All models in the range benefit from a neat little false floor in the boot and SE models and above have a sliding drawer under each front seat, very good for hiding all the clutter. Now to the not so good, The 7 speed DSG gearbox, whilst it does propel the 1.4 litre car along at a fairly brisk rate, shifts quickly and without any lag, except when pulling away from a standstill. This can be quite disconcerting when trying to emerge onto a busy roundabout for instance. I will address this problem at dealer level at the 1st service as it is not a major problem (yet). The gearbox has a choice of manual shift, automatic and sports automatic. Of these options most people will probably play with the manual ’tiptronic’ mode for a while before the novelty wears off, and then revert to the automatic side of the ’box. The automatic sport mode is possibly the most interesting as it allows shifts at a much higher rev rate and also changes down through the gears when slowing down (all very Maserati like !).On the move the car is quiet, rides well and handles poor road surfaces with ease. The car does feel, somehow, faster than the figures would lead you to believe, and when pressed the engine sounds subtly sporty. All in all a very well developed little car that thinks it’s a big car!