Volkswagen Polo TDI Range

When it comes to cars, saving money usually means making sacrifices. The latest range of Volkswagen Polo TDI diesels aim to make economising as painless as possible. Fun even? Andy Enright finds out

Whilst Volkswagens Polo may not significantly advance the state of the supermini art, it nevertheless makes an attractive ownership proposition. Especially if youre looking at one of the TDI diesel-engined models.

Build
Comfort
Depreciation
Economy
Equipment
Handling
Insurance
Performance
Styling
Value

Think about it for a moment. The truly groundbreaking cars usually end up as sales flops with the crew who picked up the idea and refined it usually laughing all the way to the bank. Colin Chapman never retired on the proceeds of the Elan, although the Mazda MX5 which aped its qualities has been a huge global success story. Likewise although Toyota could claim credit for the mini-MPV with the Picnic, it was Renault who raked in the lucre with the Scenic.

When it comes to separating people from their money, a pioneering approach rarely succeeds. Harsh, but there it is. Instead, customers look for a close fit to their often prosaic requirements and this is where the Polo diesel range scores. It majors in the sort of virtues that rarely generate eyecatching copy.

Sensible criteria like low insurance ratings, firm residual values, admirable build quality, low emissions and laudable fuel economy wont shift too many copies of Top Gear magazine, but ensure that the order book for the Polo diesels is healthy. Trim levels run from S, through SE, up to Sport. No estates or saloons (theyre long dead), just a choice of three or five-door hatches which diesel buyers can choose fitted with one of three TDI engines, at prices starting from £10,687. Theres a 1.

4-litre three-cylinder unit in 70 and 80PS guises, plus a punchy 100bhp 1.9-litre four cylinder version of the latter which powers the Sport model. All three powerplants boast superb economy figures, the 70 and 80bhp TDI units capable of returning an average of 60mpg, while the more vivacious 100bhp 1.9TDI is capable of 56mpg.

Theres also an economy-focused BlueMotion model with the 80PS engine, capable of returning over 70mpg.

"The handling is far superior to any diesel Polo yet seen"

Though petrol-powered Polo prices start at £7,612, to compare like with like, youll need to compare petrol versus diesel models in S trim, since you cant buy a Polo diesel in base E spec. That still means a premium of around £1,600, so you cant really justify the more expensive diesel variant in terms of its superior fuel economy. Driving 12,000 miles per year, youd need to keep the car for more than twelve years for it to repay itself on that basis. What does skew the figures is the superior residual value of the turbodiesel models, due in no small part to them being far better drives.

In the pre-facelifted version of this generation Polo, the one exception to that rule was the entry-level diesel SDI model. Thats now thankfully been dropped in favour of the 70PS 1.4-litre TDI unit. With far more midrange power to call upon, this engine is part of the current breed of diesel superminis that youd drive just for the fun of it rather than as a necessity.

The 70PS 1.4-litre car can make 60mph in 14.6 seconds on the way to 102mph, whilst the 100PS 1.9-litre TDI only available in Sport trim - zips through the increment in a mere 10.

7 seconds and doesnt run out of will until 117mph. The smart front end introduced in 2005 is now the family face of Volkswagen, with a deep grille forming the point of a V-shape which then continues up through the bonnet to the base of the windscreen pillars. The reshaped headlights lose the cute look of the old Polo in favour of something wielding a little more gravitas, the circular headlamp cutting into the bumper to give a resolutely contemporary look. This front end adds another 19mm to the length of the Polo, so if the garage is already a tight squeeze, you may need to consider some extension work.

If you havent tried a Polo for the last few years, you may also notice some visual changes to the rear. Here, the glass emulates the front-ends V-shaped theme, while the rear lights again reprise the design from the front, with large circular elements. Otherwise, apart from a few interior trim tweaks, Polo fanciers should feel pretty much at home. Rear seat passengers still get the same amount of headroom and the view out of the car from the drivers seat is identical to the outgoing model.

With 270 litres of boot space, the Polo, especially in five-door form, can realistically function as family transport, with rear legroom particularly generous. Park yourself behind the steering wheel and youll witness a level of fit and finish that was once unseen on supermini class cars. It takes enormous corporate confidence to build something this tasteful and without resort to gimmickry to pull the punters in, but Volkswagen have pulled it off with aplomb. All models get power steering plus a tiltable and telescopic steering column, pretty much guaranteeing comfort behind the wheel.

Plusher models get an adjustable height drivers seat. If you view economising or downsizing as a necessary evil in todays anti-car culture, the Polo sugars the pill more effectively than most. If getting fewer things wrong than any rival is a sound basis for recommendation, the Polo diesel gets a qualified thumbs up.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Volkswagen Polo TDI range
PRICES: £10,675-£14,252 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 5-6
CO2 EMISSIONS: 127-143g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.9TDI] 0-60mph 10.6s / Max Speed 117mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.4TDI] (combined) 61mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS with brake assist
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/heightmm [5dr] 3897/1650/1465mm