VW has sharpened up its popular Polo while retaining the supermini’s strong points, writes motoring editor Peter Carroll.

VW must have been cursing its luck regarding the launch timing of the fifth generation Polo in the UK.

While its rivals have gleefully been making hay under the scrappage scheme, VW has had to bide its time and sell off old stock, while awaiting delivery of the new Polos from the South African plant where they are built.

Scrappage has been a big success but the funding pot initially set aside for the scheme has been almost exhausted.

VW probably thought it had missed the boat – so when Lord Mandelson coughed up another £100 million for a scrappage extension last week, the news must have been greeted with a huge sigh of relief at Wolfsburg.

So the new Polo, which arrives later this month, gets to go to the scrappage ball, after all.

 See more pictures of the new Polo in our gallery below.

Which should be good news for sales. The German supermini may have sold more than a million examples in the UK over its 34-year history but when times are tight every little incentive for the buyer helps.

The new car benefits from a sharper look than its predecessor, which never managed to shake off the ‘worthy but dull’ image that the Polo has earned for itself over the years.

The new design features pronounced side skirts and a similar ‘face’ to that of the Scirocco and Golf.

The new Polo is larger but lighter and more economical (by 20 per cent) than the fourth generation car. There are four trim levels: S, SE, Moda and SEL.

Moda is a more ‘youthful’ alternative to SE and trades air conditioning (though you can have it as an option) for sportier trim. Most sales are expected to be of the SE.

Competitive

Only five-door models are available at the moment, with prices starting at just over £10,000 on the road – making the car pretty competitive against rival superminis like the Clio and Fiesta.

Factor in the £2,000 scrappage discount and the cost drops to £8,000 on the road. And when three door models arrive in the UK, the price will go down by another £600.

But before you scuttle off to your local VW dealer, be aware that there are some even tastier Polos in the pipeline: these include the super-economical BlueEfficiency range, featuring a tiny new 1.2 litre diesel.

And then there’s the new turbo-charged 105PS four-cylinder 1.2 petrol engine, which promises to be a real belter.

At launch, however, there will be just five engines: three petrols (two versions of the 1.2 three-cylinder unit, and a 1.4) and two versions of the new 1.6 diesel.

I drove both variants of the 1.2 petrol and a DSG-equipped 1.4 at the car’s UK launch. The 1.2 60PS is fine for those who just need to get about town. The engine sounds eager enough but lacks mid range punch.

Quick off the mark

For another £300 or so, I would go for the 70PS 1.2. It’s a little quicker off the mark and just that little bit more relaxing to drive because of its extra power.

It reaches 60mph in around 14 seconds as opposed to 16 for the 60PS model.

Nor do consumption or emissions suffer: they are broadly the same for both cars. Fuel consumption should realistically be in the region of 40-45mpg – more on a run.

Insurance is group three for the more powerful car as opposed to group two. That’s the only downside.

Emissions for both 1.2 models are 128g/km which means annual road tax is £120 instead of £35 for rivals products from the likes of Fiat and Hyundai.

The 1.4 shaves another two seconds off the 0-60 time, without a major dip in fuel consumption.

Trade-off

The trade off is the price: the DSG-equipped model I tried costs £14,755 to put on the road, which takes the car into Golf territory.

All cars rode well and had reasonable levels of refinement. They were fine to drive, though not as sharp as the new Fiesta.

Visibility is good other than the blind spot to the left hand side when exiting junctions because of the thickness of the B-pillar.

Light steering

The steering is light; there’s good grip from the tyres.

The interiors are of good quality – restrained but classy. Practical features include a sizeable glove box and a twin-level boot, which is opened by pressing the VW logo at the rear of the car.

VW has come up with a coherently designed supermini that builds on its strengths. It hasn’t quite shaken off its ‘worthy but dull’ image – but the 1.2 turbo might change all that.

The Polo is on sale on Oct 16.

By Peter Carroll