Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion 1.2 TDI 3dr Car Review - March 2012

The Volkswagen Polo offers a fairly comfortable ride on the whole with suspension that can take most bumps and potholes in its stride, which makes it a practical car for transporting people. The trade off with this soft ride is that there is some body lean when cornering, and the steering isn’t as good as it could be varying from light to heavy at various times. The driving position has a lot to offer with good visibility to the front and the rear of the car, with a driving seat and steering wheel that can both be adjusted to suit the driver.

The engine is one that is designed to deliver the highest efficiency possible, and this is reflected in the performance statistics. The acceleration from 0-62mph is a ponderous 13.9mpg, and the top speed of 107mph means that it will be working a little at motorway speed. The Polo also suffers from a fairly noisy cabin and some vibration from the diesel engine when driving at speed.

The Polo is a genuinely attractive car that has a horizontal grille and headlight cluster that has been styled to look similar to that found at the front end of the Golf. The lines and curve of the Polo are fine and understated in a small car, and the back end does have a small spoiler over the rear window that gives it a slightly sportier look. Inside the car the trim is very nice with the plastic soft to the touch, and the dashboard is simple and easy to read, and the chunky controls are easy to use.

There is a decent level of trim that comes with this version of the Polo, with air conditioning and cruise control both welcome features in this small car. Alloy wheels are also included as standard, while the CD stereo is good for a car of this size. A number of luxuries are to be found on the optional extras list, but seeing the curtain airbag not included as standard is disappointing.

The Volkswagen Polo is a car that balances space and size very well, with enough room for four adults in relative comfort, while still being small and nippy around town. The boot isn’t huge, but the seats do fold forward for those occasions where a little more space is required. Although Volkswagen generally has a good reputation for reliability, reviews for the Polo do suggest it is fairly average in this respect.

The VW Polo does come with some good driver aids to help keep the car stable and under control, and also has plenty of airbags, but the omission of a curtain airbag to protect the passengers in the rear is a shame. The Polo still managed to achieve five stars in the Euro NCAP safety test.

This version of the VW Polo includes the BlueMotion technology, and has a list price of £14,860 which is quite a lot to pay for a Polo.

The fuel efficiency of this model is truly exceptional, with the 1.2 litre diesel engine able to achieve an average 80.7mpg. The insurance group for the car is low meaning that premiums should be reasonable, and the car also benefits from not having to pay road tax. Resale values for the Polo are very good, meaning that you shouldn’t have a problem getting a good price when it comes to selling the car. The Polo is supplied with a three year or sixty thousand mile warranty, and also has a one year roadside breakdown assistance policy.