Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion 1.2 TDI 5dr Car Review - February 2012

The Polo BlueMotion's primary feather in it's cap is an impressive fuel efficiency. The car is suited to the city and achieves 80.7 mpg on a combined cycle. The engine noise is also pretty quiet, and this means that it is efficient in more ways than one.

As you would expect for a small city car with very low emissions, the Polo BlueMotion 1.2 TDi is not the quickest car around. It's three-cylinder engine can muster together a not-too-shabby 75 bhp putting its top speed at a fairly decent 107 mph. Acceleration is where the performance is really lacking, however, with the car travelling from 0 to 62 mph in a lengthy 13.9 seconds.

The handling is safe rather than fun and an inconsistent weight means that the steering can be slightly unpredictable. A little lean in the corners is to be expected in a car of this class but the overall drive does suffer from a lack of stability - although comfort levels within the cabin are fairly high.

The Polo BlueMotion is a good looking car, with similarly aggressive styling to the Golf. It has five seats and as a five-door version it is even more practical. The interior is comfortable and secure and the dashboard is set-out quite simply.

The car comes with various features including ABS, cruise control, heated mirrors and alloy wheels. Optional extras including climate control, heated seats and rear parking sensors are all available for an additional cost.

Some of the BlueMotion's competitors including the Ford Fiesta offer more in terms of standard features but with the money you will save on tax and fuel, adding additional features to the VW will make the car's fairly evenly matched.

The Polo BlueMotion 1.2 TDi is a practical family car. It has ample head room in the front and back for average-sized adults although the leg room is a little limited in the back of the car. The boot is of a decent size and this means there is more than enough room for the average family.

The warranty on the car offers cover for three years, or 60,000 miles, and servicing costs are just below average for a family hatchback making it fairly cheap to maintain. The Volkswagen reputation is also one of reliability and this car is no different, with a good build quality and a very technical and strong engine.

The BlueMotion, as you might expect, is very environmentally friendly with fuel economy of 80.7 mpg making fuel costs very low. It's CO2 emissions are just 91 g/km and this means road tax costs will be exempt under tax band A.

The price of the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion 1.2 TDi is £15,480. This is on the expensive side but with the money you will save on fuel and tax you should make the money back very quickly. The insurance is low too, with the car falling into insurance group 9 and this makes all of the car's running and maintenance costs more than manageable for families and first-time buyers.

It's primary competitor is the Ford Fiesta, which is cheaper than the Polo but encounters higher running costs. The Polo also has the reliability and reputation on the Volkswagen brand and this means that whilst it may be more expensive to begin with the later savings make it a better option for long term ownership.