VW Polo review (2009 to 2017) | What Car?

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[Drache]

I just drove a 90hp 1.2 TSI engine polo and I was surprised by the power it had! 10 sec to 100khp is very good for such a small car!

[newLIFEthruCHRIST]

It's great to see a more thorough review like this in-comparison to some of the others that barely touch on the details. Nice work!

[eaglemihnea]

This is the best, most owner-oriented review of the 2014 Polo facelift I've seen so far. So good job whatcar? However, as a 2012 polo owner i don't agree with just one thing: the rear seats are big enough and the Fiesta's are even smaller than this. I personally think the both 1.0-liter engines are to be avoided.

[JonasE]

I drove the VW Polo 1.4 TSI today and made a review. Great small city car.

[mavericktriple]

I've got a 1.4 match. I think it's a lovely little car. It's just big enough for me and enough power when I need it.

[Dahliaman]

Having driven a VW Polo 1.4 dsg Match for a full 2 years, I have to state that of all the small cars I've driven nothing equals it, let alone beats it.  Why? Let me explain and evidence my thoughts :)
Build quality - the Polo is no tinny 'cut corners' metal box.  The metal body is solid, feels quality, paint job is superb (I have the pewter grey metallic), and the doors shut with a big car clunk.
Cabin - the Polo oozes quality, the plastics are top drawer, the seats are comfortable without being 'Citroen/Renault' soft roly poly wallowy.  I would deem the seating is nigh on perfect.  The dash is plain, true, but if like me you dont want to be driving the Starship Enterprise with flashing neon lights and switches that bamboozle even one of Bill Gates computer programmers then its the car to have.  Instruments are well laid out, easy to reach, not over complicated just for the sake of being 'arent I a clever dick' over complicated, and the dials and knobs again are pure quality and class.
Boot - this is a small car so dont expect a Boeing 747,  but what did you expect.  For the family the boot is more than adequate, and with the 'false' floor in the lower position its deep enough too.
Fuel consumption - this for me is the biggest selling point.  Who wants the sexiest car in town if the fuel guzzling is diabolical with the needle spinning around like a watch seconds hand, like some high maintenane gold digging girlfriend, nope not me!  Based on actual driving and not the 'wipe your feet before you enter - test lab' I have achieved just under 60mpg (58.6) on a run of a mere 25 miles and from a cold start.  It easily reaches lower to mid 50s, and even travelling to work from cold, a journey of a mere 1 yes one mile I achieve 34mpg.  Admittedly I dont tear up the roads in any car, I treat them well with traffic observant driving and easy braking, but I keep up with the traffic albeit in a smooth manner, never thrashing the engine.  Now that consumption is impressive in anyones book let alone the fact its an automatic. I recently bought the wife a Ford Fiesta 1.4 edge auto, which in my view is the prettiest car in its class bar none znd from all angles, but it dont come close to the Polo for fuel readings, probably 15mpg down in comparison, maybe some more.
Reliability - 2 years on no problems, end of that one!
Driving - the car is nippy enough without being an untamed go-kart, and on the run its smooth and very much giving of a bigger car feel.
Back seats - in my opinion the reviewer here is talking shite!  He says how they are not that simple to put down so where was he brought up? Buckingham Palace with a staff of servants to wipe his ass and blow his nose?  You pull out the seat bottoms then fold down the backs - simples.  What does the reviewer want - blood?
Downside - people seem to go highly, too highlyin my view,  on looks, so to appease them then I'm putting up a negative (of sorts).  The Polo front end looks menacing, cutting edge and appears on the move even when standing still.  The back end looks 'okay' not as sexy as the Fiesta by far, but curvy enough.  However, the sides are dull, no doubt about that and theres more curve in a straight edged spirit level.  The sides look dated and could have been designed in 1978!
So there you have it, I consider I can back up my beliefs based on actual facts that the Polo (at least the 1.4 dsg Match) is overall the best in its class for solidity, quality, class, fuel consumption, presence on the road, but lacks the WOW factor for those who want the sexiest car to look at but which remains in the driveway to be stared at but never driven (aka Chevrolet Cruze - biggest pile of sluggish, hard seated, shite my poor arse has sat on).  Thank you, Paul

[juefis]

As to the space in the back I find it quite funny that he complains about it. Seriously, not enough space? It's a frigging Polo, not a Volkswagen Passat. It's absolutely fine especially compared to its competitors. Sometimes you wonder what a car of this size has to to offer so reviewers won't complain about it. Obviously you don't want to spend too much time in the back. If you need to carry more than two adults, then you probably don't go looking for a Polo.

[Nooziterp]

2:45: 37 degrees C? This is in the UK isn't it? It never gets that hot here. The car must have been standing for a while.

[Blitz]

I'm a 2011/11 polo owner and my dads just got a 15 plate one of the one you've reviewed (which was a great review) I'm seriously considering getting one too because although they look pretty much the same from the outside they feel like you said so much more premium and having drove the 15 plate one mine feels so basic inside it doesn't even have Bluetooth its amazing how far they've come since 2011 with the best feature of my SE being an MP3 cd player and an AUX port haha.

[PacificAtitude]

Thank you for the review, pls next time put the link you used on the video down on the discription, we mobile users cannot click on them directly on the video.

[andrewuk]

I would be interested to hear your views on the Blue GT. I tested one at the weekend, and boy it was quick!

[peterclewes]

True MPG tigers for VW polo only has the 1.4 engine which is no longer availlable.

[oddities-whatnot]

I bought a new polo tdi in 2012. Why is nobody mentioning how awful the handling is, and by that I mean the steering which was not speed sensitive in the slightest. In most cars, you would expect the steering to be light at low speeds, and stiffen up the faster you go. My polo did not do this, which made it feel dangerous cornering at anything over 30. Anybody else noticed this issue which VW seem unable to answer? I got rid of the car after 4 months thank goodness.

[carsuncovereduk]

Lovely warm natural review with no silly jokes. Handsome.

[dragosrusu]

Very good review but I was really bothered by the weird vintage filter you chose to apply to the recorded footage. I was unable to fully appreciate the look of the car because it felt like I was watching a music video with the colors all faded out like that. I realize the need to stand out from other video review channels, but maybe you could find another way to do that.

[peterlewis]

The new Mk5 Polo may not be very exciting to look at, and it's interior is restrained.
That also applies to BMWs 3 series, its hardly exciting to look at, and its interior is bland to say the least.
What makes both the Volkswagen and BMW hugely desirable are their image and build quality.
Ive never thought the interior of any BMW an exciting place to be in, but its legendary build quality makes it one of the most sort after cars on the road.

[guy]

why click for more info, are you doing a review or half a review.

[Rich]

may be a silly question but can you hold petrols on a hill just with the clutch like you can with diesels?

[lucasfunkt]

OK this is a bad review because it has given completely the wrong opinion on two important features I noticed when I rented this car for a week. He says "really easy to get comfy in the cabin" "very easy to see out of this car". Both points FALSE. 

The handle on the door, if you've got even remotely long legs, your knee will bash against it (particularly if you have the left hand drive version) there simply isn't enough space for your legs when driving. The seat and steering wheel may be goo but the cabin space isn't. 

Very easy to see out of, not really, the windscreen is very small and you can't help but be too close to it, which in turn puts you too close to the pillar between the door and the windscreen blocking a good portion of your view. 

Bare this in mind if you're considering this car and are not a small person. 

[townkitchens]

Nothing terrible but nothing exciting.