A Hole Lot More In Store For Polo

Exclusive pictures in the current issue of Auto Express magazine reveal next year's heavily revised Polo, which is aiming to blow holes in its opposition in the super-competitive small hatchback market.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Craig Cheetham

30th June 2004

The newcomer is set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show next March, and will be looking to continue the Polo's well established role as the supermini with the image all other car manufacturers aspire to. The excellent residual values, superb build quality and smart, chunky styling make the current model a hit and maintain the solid reputation the Polo has enjoyed for nearly a decade.

UK sales of the new car are due to start next summer, and the line-up will encompass a wide range of variants, including a hot GTI version. Our pictures show how VW is introducing several styling cues from other models in the range on to the next-generation Polo.

It gets rear lights similar to those on the new Golf, complete with foglamps cut into the tailgate, and also features its bigger brother's door mirror-mounted indicator repeaters. At the front, there's an even more dynamic appearance. The current car's twin headlights will be replaced by the same single-unit design due to grace the new Passat - another VW debuting in showrooms in 2005.

The revised Polo gets a distinctive chrome grille just like the one that will appear on the Golf R32, adding a touch of class to its front styling. Under the bonnet, buyers will have a choice of engines similar to the current Polo's. The entry-level car will use the 55bhp three-cylinder 1.2-litre unit introduced in 2002. A 65bhp version of the same powerplant is also to be offered, along with a 100bhp 16-valve 1.4 FSI. However, the current supermini's eight-valve 75bhp 1.4-litre is unlikely to continue.

Diesel choices will comprise the current 75bhp 1.4 TDI and a 105bhp version of the proven 1.9-litre TDI engine - that's a 5bhp increase over the existing model. A 130bhp variant of this powerplant will appear in the warm Polo GT.

But there's talk of an even hotter variant, which could feature the 140bhp 2.0-litre oil-burner from the Golf GT TDI. The top performance model, though, will be the GTI, which is scheduled to debut towards the end of 2005. It will be powered by a 2.0-litre FSI engine, and will develop upwards of 150bhp.

VW is also planning to continue the Polo Dune. The chunky Rover Streetwise rival has only recently joined the line-up, but it will undergo a similar revamp and is expected to be offered with a larger engine range.

The facelifted Polo will be the first in a series of launches for the firm, which will give its entire range a shake-up next year. As well as the supermini, the Fox will join the line-up in the summer, replacing the Lupo, while the new Passat will be seen for the first time towards the end of 2005, probably at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.