By: Jason Woosey
Pretoria - The Volkswagen Polo has gone all Jekyll and Hyde on us with a range expansion that brings frugal new downsized TSI and TDI engines and a manual version of the GTI for hot-blooded purists.
The Polo hatchback was facelifted last year, with a subtle styling makeover and a new 1.2 TSI turbopetrol engine, in two states of tune, replacing the previous normally aspirated petrols. The new engines don’t replace the 1.2, but instead serve as more efficient alternatives.
TSI BLUEMOTION
The new Polo BlueMotion is powered by a 1-litre, three-cylinder TSI engine but don’t let its size con you into thinking it’s the new base model. It might be more frugal than the current 1.2 TSI, with claimed combined consumption down 0.7 litres per 100km to 4.2, but it’s also more powerful.
Whereas the base 1.2 produces 66kW and 160Nm, the 1.0 pushes 70kW and identical torque. It’s also better-equipped, with 15-inch ‘Buenos Aires’ alloy wheels, multi-function steering wheel, unique interior trimmings and a posher version of the Composition Colour touch-screen entertainment system, featuring six speakers and Bluetooth. All of which adds up to a price tag of R235 800.
The downsized, lightweight direct-injection three-cylinder engine is completely new and highly sophisticated, with engineers having pulled out all the stops to save every last drop of fuel that they possibly could, right down to advanced thermal management through an exhaust manifold that’s integrated with the cylinder head and a dual-loop cooling system that reduces friction. Weight-optimising the pistons and conrods also eliminated the need for a balancer shaft and let’s not forget the idle-stop system that cuts wastage in town driving.
The 1.0 TSI is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox with long gear ratios to improve efficiency but this hardly wrecks the driving experience as all the torque is available right down at 1500rpm.
VW Claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of 10.5 seconds and a top speed of 191km/h.
In its saving-every-drop quest, the BlueMotion also gained a set of low-rolling-resistance tyres, lowered suspension, modified underbody and even a smooth-surfaced radiator grille.
OR IS DIESEL YOUR THING?
You don’t get all of this aerodynamic armoury in the new TDI versions, but their inherent combustion advantage still wins the sipping war, if we have to split hairs here.
The 1.6-litre turbodiesel that was available in the pre-facelift Polo has been replaced by a new 1.4-litre, three-cylinder oil burner that’s available in two states of tune and which is also mated to a five-speed manual ‘box.
Opt for the less expensive of the two, the Trendline at R223 500, and your punishment for skimping is having no more power than the Coty-winning 2002 version, 55kW, although it has some proper twisting-force, with 210Nm available from 1500rpm. Find R252 000 and you can enjoy the 77kW/250Nm Highline version, which according to claims gets to 100km/h in 9.9 seconds, versus 12.9s in the lower-tuned model’s case, although the latter does have an economy advantage at 4.1 l/100km, versus 4.2.
BUT WHICH IS BEST?
The launch route took us on varied routes in the region of eMalahleni in Mpumalanga, where we got acquainted with the 77kW TDI and TSI BlueMotion. The diesel really shone on the rural roads with its torquey punch and quiet, low-rev chugging ability but it is rather laggy at altitude, resulting in a very narrow performance band that makes it unpleasant to drive in urban settings, where you constantly have to stir the gearbox and keep the revs up or sit with an engine that feels like it wants to stall.
The TSI BlueMotion, by comparison, is a peach to shove around town and is responsive enough at low revs and even though it lacks the TDI’s higher-end clout, it still provides very reasonable performance on the open road. This engine is a fine all-rounder and definitely the pick of the new fuel-sipping bunch. Now for Hyde’s story:
A GTI FOR PURISTS
At the very opposite end of the scale, VW is now offering a six-speed manual gearbox in the Polo GTI. Until now the Polo GTI, in this generation at least, was only available with a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG, but the recent facelift that saw the previous 1.4 TSI engine replaced by a more powerful 1.8 TSI is also catering for purist hot-hatch fans who like swopping cogs the traditional way.
While the manual has the same 141kW power output as its DSG sibling, torque is up 70Nm to 320Nm, albeit in a narrower rev range (1450-4200 versus 1250-5300). VW says this has no effect on key performance figures, with both versions boasting a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.7 seconds and a 236km/h top end.
The new gearbox option also coincides with the availability of electronically adjustable dampers as part of a ‘Sport Select’ suspension package.
We sampled a manual GTI with this kit on the Red Star Raceway, where the responsiveness of this engine really stood out, yet the DSG that I tested previously is just so good that I don’t see the stick-shift GTI really gaining too big a following. But it’s nice to know that VW is at least catering for those who want it.
RANGE & PRICING
POLO HATCH
1.2 TSI 66kW Trendline – R201 900
1.2 TSI 66kW Comfortline – R225 900
1.0 TSI 70 kW BlueMotion - R235 800
1.2 TSI 81kW Highline – R246 700
1.2 TSI 81kW Highline DSG – R262 200
1.8 TSI GTI – R313 300
1.8 TSI GTI DSG - R328 800
1.4 TDI 55 kW Trendline - R223 500
1.4 TDI 77 kW Highline - R252 000
POLOCROSS
1.2 TSI 81kW – R254 700
1.4 TDI 77 kW - R260 000
Prices include a three-year/120 000km warranty and three-year/45 000km service plan.