Volkswagen Polo VI Facelift test: but what's left of the Golf?

After a short career of barely 4 years, the 6th generation Polo is already going through the restyling box in order to stay in the game and above all to stay one step ahead of the competition to keep its unofficial title of the most versatile city car in the world. Marlet.

Indestructible 

With more than 18 million copies sold worldwide since the appearance of the model in 1975, the Polo has permanently established itself in the European automotive landscape. Students, young couples, retirees, everyone finds their account in the city proposal of the Wolsburg firm. It is probably for this reason that despite the surge of SUVs, the Polo is still today the choice of one in four customers on the French market (24% according to VW France data). But what is the recipe for such success? As I indicated in the introduction, its versatility. For several generations, the Polo has been the preferred choice of the biggest drivers among the customers of the city car market with an average of 3 to 5,000 km more per year and per customer compared to the competitio certainly larger, but also much more expensive with equivalent equipment. Because yes, we can speak of equivalence by comparing the equipment of the two sisters of the range and this is the problem that Volkswagen seems to know how to solve after so many years by I do not know what miracle.

Style: identity alignment necessary

On the look side, the restyling of the 6th generation Polo is undoubtedly one of the most successful of all those that have taken place on the model since 1975. The appearance of the Golf 8 paved the way for a new identity signature of the range and above all marks the arrival of the new logo, which therefore appears for the very first time on the Polo. The front and rear shields have been revised to such an extent that the Polo gains 2 cm in length. The notable reason? Obviously this sharp shield which gives the Polo a beautiful personality and above all, which is in no way specific to the R-Line finish of our test model, although there are some differences. We obviously notice the arrival of new front optics, which evolve smoothly and above all offer Full LED technology as standard! The LED matrix, unheard of in the segment, are for their part confined to the catalog of options at least on the first two trim levels “Polo” and “Life”. At the rear, it is also impossible not to notice the radical change in style of the taillights which now extend over the trunk and abandon the famous monoblock, yet legion since 1975 on the German flagship city car. Overall, I consider the style changes to be quite successful. They give an incomparable presence on the road to the (not so) little ant and even suggest from afar that the Polo could belong to the upper segment. It must be said that it is on average 2 to 3 cm longer than the competition and is in the high average side width. As an indication, the new Polo is 2 cm wider than a Golf 4!

Interior & equipment: nail half driven 

The 2017 Polo was already starting a small step ahead of the competition, which has since sharpened. Clio 5 and Peugeot 208 shine with their many qualities and their price positioning often below that of Volkswagen. How to stay in the game? In one word: technology, which is by no means a breakthrough in every area as we will see. Let's quickly sweep away the chapter of the finish, which hardly changes and it's a shame, especially when we take a closer look at certain plastics like those of the storm doors, unworthy at this price level or those used around the hand brake (manual!). The optical control button located as usual at the bottom left of the steering wheel also deserves a little makeover. The steering wheel evolves smoothly and adopts the new logo and a more modern shape almost ignoring the shiny black plastic, and that's a good thing for the perceived quality. The gear selector also changes appearance, as does the now tactile air conditioning control, the biggest ergonomic error for me on this Polo facelift.

On the equipment side, there is a lot to be said, in particular thanks to the arrival of many standard equipment, starting with the 8.0-inch Digital Cockpit (available in 10.25 inches as an option). The “Front Assist” emergency braking system and the “Lane Assist” lane-keeping assistant are also part of the first trim level. New in the segment, the “Travel Assist” driving assistant marks the arrival on the Polo of level 2 semi-autonomous driving with active trajectory correction in the event of an overflow of the traffic lane and a “traffic jams” function. ”Allowing the Polo to take over acceleration, braking and steering up to 30 km / h with the DSG7 automatic gearbox.

Small focus on the choices available to you in terms of finishes & engines (excluding Polo GTI). For individuals, 4 levels of finishes are available as well as 3 petrol engines, (goodbye Diesel), exclusively in 3 cylinders. No hybridization or slight hybridization in sight for this 6th generation Polo. A CNG version is available in Business finish.

Finishes:

• Polo from € 18,015 (against € 17,260 before restyling)
• Life from 20,810 €
• Style from 22,735 €
• R-Line from 23 610 €

Engines:

• 1.0 L MPI 80 hp BVM5 (only available in Polo finish)
• 1.0 L TSI 95 hp BVM5 / DSG7
• 1.0 L TSI 110 hp DSG7

On the road: true to its reputation 

Surely the most interesting part of the test since it is in this area that the Polo is generally a benchmark among the competition, although it is not a new model in its own right. Two engines were available for testing: the 1.0 L TSI 95 in BVM5 and the 1.0 L TSI 110 in DSG7 (illustrative photos of our article). We have completed about 200 km with each of the two engines on Corsican roads, enough to give you a first opinion. First part on the 95 hp version, in Life finish, optionally fitted with 16-inch rims. The performances are honorable and the choice of the manual gearbox is not without interest on the small roads of the island of beauty with important gradients and permanent changes of rhythm. After a few kilometers of expressway, the course is exemplary while the soundproofing is also a benchmark. At the wheel, nothing suggests that you are in a city car. In terms of pleasure and performance, the 3-cylinder TSI perfectly meets the specifications for the segment and will undoubtedly constitute the majority of sales in France. The 5-speed gearbox can however be improved with a fuzzy gear lock and a barely correct travel. The slip point is located very high and the travel of the clutch pedal seems endless. The adoption of a variable geometry turbo makes it possible to gain torque at the bottom of the revs but it does not seem to wake up until 2000 rpm. The staging of the box is long, very long, for reasons of controlling CO2 emissions. A box 6 would not have been refused to allow optimal recoveries. On the secondary or even tertiary network, the Polo is doing admirably with excellent roll control (no controlled damping available even as an option), admirable front axle precision and a steering feeling that is simply ideally calibrated. Volkswagen scores points for impressions of safety on board, there is no doubt about it and also in terms of consumption since over almost 200 kms, we have a rather admirable score with an average of 5.0 L / 100 kms. admirable front end precision and simply ideally calibrated steering feel. Volkswagen scores points for impressions of safety on board, there is no doubt about it and also in terms of consumption since over almost 200 kms, we have a rather admirable score with an average of 5.0 L / 100 kms. admirable front end precision and simply ideally calibrated steering feel. Volkswagen scores points for impressions of safety on board, there is no doubt about it and also in terms of consumption since over almost 200 kms, we have a rather admirable score with an average of 5.0 L / 100 kms.

Let's move quickly to the 1.0 L TSI 110, this time equipped with a DSG7 dual-clutch automatic transmission. The few more horses seem to be felt but the feeling is undoubtedly biased by the change of gearbox with necessarily shorter ratios. Associated with a 3-cylinder, the DSG7 fulfills its function perfectly and successfully passes the test of Corsica, cruel to assess the lack of responsiveness or more broadly the faults of an automatic gearbox. When accelerating, the kick-down is not long in coming and we escape the sometimes unpleasant sound of the 3 cylinders at the top of the towers thanks to soundproofing with small onions. Only a few unwanted mechanical noises when downshifting (dry sump gearbox) disturb the surrounding calm. One sport mode among 3 other driving modes is available via the button to the left of the gear selector. It acts slightly on the direction and on the responsiveness to acceleration, the changes are not however obvious. The 17-inch rims present on our R-Line finish combined with tires with shorter sidewalls than on the 16-inch versions further improve the feeling when cornering. The car “lies” less on the side of the tires, resulting in an almost total absence of squealing and an even better steering feeling. On the consumption side, it will take at least a good liter more than the 95 hp BVM5 version. The 17-inch rims present on our R-Line finish combined with tires with shorter sidewalls than on the 16-inch versions further improve the feeling when cornering. The car “lies” less on the side of the tires, resulting in an almost total absence of squealing and an even better steering feeling. On the consumption side, it will take at least a good liter more than the 95 hp BVM5 version. The 17-inch rims present on our R-Line finish combined with tires with shorter sidewalls than on the 16-inch versions further improve the feeling when cornering. The car “lies” less on the side of the tires, resulting in an almost total absence of squealing and an even better steering feeling. On the consumption side, it will take at least a good liter more than the 95 hp BVM5 version.

This version 1.0 L TSI 110 DSG7 R-Line also seems to tick all the boxes of a good high-end compact, whether in terms of road performance or equipment. There is even a large panoramic sunroof present on half the length of the roof. The only thing missing would be the heads-up display to complete the picture, but the price of our configuration flirting dangerously with € 30,000, we say to ourselves that after all, the best might be the enemy of the good.

A format story

Well in its time, the new Polo obeys the Volkswagen leitmotif and evolves smoothly while remaining among the leaders of the category in terms of equipment and versatility. City car Premium? If the test of the high-end versions makes us lean towards the yes, the displayed prices will eventually convince us, but we are driving a door open for decades at Volkswagen. We will retain high-level road services, on-board technologies often reserved for the upper segment, a look largely updated and prices still salty but with a good progression to note on the side of the standard equipment. Based on this premise, we are tempted to ask ourselves what main reason would make us lean towards the big sister Golf if not the place on board? Not much, apparently.