Geneva 2009: 2010 Volkswagen Polo
By Chris Haak
03.04.2009
Volkswagen’s subcompact (B-segment) 2010 Polo made its worldwide debut at the 2009 Geneva auto show. The all-new Polo was engineered to ace the tough Euro NCAP crash tests with five stars and offers improved structural rigidity, but cuts the weight of the previous Polo by 7.5%. The weight reduction helps performance, handling, and fuel economy – and is a perfect example of intelligent engineering and shatters the notion that additional safety equipment and a stronger structure have to result in a heavier vehicle.
The Polo will be offered in Europe with a choice of seven different engines – three diesel and four gasoline – and will also achieve impressive fuel economy figures, particularly in the TDI models. The 1.6 liter, 90 PS TDI engine, when combined with the available BlueMotion package, gets an impressive 62 mpg in European testing. The 1.2 liter, 102 PS TSI (direct-injection, turbocharged four cylinder gasoline engine) gets about 43 miles per gallon. In addition to the lighter weight versus the previous model, the new Polo’s fuel economy and performance improvements can be attributed to a new seven-speed DSG.
The exterior of the Polo is updated with the new VW corporate face that resides on the Scirocco and Golf. The car overall looks pretty good – partucularly with large aluminum wheels – but not unlike just a smaller version of the Golf. The bottom of the doors have an interesting scallop on them, fender bulges, and nicely detailed headlamps. The interior has a clean design (if not a little to Germanic-looking with the black plastic and fabric nearly everywhere) and includes chrome accents around the gauges, center stack, and gearshift. The car also has more interior room than its smaller but heavier predecessor.
Sales in Europe begin at the end of June; pricing has not yet been announced. Although the press release below does not say so, it’s expected that the Polo may be sold in the US. If so, and if it’s priced right (something that VW seems to have trouble doing), it could prove a worthy competitor to the Honda Fit.
A photo gallery and the full press release from Volkswagen are available after the jump.
To the point: The new Polo
The new Polo is one of the safest cars worldwide;
Polo’s TDI and TSI engines noticeably reduce fuel costs
Wolfsburg / Geneva, 02 March 2009 – No other car in this class has such a mature and high-end image as the new Polo. Comfort, quality and safety have all taken a considerable leap forward. One example: the Polo was specifically designed to attain the recently established, stricter and more comprehensive, 5-star EuroNCAP rating. The higher structural rigidity of the Polo’s bodyshell contributes to these results. In the footwell area alone, intrusion – related to the car body’s deformation strength in a frontal crash – was lowered by 50 percent! In the case of a side impact, the intrusion value was reduced by 20 percent.
Standard equipment for safety
In addition, the European version of the Polo now being presented is equipped with standard ESP electronic stabilization program with Hill Hold Control, and it has a highly effective network of airbags on board, including combined head-thorax airbags (integrated in the front seatbacks), belt tensioners and belt force limiters plus seatbelt warning indicator and head restraints that counteract the risk of whiplash injury (both front seats), three rear head restraints and Isofix child seat preparation.
Weight down, fuel consumption down
Despite significant improvements in all aspects of the car, it was possible to reduce the Polo’s body weight by 7.5 percent. The introduction of new TDI and TSI engines, as well as the 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DSG), has resulted in considerably reduced fuel consumption and emissions over a wide range of engine power outputs. An excellent example here is the new 1.2 TSI. This turbo-charged four-cylinder direct injection gasoline engine produces 77 kW / 105 PS, yet it consumes just 5.5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (129 g/km CO2); this is 19 percent less than on the equivalent model of the previous generation!
In total, seven different engines will be offered on the new Polo in its first year – four gasoline and three diesel – spanning a power range from 44 kW / 60 PS to 77 kW / 105 PS. Five of these engines are entirely new or are being used for the first time in the Polo.
The new engines include all three TDIs (turbo-diesel direct-injection); thanks to the implementation for the first time of common rail technology in the Polo, these engines are both efficient and refined. The potential in the new TDI engines is clearly evident in the example of the Polo 1.6 TDI with 66 kW / 90 PS: when combined with a “BlueMotion package”, its average fuel consumption of 3.8 liters per 100 kilometers and 96 g/km CO2 makes it the most fuel efficient and lowest emitting five-seater diesel in the world. The “BlueMotion package” may be combined with any of the three equipment lines developed for the Polo. Available for selection here are the base version “Trendline”, the mid-level “Comfortline” and the top of the line “Highline”.
Individually combinable high-tech features
Options that Polo drivers will be able to order on their new Volkswagen include static turning lights integrated in the front fog lights, (from “Comfortline” up), side curtain airbags (head airbag system for front and rear passengers), radio and radio-navigation systems and integrated hands-free telephone systems. A panorama sunroof and bi-xenon headlights will follow at a later time.
Market launch starts the end of June
Start of production of the five-door Polo is scheduled for the end of March. This will be followed, starting in the last week in June, by the market launch of the visually and technically advanced new edition of the million unit bestseller in Germany. Just two weeks later, thanks to an ambitious logistics plan, Volkswagen will begin selling the car across mainland Europe, and soon Polo engines will be revving up across all continents.
