VW tonight issued these first photos of the new Polo Mk5 on the eve of its Geneva motor show debut. And the latest Polo supermini is every inch the shrunken Golf hatchback we were expecting – it looks like a Golf the cat sat on.
One of the headlines is that they’ve cut the kerb weight by 8% over the outgoing Polo. Despite being 36mm longer and 32mm wider, they’ve managed to trim unnecessary heft through using lighter weight steels at strategic points. The new Polo Mk5 is based on the same VW Group small-car architecture you’ll find under a Seat Ibiza.
That means a front-wheel drive chassis and the full gamut of engine and transmission options. When the new Polo Mk5 arrives in UK dealers in October 2009, the line-up will be as follows (all come with ESP and four airbags as standard):
Petrol engines:
|
Engine
|
PS
|
Transmission
|
| 1.2-litre |
60 |
5-spd |
|
1.2-litre
|
70
|
5-spd
|
|
1.4-litre
|
85
|
5-spd / 7-spd DSG
|
|
1.2-litre TSI
|
105
|
6-spd
|
Diesel engines:
|
Engine
|
PS
|
Transmission
|
|
1.6-litre TDI
|
75
|
5-spd
|
|
1.6-litre TDI
|
90
|
5-spd
|
But a lot of the attention at Geneva is on the new Bluemotion version. It uses a 90bhp 1.6 TDI with taller gearing and hits 74mpg and 96g/km of CO2. And it gets better. In 2010, the Polo Bluemotion II arrives with a saintly 85mpg and 87g/km – thanks to new stop-start systems, further aero tweaks and a 15mm suspension drop.
More space for limbs and luggage is promised Inside. That growth spurt, and especially the longer wheelbase, has freed up more room all round and VW promises an improvement in interior quality. We’ll report more on this tomorrow when we pore all over the new cars at Geneva’s Palexpo arena.
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