For the fifth time in its history Volkswagen is standing by to launch a new Polo. This is always an important supermini event, but the 2009 car, which shows its face at the Geneva show in March, presents a slightly more intriguing set of questions than its impressive, but predictable predecessors. Why? Because of its big brother, the Golf, that’s why. Good though it is, the Golf has been so heavily criticized for its sameness that VW has been provoked into trumpeting the Polo as a revolutionary car. With the Golf it was our obligation to take a myth to next level, ‘says VW design boss Walter de’ Silva. With the Polo we are going to erase the past. Sounds a bit scary, and slightly at odds with the conservative the five door hatch back pictured above, which not only looks a lot like the Golf but is now so inflated it’s very nearly the same length. But the promised quirkiness kicks in elsewhere in the expanded range, which will include a rakish three door, a beefed up urban SUV called and an MPV, codenamed Raum.
There will also be a Polo GTi in 2010, featuring DSG as standard, and a four door saloon, though the latter is meant for India and Russia only. The new Polo is based on an evolution of the previous model’s PQ platform, and is promised to be quieter, smoother riding, better made and better, equipped than the old car. Exterior featuring includes new wheels, elaborate new lights and a noticeable absence of chrome, while the interior has been given the upmarket materials treatment, Golf style.
