Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSi: big little sister

A whole life and even several souls chasing after big sister has never slowed down! Sitting at the controls of a VW Polo today, we don’t need to beg our imaginations to imagine we hit the road with a golf yesterday. Two of the German brand’s best-selling brands follow each other, look alike, and of course this is not a flaw. When it came to refining the sixth generation of the indefatigable “Ant”, Volkswagen was a little less shy than usual.

This time, there is no need to torment your eyes with the game of differences, the novelties are shown and there is no need for any evidence to show off. In our test version, the front panel was masked with an LED light strip and fitted with new optics giving the Polo a real boost of freshness. The rear part dares a little more to resemble a Golf thanks to the lights that “return” in the tailgate.

The 3D effect glows with more or less intense brightness depending on the braking force.

without sequins

To be complete, note the arrival of the sliders, which are already on the more high-end models in the range. Without exaggerated pretension, with a personality more reticent than daring, “The Little One” walks his way without gloss but in earnest. For years, his clients never asked him for anything else.

Inside, this restyling is an opportunity to combine a new steering wheel and air conditioning unit with the touch controls we know on the Golf VIII. It’s a nice addition on paper, perfectly fitting in with the times, but some may regret the very efficient manual controls and it’s still found in the entry level version.

Space reserved for passengers is pretty much a good average (even above, in the rear) with always-perfect driving position and, as a bonus, a large trunk and impeccable comfort.

Bo Lee Fa slow!

While the diesel, which has long been a partner in the Polo adventure, has disappeared from the catalog (since the end of 2020), the city car from Wolsburg is based on a proven engine, a 3-cylinder supercharged 1.0-liter TSi petrol.

We chose a 110 hp engine (also available with 95 hp) available only with the automatic gearbox. Flexible and discreet, it allows you to get out of town happily, allowing for a very acceptable performance and reasonable consumption even if many competitors perform better (on different roads and without counting, we often stayed above 7 liters, but you just have to be careful about it. Lower the average at a speed of less than 6 liters).

The Polo, the best-selling car from Volkswagen in France with more than 24% of orders, has all the charms and qualities to continue its amazing journey, one cannot help but wonder about the absence of a very valuable hybrid at the moment.

Patrick Lewis