Volkswagen Polo 1.2 SE review

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Volkswagen Polo 1.2 70 SE Road Test

Test date 14 September 2009 Price as tested £12,810

For Mature feel, comfortable ride, efficient engine, well equipped

Against Unimaginative styling, gruff engine note, leisurely performance

The new Polo looks like a shrunken Golf, doesn’t it? Which pretty much sums up what Volkswagen has tried to achieve with this, the fifth-generation Polo: all the positive attributes of the Golf, just in a smaller, more affordable package. The derivative styling and bigger dimensions are designed to make the Polo feel more mature, while the Scirocco-inspired nose and lights add a touch of flair.

Volkswagen is launching the Polo in five-door guise, with a choice of five engines and four trim levels. The range will expand next year with the addition of a three-door body style and more engines, including an efficient BlueMotion model. Here we’re testing a 69bhp, 1.2-litre, three-cylinder Polo in upper-mid SE specification.

Along with the more mature styling comes an equally grown-up price tag, with even the cheapest Polo costing five figures. While this is also the case for the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa, the supermini class is ultra-competitive and the Polo is facing a string of credible competitors.

So just how compelling is the prospect of a downsized Golf?