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RacingPuma March 4, 2009 1:07 PM

Think it will be toned down for production - shame.   Just what we need for Britain's potholed roads!

PS As a native of Washington,  to me the Nissan factory will always be in Washington, not Sunderland (the town of Washington was merged into the County Borough of Sunderland several years ago)

horseandcart March 4, 2009 1:27 PM

That's amazing Chas, your stars and disappointments are exactly the same as mine - in reverse!

The Polo's a hit, the Qaz.. thing an expeletive-depleted Jap, manga-inspired nonsense and the Lagonda an embarrassment.

Thank God Chas you edit car mags rather than run Europe's largest car maker's design dept..

Sorry mate, this automotive 'Emperor with no clothes' nonsense has got to stop. Peversity for the sake of it is not a good thing.

230SL March 4, 2009 2:50 PM

I second horeseandcart.

horseandcart March 4, 2009 3:56 PM

'an expeletive-depleted' -  profuse apologies, the old peepers ain't what they used to be; should be 'expletive deleted.' At this rate I'll be fit for a white stick and a job in Nissan/A-M's design department.

Timberwolf March 4, 2009 5:54 PM

I liked the Polo.  Like most super"mini"s it's a bit big now, but reducing the weight and throwing in some excellent TSI engines makes it perfectly placed to capture downsizers.  Looks like a decent, solid product.  The Polo DNA has always been to be a little more sober and grown-up than its competitors - it might lack a certain "wow" factor compared to, say, the Fiesta, but not everyone likes extroverted design and distinctive interiors.

The Lagonda is an irrelevance and I find it under-designed; the grille area looks like someone put a placeholder on the styling buck and never got round to filling it in, it suffers from swage line induced sag ahead of the rear wheelarch and the rear as a whole looks as if they couldn't quite figure out how to finish off the roofline - again suffering from a slab-sided lack of detailing.

The Qazana looks quite funky; obviously what makes production will be a shallow echo of the concept, but it manages to combine looking chunky and tough with not being all that large.  Crossovers aren't really my cup of tea, but this doesn't look like a bad one.

dougie94 March 4, 2009 7:06 PM

RacingPuma says

PS As a native of Washington,  to me the Nissan factory will always be in Washington, not Sunderland (the town of Washington was merged into the County Borough of Sunderland several years ago)

I come from Washinton as well and I agree with you. My Dad classes it as Sunderland though and says he will never buy a Nissan because they are made by Mackems. As for the Qazana I think it looks good but don't really see the point in it.

ordinary bloke March 4, 2009 8:11 PM

I don't often agree with horseandcart but on this occasion I compliment him on his apt turn of phrase and the substance of what he says. I think, Mr Editor Hallett, that you are mistaking "different" for "good" - please stick to the day job, you do that very well.

Lee23404 March 4, 2009 10:04 PM

Horseandcart - spot on again, sorry Chas.

PoleDancer March 4, 2009 11:05 PM

I agree - the Polo looks very mature, much more masculine than the Fiesta which I know you guys go ga-ga over at AUTOCAR. It just looks like a car from the class above, which is quite a feat for a car which in its last generation look confused at the front at best...

TegTypeR March 5, 2009 9:42 AM

Will the Polo be a sales success (in this country at least)?  The last model never did that well, did it?

I'm with you Chas, the new Polo is a huge disappointment.  It is too derivative for my tastes and far too close to the Golf (even in size).  It's mature for sure but as you say, lacks pizazz.  Let's see how the pricing goes when it arrives, that'll be the deciding point for a lot of people.

macaroni March 5, 2009 12:35 PM

I don't get this justification for mini-SUVs that they copy better with our pot-holed roads. Sure, some roads can be a bit bumpy at times, but they aren't un-metalled, rutted lanes. My lowered 205 gti copes quite well with them.

Zeddy March 5, 2009 7:04 PM

I'm with H&C on this too.

New Polo looks better than the Golf.

That concept Nissan will look nothing like any model they put on the road.

There is still a lot of navel gazing going on at some manufacturers' design studios.

In times of austerity minimalism is everything.

horseandcart March 9, 2009 1:50 PM

Auto Motor Und Sport magazine of Germany have just done their tops and flops of the Geneva show:

'Top' - Polo

'Flop' - Lagonda, Nissan Qazana.

Uncanny.

www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/.../auto-salon-genf-2009-die-tops-und-flops-der-redaktion-1015669.html