2018 Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI 95 and 115 HP Acceleration Test

We think that the performance of regular cars reached a high in 2010-2012 and had been declining ever since, thanks to heavy safety systems and emissions technology.

Just take this all-new Polo with a 115 horsepower 1-liter engine. For a 3-cylinder, it gets lots of power and 200 Nm of torque. But the 0 to 100 km/h takes just a few tens less than 10 seconds. In 2005, the Polo 1.6 FSI and 1.9 TDI both took less than 11 seconds to make the standard sprint. So, this is what over a decade of progress got us?

We also found an acceleration test with the base 1.0 TSI, the one that most people will buy. It makes 95 PS and 175 Nm for a 0 to 100 km/h time of 10.8 seconds. We're still not convinced 3-cylinder engines are the way to go since they're not as smooth as their 4-banger counterparts.

That's why we'd get the Polo with its 1.6 TDI or, even better, the 1.5 TSI powerhouse. The Polo GTI has also been announced and should bring its 200 PS 2-liter grunt to market soon.

In all other regards, it's a superior car to its predecessor and most of its competitors. The cabin of the 2018 Polo makes the 5-door MINI Cooper like a contortionist's delight.

Also new is the Active Info Display, which is basically a 10-inch screen that replaces the speedometer and rev counter. It's not that expensive, but the graphics aren't as crisp as in the Audi A3 equivalent. However, the screen makes the acceleration tests appear more interesting.

Also making a cameo in this video are the LED head and taillights. We also enjoyed seeing the colorful new dashboard of the beats edition and congratulate Volkswagen for installing a volume control know on the radio.