Photo: Volkswagen
The all-new VW Polo can be played around with and configured to your specifications. The Trendline, Comfortline, Highline and Beats trims can already be ordered in Germany from €12,975.
The 2018 Polo is not what you'd call "too expensive." Its sister car, the new Ibiza, starts at €12,490 and while the Dacia Sandero is much cheaper, that's always been the case. But the sheer amount of available technologies means you could easily go over 20,000 euros and not end up with something amazing.
The Polo is the second car to be built on the MQB A0 platform. It's much more spacious than its predecessor, with both cargo and cabin space comparable to the Golf 5. Doing that while retaining the base price is an achievement for Volkswagen.
But you probably don't want the Trendline model because it has 14-inch steel wheels and unpainted door handles. It's like they're shaming you into paying more. Still, Front Assist with pedestrian detection is standard. For now, only two 1.0-liter engines are available on this trim, offering 65 or 75 PS.
But you don't want any of those. Your primary pick should be the 1.0 TSI with 95 PS, available from €17,200 with a 5-speed or €18,700 with DSG. For now, no diesel engines are available, and the 1.5 TSI is still testing, so you're stuck with three-bangers which aren't the smoothest in the world.
Volkswagen seems to want to sell a lot of Polo Beats models because they are about 1,000 euros cheaper than the Highline yet have bigger 16-inch wheels, an 8-speaker sound system with a subwoofer and a leather steering wheel.
The options list is pretty much as long as that of the Golf: €310 for Blind Spot Detection, €255 for adaptive cruise control that works to 210 km/h, €490 for a reversing camera or €565 for the Discover Media navigation system. It all seems pretty reasonable, at least for a Volkswagen.
The LED headlights will set you back just under 1,000, but the digital dashboard doesn't appear to be available yet. Have a play in the configurator and see if you can find it.
The Polo is the second car to be built on the MQB A0 platform. It's much more spacious than its predecessor, with both cargo and cabin space comparable to the Golf 5. Doing that while retaining the base price is an achievement for Volkswagen.
But you probably don't want the Trendline model because it has 14-inch steel wheels and unpainted door handles. It's like they're shaming you into paying more. Still, Front Assist with pedestrian detection is standard. For now, only two 1.0-liter engines are available on this trim, offering 65 or 75 PS.
But you don't want any of those. Your primary pick should be the 1.0 TSI with 95 PS, available from €17,200 with a 5-speed or €18,700 with DSG. For now, no diesel engines are available, and the 1.5 TSI is still testing, so you're stuck with three-bangers which aren't the smoothest in the world.
Volkswagen seems to want to sell a lot of Polo Beats models because they are about 1,000 euros cheaper than the Highline yet have bigger 16-inch wheels, an 8-speaker sound system with a subwoofer and a leather steering wheel.
The options list is pretty much as long as that of the Golf: €310 for Blind Spot Detection, €255 for adaptive cruise control that works to 210 km/h, €490 for a reversing camera or €565 for the Discover Media navigation system. It all seems pretty reasonable, at least for a Volkswagen.
The LED headlights will set you back just under 1,000, but the digital dashboard doesn't appear to be available yet. Have a play in the configurator and see if you can find it.
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