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300 HP VW Polo R Being Considered, Prototypes Already Built

The bit we hate about Volkswagen is they all these shared platforms allowing them to make more cool cars than everybody else. Well, we don't actually hate the poor Germans, and neither do we dislike the idea of a 300 horsepower Polo R.
300 HP VW Polo R Being Considered, Prototypes Already Built 1 photo
Photo: Volkswagen
There was a limited-edition Polo R WRC with the last generation, but only a few people were able to buy one, and it was just an engineering project. This time, they are looking into the viability of a full-time member of the family.

UK magazine Autocar spoke to Ralf Kölling, Volkswagen’s director of small car lines, who pointed out that the 2-liter turbo engine from the bigger Golf is already in the 2018 GTI.

“There is enough room for all the extra cooling in the Polo, for sure,” Kölling added. The article later goes on to claim that because of platform sharing, the Polo R will have VW’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system.

However, that's not technically correct. Only MQB models have 4Motion; the Polo is MQB A0 (special platform for small cars) and has a solid rear axle. It would need a suspension rework, just like the Audi S1 got.

But we know that the quattro people want to put 300 HP in their next S1 as well, and this all lines u a little bit too perfectly. Kölling's biggest reveal was that high-powered Polo prototypes have already been put together for evaluation.

The real obstacle for this project is the Golf, as with AWD and an upgraded engine the Polo would become about as expensive as its bigger brother. We see a steady decline in GTI sales in favor of the R, as more and more hot hatch fans are going for the sportscar-like AWD launches.

But due to cost, there's no such pressure in the supermini market. In fact, some of the Polo's rivals might not even survive without downsizing or hybrid technology.

Our two cents: Don't get greedy Volkswagen, you have enough models already!
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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