Photo: Volkswagen
Volkswagen finally has a hot hatch to match the best offering in the class, the Renault Clio RS 200, in the form of the all-new Polo R WRC. It is the most powerful Polo ever made, featuring a 220 hp version of VW’s 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol unit, which drives the front wheels via a six-cog manual box.
It propels the two-door hatch from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.4 seconds, before topping out at 241 km/h. Aside from the impressive power output for the class, the engine also makes a lot of torque - 350 Nm (258 lb-ft), which is available between 2,500 rpm and 4,400 rpm. With this high torque figure, the car is able to achieve excellent combined efficiency and emissions numbers, with a claimed 7.4 l/100 km (38 mpg) average, and CO2 emissions of 174 g/km.
However, the car is also slightly on the heavy side, with a weight of 1,324 kg, it will most likely still not be a match for the Clio in the twisty bits, as the French car definitely still has the edge of chassis tuning, outright mechanical grip and handling. The Polo R WRC will also feature lots of ‘R’ badges, 18-inch alloys which will hid massive 16-inch brake disks, as well as subtle body modifications.
Worth noting is the fact that VW admitted to building the car, albeit in a limited production run of 2,500 units, in order to aid with homologation of the Polo WRC rally car, and the actual rally car will bear a strong resemblance to its road-going counterpart.
Now, we have saved the worst for last - it costs €33,900, which is just outrageous and three times as much as the cheapest version of the regular Polo. This still leaves the much cheaper Clio at the top of its class, simply because it offers a much more honest proposition and you don`t walk out of the showroom with the feeling shortchanged by some men from Wolfsburg.
However, the car is also slightly on the heavy side, with a weight of 1,324 kg, it will most likely still not be a match for the Clio in the twisty bits, as the French car definitely still has the edge of chassis tuning, outright mechanical grip and handling. The Polo R WRC will also feature lots of ‘R’ badges, 18-inch alloys which will hid massive 16-inch brake disks, as well as subtle body modifications.
Worth noting is the fact that VW admitted to building the car, albeit in a limited production run of 2,500 units, in order to aid with homologation of the Polo WRC rally car, and the actual rally car will bear a strong resemblance to its road-going counterpart.
Now, we have saved the worst for last - it costs €33,900, which is just outrageous and three times as much as the cheapest version of the regular Polo. This still leaves the much cheaper Clio at the top of its class, simply because it offers a much more honest proposition and you don`t walk out of the showroom with the feeling shortchanged by some men from Wolfsburg.
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