Volkswagen - Polo

1994-99 2000-02 2002-05

The first modern Polo took VW's supermini range upmarket in the mid-1990s, and it was the best car in its class when launched. A tidy used example makes good sense if you value safety, quality and reliability.

	Reassuringly safe and strongly built
	Volkswagen badge lends status and assures reliability
	Quality cabin still looks and feels good
	Higher servicing costs than rivals
	1.0 engine isn't up to the job
	Rare saloons are difficult to resell

Polo goes on and on... so if you can't afford a recent example, an older hatchback makes sense. With one or two careful private owners and service history, it's hard to fault. Estates are roomy but rare.
VW's junior model has qualities that rivals can't match. It's small but just as good as Golf. The roomy cabin has tough high-quality upholstery, good seats and no rattles. Handling is confident though undemanding (look elsewhere for 'hot hatch' thrills).
Polo is fairly porky - it's all that steel and rustproofing - so the 1.0 and 1.3 have to work hard. They sound stressed and are no more economical than the 1.4 - the one to have. Diesels are workmanlike but offer 50mpg. All versions need power steering; they're hard work at low speeds otherwise.
Safety is good for the class, with an airbag on most cars, though ABS is rare apart from on 1.6 models.

Proven engines continue, adding a 75bhp 1.4, a punchy 1.4 TDI PD turbodiesel (also 75bhp, and giving 60mpg without effort), and a 125bhp 1.6 GTi. Conventional 1.9 SDi diesels lag behind the best that Renault and Citroen/Peugeot now offer.
Everything about this Polo suggests permanence, from its hard-wearing upholstery to the satisfying 'clunk' of the doors. It's an easy but not sporty drive - though the 1.4 16v and GTi have tauter suspension to offset the cornering roll to which the heavy body is prone.
Reliability, slow depreciation and enduring quality make it a choice for the head, not the heart.