2018 VW Polo 1.0 TSI Review & Test Drive – Video

It’s as if the Mk7.5 spawned a Mini-Me. Not all of the angles are exactly correct, and what’s not obvious from the pictures is the sharply creased side detailing, which really stands out in the metal – but from the front in particular it’s nearly a dead ringer.

Open the door, however, and on the inside it’s like someone finally gave the interior designers access to the coloured crayons. Gone is the stark, black cabin of every previous Polo generation – in its place a modern, sleek dashboard design with heavily integrated touchscreens a-go-go and 13 different ‘dashpad’ hues to choose from.

At launch, though, there are no less than four 1.0-litre petrol options (two non-turbo MPI units with 64 or 74bhp, plus two turbocharged TSIs offering 94 or 113hp), plus the 148bhp 1.5-litre TSI Evo with ACT cylinder deactivation tech from the latest Golf. A 197bhp 2.0-litre TSI powers the new Polo GTI.

 

 

You get a five-speed manual gearbox as standard on the low-power engines, a six-speeder on the others – with a seven-speed DSG optional from 94bhp upwards. It probably goes without saying that the Polo is still front-wheel drive.