Volkswagen Polo Beats 1.0 Evo 2019 UK first drive

Open gallery Close by Simon Davis 6 June 2019 Follow @simondavisnz Share

What is it?

The Volkswagen Polo is a car we like here at Autocar. It might be quite a serious little thing, but it drives well, handles tidily and goes about the business of being a car with little in the way of fuss or bother. When we road tested the sixth-generation version of Wolfsburg’s supermini early last year, we didn’t like it quite enough to award it five stars, but four and a half isn’t a bad innings.

That car was the 1.0 TSI petrol model. It had a turbocharged 94bhp three-cylinder motor under its bonnet, driving the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. It wasn’t quick, but neither were its rivals, and its 129lb ft meant it felt strong by the standards of the class. Flexible, too. It earned its keep, in other words.

This particular Polo is that car’s little brother, and it replaces the 1.0 TSI with a 1.0 Evo engine. It’s still a three-cylinder unit, only it doesn’t benefit from any form of forced induction, so you’ll have to make do with 79bhp and 68lb ft – the latter arriving at 3750rpm. Even by the standards of the wider supermini class, that seems a touch, well, underwhelming. It’s available in both SE trim and our Beats-specification test model, and it’s £715 cheaper than the 94bhp equivalent.

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Elsewhere, though, it’s business as usual. It still has a five-speed manual ’box, driving the front wheels. MacPherson struts still make up the Polo’s front suspension, and a torsion beam continues to be employed at the rear. In £16,795 Beats specification, the Polo’s cabin still feels a cut above the rest of the class in terms of premium appeal, and it’ll still seat two adults in reasonable comfort in the second row. You’ll have to pay an extra £675 if you want the snazzy Discover Navigation system that was fitted to our test car, and climate control is also optional, at £415.

What’s it like?

Putting the engine firmly to one side, there’s not much about the manner in which this Polo goes down the road that’ll upset. At the same time, there’s not much to really inspire, either. Dynamically, it’s a bit beige; it changes direction with respectable conviction and grips tenaciously enough when you tip it into a bend. Body roll arrives in a controlled and progressive fashion, too. But that eager sense of fun and enthusiasm you get from a Ford Fiesta or a Mini 3dr is conspicuous by its absence.

Next to those more adjustable, spry-handling superminis, the Polo isn’t particularly willing to bring its rear end into play with a lift of the accelerator. And its steering – though nicely weighted once you wind on a good amount of lock – doesn’t paint much of a picture as to the relationship between tyre and road. You never get the sense the Polo is a car that enjoys being thrown about. It’ll deal with being thrown about just fine, sure, but you feel as though it’s rolling its eyes at you when you do, like a disinterested teenager might. Those after a car to simply get them from A to B with as little fuss as possible will probably quite like the Polo for this. Others might not. For what it’s worth, I find the Polo’s handling difficult to get excited about.

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Its ride is as impressive as ever, though. It retains the same rubber-footed, cosseting demeanour common to all Polos this side of the hotter GTI (and even that rides in an impressively civilised manner). It still suffers from some of the shuddering that affects all cars with shorter wheelbases, but generally it does well to sand down the edges of all but the sharpest intrusions – both at town speeds and on the open road. It’d certainly be easier to live with than a Mini, but the Mini – even with its far firmer ride – would be more fun. So would a Fiesta.

So how about that engine, then? For town duties, it’s fine. Its torque may not be quite as accessible as that of its turbocharged brethren, but you don’t have to rev it to death to avoid stalling. The gearshift is light and accurate enough, and while the pedals are positioned slightly too high relative to your driving position, they’re suitably weighted and spaced sensibly.

It’s not quick, though. Put your foot down and nothing much really happens until you’re well above 3000rpm. That’s not so much of an issue in an urban environment, but it can be frustrating on the open road. Taking on an incline in top gear can see the speedo needle begin to retreat back down the dial. Overtaking requires numerous downshifts and plenty of clear road ahead, too. It seems that by losing that turbocharger, the 1.0 Evo engine has lost a good deal of the tractability that made the 94bhp 1.0 TSI powerplant so appealing.