7 Things I Learned From Driving The New MkVI VW Polo

The new Active Info Display is a massive step up

We’ve been running a VW Golf GTI since May, and I’ve really not been getting on well with its ‘Active Info Display’. It replaces physical dials with a 12.3-inch screen, but it’s so limited in its functionality that you wonder what the point is. The Polo debuts a new version of the unit - housed in a slightly smaller screen here - and here it feels like the kind of system it should have been from the start.

This time, you can swap the dials for two information panels either side of the screen - which are able to display pretty much anything you’d like. Or you can make the panels/dials disappear entirely, giving a satisfying full screen view of the map (the speed appears as a numerical display at the bottom), vehicle status, radio stations and no doubt many other options we didn’t get a chance to try.

The graphics are crisp and easy on the eye, and the transitions between different screens/layouts are silky smooth. It’ll be optional on UK cars, although we don’t know how much it’ll cost just yet.

The Beats audio system is brilliant, but what’s with the stickers?

You’ve been able to get a Beats audio option on various VWs for a while now, but on the Polo, it’s morphed into a trim level in its own right. Opt for it, and as well as a 300-watt audio system from Beats, you get a bunch of Beats badges, Beats-branded kick plates, sportier seats, 16-inch alloy wheels and racing stripes on the bonnet and roof. Weirdly though, one of the two stripes is body-coloured, so you can’t actually see it until you’re pretty much on top of the car. The point of this? We’ve no idea, but you can “deselect” them when speccing your car up, if you (rightly) think it looks weird and a bit rubbish.

Thankfully though, the audio system is - unlike most of the Beats headphones I’ve tried - very good, giving a rich, full sound you won’t find in many other superminis. There is a hint of harshness in the top end though, so you may find yourself wanting to fiddle a little with the EQ.

It’s competent to drive, but not that exciting

There’s nothing wrong with the way the Polo drives. Far from it: the steering is light and fairly quick (with pretty much no feedback, but you probably saw that coming), and body roll is fairly well contained. It’s just that there’s nothing really exciting or fizzy about the way it makes progress, something not helped by the sweet-sounding but not particularly revvy three-pots. There is a drive mode selection option available, but we’re not sure we see the point - whatever you set it to, a sporty car the Polo is not.

We’re yet to drive them back-to-back, but the Seat Ibiza - the Polo’s ‘MQB AO’ cousin - seemed more up for being chucked around when we tried it earlier this year, should that be what you’re after. Alternatively, there is a GTI version coming in early 2018, packing a 197bhp inline-four and lashings of lovely tartan trim.

The 1.5-litre TSI should be the sweet spot of the range

During the Polo’s launch out in Hamburg, we had the chance to try out the 1.0-litre TSI inline-three in 74 and 113bhp forms (a 94bhp version will also be available), and the 94bhp 1.6-litre TDI. Both of the three-pots offer up more than enough poke for biffing about a city, although progress in the lower powered one is particularly laboured. The TDI is a tad more flexible thanks to a handy serving of low-down torque, but it makes a surprisingly conspicuous racket for a modern oil burner. Interestingly, just five per cent of buyers in the UK are expected to go for a TDI - because dieselgate, we assume.

The one that’s the most appealing on paper won’t be here for a few more months, however: the 1.5-litre TSI ‘Evo’. It didn’t fit well in the semi-sporty Seat Ibiza FR we tried earlier this year, but given the Polo’s more ‘relaxed’ disposition, it should be a much better match here. It’s smooth, quiet and refined, while offering up a useful 148bhp.

You won’t be wanting for space

The new Polo is - VW is strangely keen to admit - larger than a MkIV Golf in almost every way. Yep, it’s that big now, with its handsome - if not especially daring - body being 81mm longer than the MkV Polo (with a 91mm longer wheelbase) and 69mm wider, with no weight penalty. As a result it’s nicely roomy inside (headroom is up by 21mm), to the point where you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d just jumped in a Golf. You get a whole 79 litres of extra boot space to play with too, bringing the total to 351 litres.

It’s probably the waftiest supermini out there

As well as being bigger inside and festooned with tech, the new Polo is also remarkably well refined for a not-so-mini supermini. Noise levels are very low, the ride is incredibly smooth whether you go for the adaptive dampers or not, while everything inside feels solid and - for the most part - pretty plush. There are bits of the cabin that are a little more low rent; for instance, the tough plastic parts around the massive coloured dashboard trim piece (the latter being a feature we rather like), but it’s a nice space overall.

It’s as strong a choice as ever

The supermini market is a tough old world to exist in, but the new Polo does enough to shine through. The Vauxhall Corsa is a little too low-rent in comparison, the Renault Clio is getting a little too old, while the Hyundai i20 and Kia Rio are just a tad too dull. Oh, and there’s the Honda Jazz, but if you’re under the age of 55 that’s probably not a car you’ve considered buying.

The Polo feels more upmarket, more grown-up and has far more tech than those aforementioned rivals (along with Active Info Display, it has a massive array of safety systems like ‘City Emergency Braking’ and ‘Pedestrian Monitoring’, and much more besides). Its main threat comes in the form of the new Ford Fiesta, which has grown to a similar degree, and has also been laden with gadgets.

But it’s still not as advanced as the VW, nor does it have the same air of poshness about it. Then there’s the badge: if you place importance in such things, VW always trumps Ford.

It’s not the most thrilling machine and it’s certainly a car you’d choose with your head rather than your heart, but it’s just about the smartest choice you can make in this corner of the market.

As for me, I’m holding out for the GTI…