Volkswagen is far from done with its renewed family of Polo superminis (or sub-compacts for North American readers), as at the Geneva Auto Show, it will debut the new Polo TSI BlueMotion, TDI BlueMotion, BlueGT and CrossPolo, plus the R-Line packages alongside the already announced regular models of the series.
We’ll begin with the CrossPolo, VW’s small faux off-roader that benefits from some extremely light visual tweaks, including the smoked rear light clusters, new 17-inch wheels, two fresh body colors, different silver exterior accents, a newly designed steering wheel as well as gear and parking brake lever, new interior fabrics and well, that’s about it.
In Germany, the CrossPolo can be ordered with a choice of two TDI diesels and from this autumn, a turbocharged TSI petrol engine too, all of which conform to the EU-6 emission standard.
While in the UK, VW is replacing the previous diesel-engine Polo BlueMotion with a petrol-fueled 89hp (90PS) 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder TSI model that has a combined fuel consumption of 4.1 l/100 km (equal to 57.4mpg US or 68.9 mpg UK), elsewhere, it will also offer a Polo BlueMotion TDI.
The latter employs a new 74hp (75PS) 1.4-liter three-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that helps improve fuel economy by 0.2l/100km to 3.1l/100km (75.8mpg US or 91.1mpg UK), with the car’s 45-liter (11.9 gallons US) tank promising an impressive autonomy of 1,400km (870 miles). Both BlueMotion models feature aerodynamic improvements and low rolling resistance tires.
Also joining the range is the new and sportier Polo BlueGT that gains 10hp from the tweaked 1.4-liter turbocharged four-pot petrol engine with cylinder deactivation that now delivers 148hp (150PS) and 250Nm of torque, connected to either a standard 6-speed manual or an optional 7-speed dual clutch transmission. With the former, the BlueGT has a combined fuel consumption of 4.8l/100km (49mpg US or 58.9mpg UK). The BlueGT gets the same light cosmetic updates as the rest of the Polo range along with a lowered suspension and a sports kit.
The final news from the Polo family is the addition of new R-Line packages for both the exterior, with different bumpers, 16- or 17-inch wheels, spoilers, bespoke grille and accents, and the interior that is spiced up with different seat fabrics, a sports steering wheel, black headliner, door sill plates and unique trims.
By John Halas
PHOTO GALLERY
