A BETTER POLO PROPOSITION? (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_volkswagenpolo_2020

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 71

The sixth generation AW/BZ-generation Volkswagen Polo supermini, first launched in 2017, turned out to be cleverer, smarter, classier and certainly more charismatic and confident than its predecessor. But it faced tough competition and, prior to a mid-life facelift, the Wolfsburg marque updated the car in 2020, deleting some of the slow-selling engines and adding some value-added trim choices. It's that 2020-2021-era pre-facelift model we look at as a used buy here.

Modelsword count: 6

3dr/5dr Hatch (1.0 / 2.0 petrol)

Historyword count: 190

The sixth generation AW/BZ Polo design, launched late in 2017, was a very big deal for the brand - in more ways than one. For one thing, it was by far the largest Polo to date - far bigger for example, than earlier Golfs. For another, its sales significance remained huge for the Wolfsburg maker, given that almost 10% of all the cars the company had ever made had been Polos. This MK6 design faced intensified supermini segment competition, primarily from the 7th generation Ford Fiesta but also from contenders like SEAT's fifth generation Ibiza, car which shared this one's sophisticated Volkswagen Group MQB A0 architecture. That platform facilitated the increase in exterior dimensions we mentioned and provided for what was claimed to be a more sophisticated 'big car'-style driving experience. By 2020, in a bid to boost sales, Volkswagen dropped the slow-selling 60PS MPI base petrol engine, the diesel option and the 1.5-litre TSI petrol unit from the range. And introduced an extra 'United' trim level. Creating the car that sold until the full facelift for this design in late 2021. It's this 2020-2021-era model we look at here.

What You Getword count: 311

Volkswagen doesn't mess about too much with the fundamental aesthetics of its core models. Just as a Golf should always be recognisable as a Golf, so it is with the Polo. Yet within these constraints, it was also necessary to move the design of this car forward. Volkswagen said the styling of this 'AW/BZ'-series sixth generation version was more 'masculine' and - whisper it - even a little 'charismatic'. It was certainly bigger - about the same size as the fourth generation Golf that was sold by the brand until 2003. With the MK6 model, this five-door body style was the only one on offer, the three-door version having been consigned to history after a production run of 42 years. As soon as you get in, just as in a Golf, you'll sense all the hallmarks of a really well made car, with the same glass-fronted 8.0-inch 'Composition Media' infotainment touchscreen you'd find on Volkswagen's larger family hatch dominating the dash. In place of the somewhat old fashioned vertically-stacked dash of the previous Polo, a more horizontally-orientated design was based around a central fascia panel that positions all of the key controls on a higher plane that's more in your direct line of sight. And in the back? This sixth generation model's 92mm increase in total wheelbase helps here. Particularly impressive is shoulder room, though, as with rival superminis, that's not enough to make this bench in any way really suitable for the transport of three adults. And out back? Well, it's mostly all good news. Avoid entry-level trim and you'll get an adjustable-height floor that can be re-positioned at a lower level if you've taller loads to carry. In terms of overall boot size, we're talking 355-litres, which is a massive 75-litres more than the MK5 model and 63-litres larger than the trunk you get in a rival Ford Fiesta.

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