VW’s latest Polo arrives in Singapore
Volkswagen Singapore is offering the Polo in two versions – the Comfortline and the Beats. Both come with a petrol engine with 115 PS of power and 200 Nm of torque. Fitted with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox (DSG) as standard, the Polo accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 9.5 seconds.
The Volkswagen Polo, with over 14 million units sold worldwide, is a giant among small cars. Now, it has been completely redeveloped on the modular tranverse matrix (MQB) platform. In this sixth generation, the Polo has an entirely new exterior design, as well as a noticeably more spacious interior that has been reworked down to the finest detail. With its larger dimensions and improved features, the Polo brings the future to the compact class – no other car offers so much for its size.
Production
The Polo is manufactured at the Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) plant in Uitenhage. Uitenhage is an industrial town which lies almost 500 miles east of Cape Town and more than 600 miles south of Johannesburg. Just over half (294,713 m²) of the plant’s 520 963 m² area consist of production facilities.
EXTERIOR DESIGN
The sixth generation Polo has become a more ‘masculine’ car, with a charismatic appearance courtesy of its expressive new design.
The new car’s roof line is longer and more elegant, and transitions into a roof spoiler at the rear. A fine line on the side body runs parallel to the roof line, visually lowering the centre of gravity.
Key detailing includes the new Volkswagen Polo’s long line of side windows – indeed it is the only Volkswagen to have a window line that terminates in a rise at both front and rear. The C-pillar in particular, is now designed to reach forward more and is precisely sculpted, making the car dynamic and appearing to lunge forward, even when stationary.
Emerging from the straight line of the window shoulder is another line that runs towards the front and into the headlights, making the Polo appear significantly longer than before. Other new and important design features follow beneath this.
An arrow-shaped double line, which is known as the ‘tornado line’, is a new design feature defining the Polo. The surface of this three-dimensional tornado line is – in the style of a shoulder section – slightly flared, and it finishes with a sharp downward undercut. The upper of these two double lines starts in the C-pillar and visually shoots forward into the front wings. The second, lower line, on the other hand, forms the undercut. It develops from the 3D graphic of the tail lights and also extends forward into the front wings, where it rises slightly, meeting the upper line.
Front view
The front end of the new Volkswagen Polo is designed to be much more emotionally engaging, dominant and sportier than previously. The headlights, now available with LED technology, together with the radiator grille form the new ‘face’ of the car.
The bumper has also been completely redesigned. The large glass surfaces of the fog lights and turn signal lights are eye-catching from the side, and end outwards in three-dimensionally contoured corners. Between them there are two air intakes: a V-shaped one in the middle, and a narrow second intake that extends across the entire width.
Rear view
The Polo’s rear bodywork is clean and very well-balanced. Like the sides and front end it is now even more precise and sharp. A broad ‘shoulder’ section and new trapezoidal-shaped tail lights (optionally available as LED clusters) are among the highlights. Meanwhile a horizontal line beneath the tail lights now flows into the bumper and also underscores the Polo’s width, while a new diffuser is integrated into the bumper.
INTERIOR DESIGN
A new dashboard and cockpit layout makes its way into Volkswagen’s compact models via the sixth generation Polo.
The brand’s designers have made revolutionary, rather than evolutionary, changes here. The focus is firmly on the dramatic growth in the digitalisation of displays and controls, and on connectivity.
The interior team started with the proverbial blank slate, departing entirely from the vertically-oriented dashboard layout of the previous model and developing a bold new horizontal architecture.
Designers took the ‘form follows function’ motto into the new, digitalised, world to create a clear and intuitive interaction between the new Active Info Display and the infotainment systems.
The new dashboard architecture locates the infotainment system much higher than before so that it is in the driver’s direct line of sight. In order for this to happen, and for its display to visually merge with the car’s instruments, the middle air vents have migrated downward.
The result is one visual and control axis with all key control modules – except for the air conditioning unit – integrated on the upper cross-panel of the dashboard. This cross-panel is continued up to the front doors and can be trimmed with various colours, depending on selected options.
The outer air vents are integrated on the far left and right, while located in the middle of the high-gloss black ‘island’ is the infotainment system screen. The only additional button in this area is the hazard warning light switch.
The simple aim is to create a coherent digital cockpit, which works particularly well when the new Active Info Display is specified.
Arranged on the next level down are the air conditioning functions in the middle of the dash, and the lighting functions on the driver’s side. The horizontal dashboard is also slightly angled towards the driver in the middle. Similarly, the centre console with the gear shift grip and the buttons for the various car handling functions are also oriented towards the driver.
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