WHAT a great time to be driving small cars. The standard has shot through the roof with new models right on the money.
In the last month I have driven the latest Citroen C3 and Fiat Punto Evo superminis and they have been fantastic.
Car companies have read the market perfectly realising the credit crunch and crucifying tax bills on company cars is forcing people to downsize.
The result is better quality superminis with the sort of luxury kit normally reserved for executive models.
Completing a trio of fab tiddlers is the new Volkswagen Polo, still basking in European Car of the Year glory and you can see why. Polo is good looking (at last), roomy, safe and, of course, well built.
VW’s second best selling car behind the Golf has been around for 35 years and has also played second fiddle to the champ, particularly with its dull look. But this time design boss Walter de Silva, the man who has sexed up Seats, has put his foot down and Polo gets the new family face, and it works best on the Polo.
Like every other Polo the new model has grown in size and is now a bigger car than the orginal Golf. It is longer and wider, but significantly the height has been lowered and with the new thinner grille has taken away the stodgy looks of old.
So de Silva has sorted out the body, but has he been able to exert the same influence over the cabin? Afraid not. VW’s byword for dashboards is simplicity and while there is nothing to excite - it’s a mass of black plastic - how can you knock something that is perfectly laid out.
If you set out to design an easy to use dashboard, here is your template. Spend a bit extra and there is VW’s super touch screen radio where favourite AM and FM stations can be stored together. But it is not perfect because the symbols on the heating control dials are just not clear enough.
New Polo could easily have been called Golf Junior because it is closer than ever to bigger brother. As Golf has grown so has Polo and that is going to appeal to families looking for every millimetre of cabin space. The car feels bigger than a supermini and is generous everywhere, even for back seat passengers.
The boot isn’t the biggest in its class but is impressive and has the option of two levels with a decent area covered for extra security.
It is often said too many car companies follow the Germans with a firm ride. That tradition lives on in Polo although improvements in suspension technology gives the VW a slightly more supple ride but it certainly can’t match the smoothness of the new Citroen C3.
Likewise the seats, always too firm for my liking but at least VW sticks with a wheel adjustment for the backrest so the movement can be precise.
Five new engines kick off the range, three petrol and two diesel and it was a new oil burner powering my test car. The common rail 1.6 litre has 74 or 89hp and both are geared to economy and low emissions.
My 74hp engine picked up at incredibly low revs but that pick-up will not excite anyone. Refinement will because noise levels have been significantly reduced and unlike the Fiat Punto diesel I drove recently the Polo does not crave a sixth gear.
Gearbox was a bit of a moot point on my Polo. I expected slick and got sticky and grated second to third too many times.
There is no doubt VW has pulled out all the stops with the new model. For too long Polo has lived in the shadow of the Golf but with here it is all but on a par.
FACTFILE: Polo SE 5dr
Volkswagen Polo
Engine: 1.6 TDI; 74hp
Performance: 0-62mph 13.9secs; 106mph
Economy: 65.7mpg combined
Emissions: 112g/km. VED £35
Insurance group 10
Price: £13,875 (starts £9,910)