Today myself, The Car Spotter, had the honour of driving my first 15 registration plate car since the new registration plate came out at the beginning of March. It was given to me by a local VW dealership for the day.
Having less than 100 miles on the clock, the little red VW Polo hatchback still featured the lovely “new car smell” and had plastic wrapping underneath the floor mats.
Front quarter shot of the VW Polo Bluemotion
Exterior view of the red VW Polo Bluemotion
Front view of the VW Polo Bluemotion
Rear quarter shot of the VW Polo Bluemotion
Rear exterior shot of the VW Polo Bluemotion
Specification of the Volkswagen Polo included red exterior paint and 5 doors. The 5-speed manual gearbox is paired with a 999cc 1.0 litre TSI 3 cylinder petrol engine producing 95PS or 93.7BHP.
The VW Polo Se Bluemotion is by no means quick to accelerate from 0-60mph, having a reported 0-60 time of 10.5 seconds. After giving the car a quick blast from 0-30mph I can vouch this seems correct. Still, not bad for a 999cc 3-cylinder engine; it certainly felt like it could be a larger 1.2 litre engine at the time.
The top speed of the VW Polo is given as 119mph or 192kmh. Unfortunately I was not in a position to test this figure and didn’t drive it outside of 40mph speed limit zones.
Crucially, the VW Polo Se Bluemotion has a CO2 emissions figure of 94g/km which means it falls below the 100g/km threshold at which the first band of car tax applies. The combined MPG of the car is 69 which is good for a small engine, low emission car, although there are other hatchbacks which boast better figures. These are generally diesel and hybrid engines, however. The VW Polo is approved by NGC as one of the greenest Supermini cars.
This VW Polo Se Bluemotion will set you back approximately £14,730 including registration and delivery if you are to buy one outright.
In comparison this is approximately the same as the 1.4 diesel Polo variant. The 5 speed 1.4 TDI VW Polo however achieves a combined 83mpg and carbon emissions of 88g/km. This surpasses the petrol Polo Se Bluemotion in both areas. There is a slight trade off however, as the 1.4 TDI Polo has less power with 75PS or 74BHP and takes 12.9 seconds to complete 0-60mph with a top speed of just 108mph or 174kmh.
Fuel tank capacity for the VW Polo Bluemotion is 45 litres, meaning it will cost approximately £48.15 to fill up using the UK average petrol price of £1.07 as an estimate.
Inside, the VW Polo Se Bluemotion was a comfortable place to be. I was a particular fan of the entertainment system and auxiliary connection options. Two cup holders are present in front of the auxiliary connections and 12V socket in addition to bottle-shaped recesses in the door cards.
The nifty digitial entertainment system displaying the album cover artwork
Less than 100 miles on the 15 plate VW Polo
Auxiliary inputs and dual cup holders
VW Polo Se Bluemotion steering wheel and dials
Upon connecting my iPhone via the USB charger lead, full details of the current song were displayed alongside the album cover in full colour, a nice touch I thought. I also noted the digital radio displayed similar artwork covers for each station.
Steering wheel controls and buttons made it an easy process to increase and decrease the volume and select the next track.
The 5-speed gearbox was a pleasure being brand new, the gears seamlessly slotted into place. Although I was unable to test the vehicle at motorway speeds, I personally enjoy having a 6th gear for the motorway as 5 seems too few. Being able to place the car in 6th gear feels much better but this may be down to habit. The 5-speed gearbox must be just as efficient or else I’m sure Volkswagen would feature the extra gear if it was necessary.
My journey featured a couple of very tight corners, and I noticed the little VW Polo had a great turning circle, making it very agile and easy to manoeuvre.
Although they were unused during my time with the VW Polo Se Bluemotion, I noted the rear passenger space seemed as good as any 5-door hatchback, the subtle patterned seats are a simple yet effective design. A single cup holder features in the centre console between the rear passengers and the front two passengers, behind the handbrake.
Steering column and dashboard of the Polo Bluemotion
Front seats and interior of the VW Polo Bluemotion
Rear passenger space in the VW Polo Bluemotion
Boot space appeared to be sufficient, with a hinged shelf splitting the boot into two sections providing a total of 280 litres of usable space in total. This is increased to 952 litres when the rear seats are folded down.
Boot space in the Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion
I am always impressed with the VW badge doubling as the boot opening mechanism, I think it is a really quirky feature that keeps the boot panel smooth and uncluttered.
VW badge boot open trick touch
Specification
Volkswagen Polo Se Bluemotion
0-60mph: 10.5 seconds
Top Speed: 119mph+ (192km/h+)
Bhp: 94
Torque: 118 Nm (87 lb-ft)
Engine: 1.0L TSI 3 cylinder
Transmission: Five-speed manual FWD
Weight: 1,560kg
Price: £14,730
I hope you enjoyed The Car Spotter’s review of the VW Polo 1.0 Se Bluemotion and enjoy my future blog posts across many various topics.
What are your thoughts on the VW Polo 1.0 Se Bluemotion? Did you enjoy the review?
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