The Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car (subcompact, B-segment in Europe) manufactured by Volkswagen. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, saloon, coupé and estate variants.
The Polo was first introduced in 1975, and as of 2011 has been produced over five generations with intermittent facelifts. Related Volkswagen Group models include the Škoda Fabia, SEAT Ibiza and Audi A1.
The Volkswagen Polo won the 2010 World Car of the Year.
As of 2009, there have been five separate generations of the Polo, usually identified by a “Series” or “Mark” number.
Some generations were facelifted mid way through production, with the updated versions known unofficially by an addition of the letter F to the mark number, e.g. Mark IIF. Some press and enthusiasts consider the facelifts to be separate models and hence have used the unofficial designations Polo Mark 1 to Mark 7 for previous generations. Each model of Polo is also identified by a two- or three-character Volkswagen Group Typ number. Official VW Polo history describes Mark I to Mark IV using either Roman numerals or Arabic numerals, with facelifted variants known as “Phase II” models.
The body style has been varied through the life of the car, originally as a hatchback which derived from the Audi 50. A saloon version was marketed as the Volkswagen Derby.
Volkswagen vehicles built off different platforms have carried the Polo name plate. For example the Volkswagen Polo Playa hatchback sold in Southern Africa in the late 1990s was a rebadged SEAT Ibiza which has a different body shell from the Mark III Polo sold in Europe at the same time. The current saloon is only available in China, Latin America and South Africa and other Southern Africa countries.
Performance versions and motorsport
Volkswagen helped consolidate the preeminence the so-called hot hatch genre of high-performance hatchbacks with their Golf GTI in 1975, and has produced a number of performance versions of the Polo. The first of these was the Polo GT version of the Mark 1F.
The Mark II and IIF were available as supercharged G40 models. The GT G40 with its 1.3-litre 85 kW (114 hp) could reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.1 s from standstill and had a maximum speed of 196 km/h (122 mph). It was used by Volkswagen to set a number of world endurance speed records, such as the 1.3-litre class records for speed over 24 hours and speed over a distance of 5,000 km (3,100 mi).
The fastest version of the Mark III on the UK market was the 16-valve h 74 kW (100 PS) model. A 88 kW (120 PS) Polo GTI model was also produced, but only in a limited edition in Germany, and this was the first time the GTI label had been used for a Polo. A GTI version of the Mark IIIF Polo, with a 92 kW (123 hp) 1.6-litre petrol engine was also produced.
In 2004 Volkswagen Individual, a specialist division of Volkswagen, produced a limited number of (Mark IV Polo) Club Sports with a 1.8T 132 kW (177 hp) engine. Available only in Germany, this was based on the one-make racing series Polo Cup Racer hatchback. The Club Sport came with a roll cage inside the vehicle and Recaro racing seats as standard.
A GTI version of the Polo Mark IVF was launched in 2006. This features styling similar to that of the contemporary Golf GTI and a turbocharged 20-valve 110 kW (150 bhp) 1.8-litre petrol engine. It has a 0–100 km/h time of 8.2 s and a top speed of 216 km/h (134 mph).
Volkswagen Individual have also engineered an even faster Polo called the Polo GTI Cup Edition. Available with the same 1.8T engine, albeit with 130 kW (180 bhp), its claimed 0–100 km/h is 7.5 s and it has a claimed top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph).
Volkswagen Racing in South Africa rallied a four-wheel drive Mark IVF Polo which shared some components with its sister World Rally Championship (WRC) Škoda Fabia; the S2000 has a 2.0 L 191 kW (256 hp) (260 bhp) engine.
Mark IV Polos have been entered into the Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC).
The Polo also competed in the Russian Touring Car Championship.
There have been a number of one make race series for the Polo, starting with the G40 Cup for Mark II and Mark IIF G40 versions. The current Polo Cup championship for 78 kW (105 bhp) cars is a support race at rounds of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. Comfort line 1.2 CC engine
Related models
The first Polo was effectively a rebadged version of the Audi 50 hatchback launched in August 1974.[2] The Audi 50 was discontinued in 1978 as Audi concentrated on larger luxury models. The Mark I and Mark II versions of the Polo were then standalone models in the Volkswagen range.
With the expansion of the Volkswagen Group, Audi (in the 1960s), SEAT (in the 1980s) and Škoda (in the 1990s) were acquired, and the platform used for the Polo was shared with other models.
The Mark III Polo shared its platform with the SEAT Ibiza Mark II. The Ibiza was actually launched before the Polo, and shared essentially all its mechanicals, the dashboard and other interior components, although there were no body panels shared between the two cars. The saloon and estate versions of the Mark III Polo were actually re-badged SEAT Córdoba models, and had no body panels in common with the Polo hatchback. The SEAT Inca and Volkswagen Caddy vans were also based on this model. The Volkswagen Lupo and SEAT Arosa were also based on a shortened version of the Mark III Polo platform.
The Mark IV Polo continued this trend of platform sharing, with the SEAT Ibiza Mark III and Škoda Fabia Marks I & II both being developed on the same platform and featuring several of the same engines.
The 2009 Mark V Polo is developed on the newest platform PQ25, the same platform used in the SEAT Ibiza Mark IV that was launched in 2008 and the Audi A1.
Bodystyles
Mark II Polo “Wagon” shape
The first Polos were hatchbacks, with the saloon being marketed as the Volkswagen Derby.
On the arrival of the Mark II model, the saloon was renamed the Volkswagen Polo Classic and the hatchback style was renamed as a coupé, the Volkswagen Polo Coupé. Unusually, the Polo that was marketed as a hatchback was closer in concept to an estate. This version was the most popular in virtually every country where the Polo was sold.
From the Mark III onwards, the range was more straightforwardly conventional, including unambiguous saloon, hatchback and estate models.
Body style summary
- 3-door hatchback (all versions) – the Mark II and Mark IIF were available in two separate 3-door hatchback styles, one of which was badged as a coupé
- 2-door saloon (Mark I, Mark IF, Mark II, Mark IIF)
- 4-door saloon (Mark III, Mark IIIF, Mark IV, Mark IVF, Mark V)
- 5-door hatchback (Mark III, Mark IIIF, Mark IV, Mark IVF, Mark V)
- 5-door estate (Mark III, Mark IIIF)
- 5-door crossover SUV-style (2WD) hatchback (Mark IV, Mark IVF, Mark V)
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