8 minute read
Motoring
CAROLINE GETS MOTORING
Bunclody native Caroline Kidd brings us reviews of the latest new cars to arrive in Ireland. Caroline is the founder and editor of the online automotive magazine Changing Lanes and a jury member for Irish Car of the Year. Find out more about her editorial and commercial copywriting services at www.changinglanes.ie
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VOLKSWAGEN POLO
The Volkswagen Polo is one of Ireland’s favourite small cars and has been for many years. Sales of small hatchbacks like the Polo have been in decline as customers switch to more fashionable SUVs and crossovers. But the humble hatch still has a lot to offer buyers. Now Volkswagen has streamlined the Polo line-up in Ireland, which coincides with an update for the classic small hatchback that sees even more sophisticated style and high-tech equipment as standard than ever before.
The latest Volkswagen Polo goes on sale priced from €23,840 and is powered by a simple 1.0-litre petrol engine. It’s one of the classiest small cars you can buy with handsome but understated style. Over the years it has grown in size, to a point where it's roomy enough inside now to function as a small family car.
In Ireland, the Polo range is very simple. There's the Polo Life priced from €23,840, the Polo Style from €26,995 and the Polo R-Line from €25,840. All cars come with a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine with 95hp. Automatic versions are available for about €2,000 more.
The styling updates have been very successful with a more mature looking front end. LED headlights are now standard across the range and some versions get more advanced matrix LED units.
Volkswagen Polo At the back, there's a new set of lights with a more horizontal design that add width and elegance to the Polo's road presence. Wheel sizes vary from 15- to 16-inch, with the option of a 17-inch set.
The R-Line model on test is the sportiest of the bunch with standard kit including 16-inch ‘Valencia’ alloy wheels, sportier bumpers, roof spoiler and gloss black trim.
The Polo has one of the best cabins you will find in a small car. It's solidly built and reassuringly simple in its design. Yet all the modern features are here - a full digital instrument panel and touchscreen with Apple Car Play and Android Auto as standard. Entry level Life models make do with a 6.5-inch touchscreen, but Style
and R-line versions get a more impressive 8-inch unit. Some small car interiors like the Renault Clio and Peugeot 208 feel a little more glamourous, but the Polo interior is a sound and comfortable place to spend time in. Other standard features include air conditioning, leather wrapped steering wheel, forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking. The Style trim adds a reversing camera and adaptive cruise control. Rline versions have a slightly sportier ambience with sports seats, black roof liner, and stainless steel pedals. It feels really roomy inside too, with one of the largest cabins in the segment. It's comfortable in the back for passengers with plenty of headroom and large footwells. It definitely feels more spacious than a Peugeot 208 or a Toyota Yaris. The rear doors open wide and there are Isofix child seat fixtures on the two outer seats. The Polo also has one of the largest boots in the class at 351 litres, with practical features like a two-position floor and a spare wheel. On the road, the Polo drives pretty much the same as it looks. It's a solid and gearbox has to be worked at times to keep the engine in its sweet spot, but it settles down well to a cruise on the motorway, so you won't actually miss a sixth gear. It’s also efficient by class standards.
The Volkswagen Polo is an easy car to recommend. These days it's never looked better, with smart styling that looks good just about everywhere. The Polo is easily one of the most upmarket small cars on the market in Ireland, with a classy cabin that's comfortable and well-equipped. What's most impressive is the space and practicality the Polo offers inside, making it very good value indeed. On the road it's comfortable and refined. Overall, the Polo is a great all-rounder and a smart choice of small car.
Model tested: Volkswagen Polo R-Line Price: €25,840 Engine: 1.0-litre petrol Power: 95hp Torque: 175Nm Top speed: 187 km/h Acceleration (0-100 km/h): 10.8 seconds Motor Tax: €190 per year n
Interior
steady drive, offering plenty of comfort for those on board and impressive refinement on the move - even on the motorway. It's not the most fun to drive small car with the steering being a little on the light side for that. But it's perfectly agreeable with a robust quality that sees it move effortlessly from town to motorway and rural roads.
When it comes to power, there's just a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine with 95hp available. But it's actually an ideal engine for the Polo and feels lively enough, whether in town or on the motorway. A five-speed manual gearbox comes as standard but there is the option of a 7speed automatic. The five-speed manual
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Joe Rayfus, Chairman of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI); Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres Ireland; Kim Kilduff, Marketing Director Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Ireland; and Alan Bateson, Brand Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Ireland.
Volkswagen ID. Buzz takes Irish Car of the Year title for 2023 and a double-take for Volkswagen as ID. Buzz Cargo wins Irish Van of the Year 2023 award at the same event.
This is an electric hat-trick as it’s the third consecutive Irish Car of the Year title for an electric vehicle (EV), confirming the move towards EVs in Ireland. The Volkswagen ID. Buzz was named as the 2023 Irish Car of the Year by the Members of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI), the grouping that brings together some 32 of Ireland’s most experienced motoring journalists, who hosted the awards event at the Westin Hotel in Dublin on 11th November 2022 in association with Continental Tyres, and attended by Ireland’s leading car brands, importers and distributors. The awards are voted on by the members of the MMAI who individually assess each new car model that is launched in Ireland each year. Volkswagen took the top award with its latest all electric ID. Buzz model and, the van version, the ID. Buzz Cargo, won the Irish Van of the Year title at the same ceremony, a first in the history of the awards. It is the third time that an electric vehicle has taken the award as Kia EVs also won the 2022 and 2020 Irish Car of the Year titles with the all electric EV6 and e-Soul respectively. Chairman of the MMAI, Joe Rayfus: “The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is a really worthy winner of the Irish Car of the Year title, it is a truly stand-out vehicle. As the third electric vehicle to win the title, it really does confirm the onward march in Ireland towards an electric motoring future. Just look at our field of runners for this year’s awards, more than half of the contenders are available as either partial or full electric vehicles”. Tom Dennigan of awards sponsor, Continental Tyres, said: “After the Covid disruption that impacted on the Irish Car of Year awards over the past couple of years, we are delighted to be back with these awards for 2023. The MMAI jurors provide a great service to Irish motorists in providing a really helpful insight into the broad range of increasingly sophisticated car models that are launched here each year. No doubt, the Irish Car and Irish Van of the Year titles will be a huge boost to the popularity of the ID. Buzz in the new vehicle market in January and throughout 2023.” The all electric ID. Buzz uses the same 77kWh battery as the Volkswagen ID.4 and delivers a 420km range from a single charge. The Irish Car of the year category winners:
1. Irish Small Car of the Year: Fiat 500e 2. Irish Compact Car of the Year: Opel
Astra 3. Irish Compact Executive Car of the
Year: Mercedes-Benz C-Class 4. Irish Compact Crossover / SUV of the Year: Kia Niro 5. Irish Medium Crossover / SUV of the
Year: Kia Sportage 6. Irish Large Crossover / SUV of the
Year: Citroen C5X 7. Irish MPV of the Year: Volkswagen
ID. Buzz 8. Irish Luxury Car of the Year: Mercedes-Benz EQS 9. Irish Large Executive Car of the Year:
Mercedes-Benz EQE 10.Irish Performance Car of the Year:
BMW i4 M50. n
