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New Polo gets a boot
Posted: Tue May 20, 2003 2:44 pm
by ianvr
Posted: Tue May 20, 2003 3:13 pm
by des_pd_ tdi
Not sure I like it really, saloon derivatives are not as popular in the UK as they are in SA and the US. People prefer the practicality of a hatch and to be brutal the saloon 9N looks like a bit of a dog viewed side on.
If VW decide on a saloon from the outset take the Passat as a good example they can be very desirable cars, it's just a case of VW cost cutting again.
Posted: Wed May 21, 2003 5:35 am
by vwpower
Here In Guatemala have this sedan but I Dont like it. Is the same as the hatch but longer and more $$$$
And both have over here the same motor 1.6 8 v
Posted: Wed May 21, 2003 7:06 pm
by KarlM
Just to save people clicking on the link
Like the hatchback range, there are three engine choices, all driving the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. The most modest of these is a 1,4-litre four-potter good for 60 kW at 5 000 r/min and 127 Nm at 3 800 r/min. It offers plenty of pep, especially at sea level, with VW claiming a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 12,7 sec and a 170 km/h top speed.
For petrol fans, there are two 1,6-litre versions to choose from: a standard and a Comfortline derivative. Both have 74 kW and 140 Nm on tap, achieved at 5 500 r/min and 3 250 r/min respectively. The 0-100 km/h dash is despatched in a claimed 10,9 sec, while top speed comes to 184 km/h.
But the star of the show -- and also the flagship of the range -- is the Polo Classic 1.4 TDI, a close relative of the hatchback that currently holds the SA Car of the Year title. The three-cylinder mill produces 55 kW and a quite astounding 195 Nm of torque, translating into surprisingly satisfying performance.
Posted: Fri May 23, 2003 11:53 pm
by Babe RuthLess
The Polo Sedan would make sense as a replacement for the VW Fox in the USA. It may outsell the hatchback version in some markets, though not in Brazil where it's over £1000 more expensive.
But it does make a great taxi, as I found out last night
.
Posted: Sat May 24, 2003 11:16 pm
by KarlM
I'll have one providing VW put either the 1.8t or 2l engine in it. Then i'd go Euro style, dropped - smoothed - chromed
Posted: Sat May 24, 2003 11:36 pm
by Babe RuthLess
The Sedan is available with the 2-litre engine found in VW Golfs and Skoda Octavias.
1.8T seems out of the question for VW at the moment though.
Posted: Sat May 24, 2003 11:41 pm
by Speedlaw
Karl.carr wrote:I'll have one providing VW put either the 1.8t or 2l engine in it. Then i'd go Euro style, dropped - smoothed - chromed
Posted: Thu May 29, 2003 6:43 pm
by ciden
Well I went down to my local VW dealership today and what did I find there...the new Polo Sedan. They're only officially being launced on Monday, but the sales woman whom I bought my car from, sneaked me in to the security area. Guys I have to say, in the flesh the sedan isn't bad at all. The pics don't do it justice. Apparently tests were done, and it's claimed that the sedan is more quiet inside (because 1) of the smaller cabin and 2) the boot is totally separate from the cabin) and has a lower Cd (drag coefficient), because of the shape.
Posted: Thu May 29, 2003 10:22 pm
by Babe RuthLess
The Sedan does have improved sound treatment, but there are other improvements not listed by ciden that help make it quieter than the hatchbacks.
For one it was released in Brazil dec. 2002, or a year after the first 9n Polos were launched in Europe, so VW had time to solve a few of the early cars' rattles.
It also has hydraulic suspension mounts instead of the conventional ones (I think that's the translation for 'batentes hidráulicos' which I read in the tech bulletin) so that makes the suspension less crashy and noisy in less-than-perfect surfaces (like most you'd find in the Sedan's prime markets, Latin America and Africa).
So far I've only seen 'Highline' models which have soft and well-padded plastics. No rattles at all... Too bad any Sedan costs £1500.00 more than the equivalent hatchback.
But you DO get the lid for the dash-top space.
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2003 5:10 pm
by ciden
Went to the local dealership (again) today and just browsed around - I feel like the family already, anyways...there were 4 sedans (or Polo Classic's as they are known here) on the floor - two 1.4's and two 1.6 C/line's. Me being very curious started to open doors and see how things work. I noticed that none of them come fitted with the roof lights for the rear passangers. When I told a salesman about this, at first he was like "what??" and then he came up with poor excuses - anyways, seems the hatchbacks are more luxurious than the sedans
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2003 3:33 pm
by ciden
It's been just over 8 month since the Polo was released here...and a few weeks since the release of the Polo Sedan (Classic) here, and now there are more sedans in my town than hatchbacks. Interesting!
Mind you, it's not that bad looking...
Also saw a 2003 1.4TD
i @ the Volvo dealership during the week - I wonder what the guy traded it in on?
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2003 5:00 pm
by dxg
Actually, I agree - that looks quite good - perhaps a little too bora-ish in the rear screen side profile, but still nice. It must have been the strange colour of car in the early images.
Still wouldn't buy one, though.
Deek.
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2003 5:13 pm
by Babe RuthLess
You still see more hatchbacks than sedans in Brazil but I think that's because the sedan costs £1000 more...
All I can say is that the boot is HUGE and it's not that bad looking, especially in black.
Oh, an it's got that cubby box on the top of the dashboard...
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2003 8:06 pm
by Nelson_Wilbury
If it ever came to the UK i'd be the first on the waiting list (and I DO mean that
)