2010 Volkswagen Polo Details

European sources indicate the 2010 Volkswagen Polo will be about the same overall size as the redesigned 2009 Honda Fit and thus a little larger than the fourth-gen­eration Polo it replaces. Models should comprise several flavors of 4-door hatchback. Two-door versions are possible as well, as is a 4-door sedan, if only for the States. Styling is said to embody the crisper new corporate look that will mark the redesigned 2010-2011 Rabbit and Jetta. Like so many other small cars--and every Polo to date--the U.S. version has front-wheel drive, a strut-type front suspension, and a simple "twist beam" rear axle. Standard features are expected to include ABS brakes, electric or electro-hydraulic power steering, front side airbags, and curtain side airbags. VW's ESP antiskid system and traction control may be standard with uplevel trim and will certainly be available. Ditto air conditioning. Options may include premium-class appointments like a navigation system, satellite radio, and sporty appearance and handling upgrades. The days of bare-bones small cars are long gone.

Volkswagen may bring the Polo to the U.S. for the 2010 model year. The fifth-generation European Polo is shown here

­The Polo has long offered a wide choice of powertrains. The current fourth-gen line lists small 3- ­and 4-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines with and without turbocharging that span horsepower ratings ranging from 64 in base models to 180 in the sporty top-line GTI version. Those outputs may seem modest, but they're more than sufficient for curb weights running around 2,500 pounds.
For various reasons, the U.S. would probably get only two or three engines. We'd guess the base mill will be a 1.4-liter 4-cylinder with direct gasoline injection and perhaps 110 horses, though this could be an option to a more-miserly 1.2- or 1.3-liter "triple" with around 85 or 90 horses. Another prospect is an ultra-frugal Polo "BlueMotion" with a 1.4-liter 3-cylinder turbodiesel that would make about 80 horsepower and could rate up to 60 mpg in EPA tests by some estimates. A U.S.-based magazine recently reported a budget-pleasing 46 mpg in real-world driving with a 2008 Polo BlueMotion, aided by a specially geared 5-speed manual transmission, narrow low-rolling-resistance tires, and subtle aerodynamic styling tweaks. Availability would depend on clearing the turbodiesel engine with U.S. emissions standards, but VW is now rolling out a larger U.S.-legal "TDI" option for the Jetta, so it can probably qualify the Polo diesel, too. Gasoline models would likely offer a 6-speed manual transmission or the new lower-cost 6-speed DSG automated-manual that's due to show up soon in other VWs.
Like Honda with the Fit, VW has decided that America is ready for a smaller, thriftier car than anything it currently offers. After all, the U.S. motoring landscape is rapidly coming to resemble that of Europe and many other lands where gas costs a small fortune and small cars are the mainstream norm. Assuming it's the right car at the right price, the Polo could go a long way toward helping VW reach its ambitious 2018 sales target. We'll be watching with interest
A Notable Feature of the 2010 Volkswagen Polo
VW is planning additional Polo models for Europe and other overseas markets, including an entry-level cloth-top convertible, a new version of the SUV-flavored CrossPolo wagon, and an extended mini-minivan. It's possible one or all of these could reach the U.S., perhaps by model-year 2012, if only to one-up the competition. The same goes for the sporty 2-door GTI hatchback. More significantly, VW is planning a "mild-hybrid" Polo that should be an interesting alternative to Honda's upcoming "dedicated" hybrid Insight hatchback and the gas/electric Fit expected around 2015, not to mention the sales-leading Toyota Prius. Like the Hondas, the Polo would not run on volts alone, but would include regenerative-braking battery charging and a fuel-saving engine stop/start system. VW recently teamed with Japan's Sanyo Electric to develop advanced lithium-ion (LI) batteries for hybrid VW vehicles, one of several such joint ventures. Production reportedly begins in 2009. The LI batteries will likely appear in the hybrid Polo despite their relatively high cost, but reports indicate that plug-in capability wouldn't be available until at least 2011.