- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.0T, 3 cyl.
- Engine Power
85kW, 200Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 4.9L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2017)
2018 Volkswagen Polo Launch Edition long-termer: Introduction
Say hello to the newest and brightly-coloured addition to the CarAdvice long-term fleet: the 2018 Volkswagen Polo Launch Edition, with us for the next few months.
We'll cover the ins and outs of our experience with this car in upcoming instalments, but here we'll go over the specifics of the Launch Edition's setup and features.
Priced from $20,490 before on-road costs, our tester is optioned with Energetic Orange metallic paint ($500), Driver Assistance Package ($1400) and seven-speed DSG automatic transmission, bringing the as-tested ticket to $24,890 before on-road costs.
Under the bonnet is a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine developing 85kW of power at 5500rpm, and 200Nm of torque between 2000 and 3500rpm.
Drive is sent to the front wheels through the aforementioned seven-speed DSG self-shifter. Acceleration from 0–100km/h is listed at 9.5 seconds. (Should we test that claim? Can't imagine many buyers hanging out for evidence...)
Standard features from the current flagship variant include 16-inch alloy wheels, a wireless phone-charging pad, rear privacy glass, front fog-lights and tinted LED tail-lights.
That's on top of the 8.0-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear-view camera, leather steering wheel, tyre pressure monitoring, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, automatic headlights and wipers, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, and heated electric exterior mirrors offered by lower grades.
All Polo variants also come as standard with city-speed autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian protection and driver fatigue monitoring.
Our tester's optional Driver Assistance Package adds adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, power-folding exterior mirrors and a proactive occupant protection system.
Thanks to its increased dimensions over the previous model, the new-generation Polo offers a generous 351 litres of cargo volume behind the second row of seats, which not only betters most of the light car segment, but also several vehicles from the class above like the Mazda 3.
Fold that rear bench down, meanwhile, and the boot expands to a maximum 1125L – truly cavernous for a vehicle of this segment. Under the boot floor is a full-size steel spare wheel, which is becoming a rare inclusion in today's vehicle market.
Volkswagen Australia has registered 1974 units of the Polo hatch in 2018, made up of both the old and new models. The badge saw a high of 635 sales in March, while April dipped to 351, which the local arm attributes to the general new-model changeover and a trickling start to supply.
"Lots of demand afoot, but the good news is that we’ll soon be able to meet it," Volkswagen Australia communications chief Paul Pottinger told us today.
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Stay tuned over the coming months where we'll explore the Polo's comfort, drive experience, handling, infotainment and more.
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