25 Years of The Polo

Volkswagen is currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Polo, of which 6.5 million have been built during the course of three vehicle generations. For a quarter of a century the Polo has been Volkswagen's smallest car, but that does not mean that it has taken second place to its bigger water cooled brothers, the Golf and Passat. The Polo has always shared the VW reputation for quality and reliability.

The First Polo - 1975

The Audi 50

The first Polo was introduced to the public in Hanover in 1975: a car with sufficient room for four adults, a large tailgate, modern front-wheel drive and excellent safety features. The design of the small Volkswagen was based on the Audi 50 - a fact that is obvious from the picture opposite. Whereas the Audi model had a very high specification, the Polo was content with a more simple budget equipment level. This made it an attractive entry-level vehicle to the Volkswagen brand.

The major design features of the car reflected state-of-the-art technology. In particular the running gear: the front was fitted with strut suspension with track-stabilising negative steering roll radius, at the rear an ingeniously simple track stabilising torsion beam axle. This was complemented by the four-cylinder / 40 bhp water cooled engine transversely mounted in the front which gave the Polo a top speed of 132 km/h.

The Mk1 Polo

The real bestseller was the comparatively luxurious Polo L. This model was fitted with the same engine but cost more for a better equipment level. As the days of the very basic small car became numbered, Volkswagen reacted in 1976 with the introduction of 50 bhp 1.1-litre four-cylinder engine.

In 1977 the notchback saloon version, the Derby, was introduced in response to European demand for a small saloon car. The heavier Derby with its huge boot (515 litres) was part of the reason for increasing the engine size of the Polo. Both the Polo and the Derby could now be ordered with a 1.3-litre / 60 bhp engine.

The Second Generation - the Polo from 1981

The next Polo generation was introduced to the public in 1981 on the island of Sardinia, shortly before the autoshow in Frankfurt. The model kept its proven and re-worked running gear, but was given a completely new body which was more resistant to rusting (like the Golf II) thanks to bonded panel seams, and whose design enabled it to break away from associations with Audi design. The Polo now looked more like a small estate car with a terse, squareback tail and a large luggage compartment. With the rear backrest folded down, the capacity of the luggage compartment could be increased from 265 to 1,000 litres ; the largest boot in its class.

The Polo MkII

Thanks to its optimised combustion chamber geometry, the 40 bhp engine now had an improved torque curve and thus better pulling power. In addition, the Polo was still available with 50 and 60 bhp engines. A particularly interesting model of its time was the Polo Formel E, which stood for economy. The car had high compression 1.1-litre 50 bhp engine which delivered more torque at lower engine speeds. In contrast to the standard Polo, the fourth gear had a higher gear ratio to reduce fuel consumption by reducing the engine speed.

In 1982 the Polo Coupe was launched. This sporty model was initially available with 50 bhp 60 bhp engines. At a later date the Coupe was available with a new 1.3-litre /

75 bhp engine, thanks to its two-stage carburettor. 1986 saw the launch of the Coupe GT G40 with a top speed of almost 200 km/h, with a 115 bhp supercharged engine.

The Polo Fox proved a bestseller from 1984. The new entry-level version with its bold colours became so popular that it remained in the line-up for many years. It was powered by the new 45 bhp engine. The price, just DM 11,490, was DM 1,000 below the price of the standard Polo C.

Similar success was enjoyed by the 1986 Polo with a 45 bhp diesel engine and a five-speed gearbox. The light-weight vehicle developed a lively temperament and a top speed of over 140 km/h. Its average fuel consumption was a frugal 6.0 litres per 100 kilometres.

The cars of the 80s became more economical, and environment-friendly with catalytic converters helping achieve lower exhaust emissions. Injection engines allowed the real breakthrough in emission control to take place. In 1988 the Polo 1.3 was fitted with an injection engine and a more advanced closed-loop catalytic converter. By 1990 all Polo petrol engines had advanced catalytic converters.

1990 also saw the lineup upgraded. The petrol engines now had an output of 45 bhp, 55 bhp, 75 bhp and 113 bhp, and the diesel engine 48 bhp. The more powerful versions were fitted with a five-speed gearbox as standard. Larger bumpers gave the silhouette a new look, large square headlights improved the light efficiency, green heat-reflective glass improved comfort and the first airbags improved passive safety.

The third generation - the Polo from 1994

In 1994 Volkswagen presented a fundamentally new Polo in Paris. The little Polo, now available for the first time as a four-door car, had developed into a bigger car. This move set a trend: small cars started to grow in size, offer more comfort and safety. Its new body stiffness and crash worthiness also set new standards.

1994 Polo MkIII Model

The new Polo was a little shorter on the outside than its predecessor - but its interior dimensions had become longer, taller and wider. The interior of the new Polo was more spacious and more comfortable.

In addition to the two well-known engines with 45 bhp and 55 bhp, the Polo was now also available with a 75 bhp 1.6-litre engine. The engine line-up was shortly complemented by a whopping 1.9-litre naturally aspirated diesel engine with a power output of 64 bhp.

The Polo Classic was introduced as the new notchback saloon to complete the Polo line-up in August 1995. A 1.4-litre alloy engine with a power output of 60 bhp replaced the 1.3 litre engine. The 1.6 litre engine borrowed from the Golf was initially retained, but it was joined by the 1.6-litre alloy engine with two-path intake manifold and a power output of 100 bhp. In 1996, the 1.1-litre engine was replaced by a new 1.0-litre alloy engine with 50 bhp. At the same time a second version of the 1.4-litre alloy engine was introduced with 100 bhp.

MkIII Polo GTi

Diesel engine had been limited a 1.9-litre 64 bhp ignition. At the end of 1996, the more frugal 1.7-litre naturally aspirated diesel engine SDI with 60 bhp was introduced, with a top speed of 160 km/h. This made the Polo the first genuine 5-litre car (average fuel consumption of 5 litres per 100 kilometres.

In 1997, the Polo estate was introduced to the market. With the rear seats folded down, it had a luggage capacity of 1,260 litres. At the same time, the first turbo diesel was introduced, a 1.9-litre giving 110 bhp. The Polo GTi with 120 bhp was the power highlight of the range. The Polo production continued to break output records: with four million cars reached in 1995, five million cars in 1997 and six million cars in 1999.

The Polo from 1999 to today

The model had reached the production figure of 6.233 million when the latest Polo generation was presented at the Frankfurt Autoshow in 1999. The new model is based on the predecessor, but has been considerably modified and is now fully a 12 year warranty against rust. The new design of the front end and the typical VW rear end move the appearance of the Polo further towards the Golf. The prism structures on the dash panel surface are new, as are the refined controls and the blue instrument lighting. The front airbags and ABS as standard round off the safety equipment package.

The engine range leaves nothing to be desired. The four alloy petrol engines range from 50 bhp to 125 bhp. The performance of the four diesel engines range from 60 bhp to 110 bhp.

We have quite a few Polo owners in the club, so I hope this little history is of interest.

All Volkswagen communications and photos reproduced with permission of Volkswagen UK