Autocar New V. Old Test

Skipton01 said:
Having been inside the new Polo yesterday and driven it a short while, I can tell you the interior space is woeful compared to the A2.
Click to expand...

Oh dear, how dissapointing that is for such a new car. I imagine too that the rear seats are only foldable rather than removable in the A2.
 
I agree Will, and it is the A2's many unique features such as being in effect a mini-mini MPV that is also good to drive etc etc which make it special to me. I do not dislike the new Polo, It just doesn't have the practicality of an A2.
 
Skipton01 said:
Even if you never normally read Autocar magazine, I'd recommend you get a soon-to-hit-the-shelves issue
Click to expand...

I haven't read a car mag for years but I'll make an exception now :)

Well done to you Mike and Audi for the opportunity to put the two side by side. I say they didn't realise it would be no competition ;)
 
I dont mean to be rude but i think that the polo is not that bad, they are really nice little cars and in the nicest possible way i think that we are a little bias sometimes and don't see the goodness in other cars because we love the a2 so much. I looked at a polo and it is not as big as the a2 but the interior is nicely trimmed and finished and i don't think it is that bad really, or is it just me?

Chris
 
The Polo is a pretty good stab at a modern small car and the Bluemotion version is a decent looker on the outside with the shroudd off grille, similar to the original A2 and the front aero parts giving a mean-ish look.

I too thought that the interior was pretty swish and the rubberised finish to the dash is particularly good.

However, when you start looking, you see that corners have been cut: the plastics are thin and cheap feeling, the stalks in particular are very nasty. The clocks are also cheap - with an imprecise fuel gauge and a general look of coming from a 1980's Amstrad music centre!

The seat covers are hideous - I thought at first that they were actually cheapo over-fit protectors, but they weren't. There's painted metal in the back around the windows, instead of a fully trimmed interior and overall, the standard is something that you'd really start to loathe after a few weeks of ownership, as opposed to growing more fond of in any Audi.

I'm not saying that you're wrong Chris, just that first impressions can be deceptive.

Cheers,

MIke
 
Dont get me wrong mike i do get your point and i am sure i would find faults if spending more time with the car but at the end of the day the polo was and still is a cheap supermini which you can pick up for about £10,000 new and the a2 is a premium car from a premium automaker and the sad thing is nothing like it exists today so when people go to change there car they end up with a polo or similar because at the moment that is the best out there! i just hope the next a2 is good or i dont know what i will buy!!

Chris
 
Also, out of curiosity mike what is it like to drive, does it sound similar to the a2 and is the performance similar. I always found that polos had numb steering, light clutch and sloppy gearchange. Is this still the way with the new car?

Chris
 
You might want to take a look at the VW configurator - the basic Polo SE diesel starts at £13900 and the Bluemotion at £15050. You can't get a TDi in the basic S version and for £10k, you get a piddly 60BHP engine and nothing in the way of comfort or convenience options.

OK, so we're 5 years on from the end of A2 production, but £15k would get you a 1.4TDi A2 Special Edition run-out model, so I hardly think that the Polo is a cheap option.

Cheers,

Mike
 
loudchris53 said:
Also, out of curiosity mike what is it like to drive, does it sound similar to the a2 and is the performance similar. I always found that polos had numb steering, light clutch and sloppy gearchange. Is this still the way with the new car?

Chris
Click to expand...

It's not the best driving experience - you feel detatched from the tyres. Performance is not good unless you screw it to the redline - nothing on tap until around 2500rpm.

The clutch is light but even longer throw than the A2 and there's a fair amount of wiggle in the gear stick. The example I was in had done just over 1000 miles.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Thats a shame, i always thought the polo was like a golf in almost all aspects but it lacked the driving experience and i am sad to see it has not changed, the only thing i am pleased about is the return of the three pot diesel!! it would have been dearly missed

Chris
 
It seems that the cost savings that have been implemented in the Mk6 Golf are evident in the Polo. Just as the Mk5 Golf was a far better car in terms of fit, finish and build, I'd say that the Polos predecessor was better too.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Mike is spot on about the Polo's interior, I found exactly that when I started looking at every piece of trim in the showroom. Having said that, the second dealership had another Polo in more expensive trim level and the seat covers are at least better. But the lack of cover over painted metal, bit of cheap plastic here and there are simply because the Polo is built to a budget (having said that, it isn't that cheap, is it?) and you'll find the same lack of details in Fiesta/Mazda 2 which are very good small cars too. I also think the driving experience on the bluemotion would be totally different to say, the up coming GTI!

It is a case of how far ahead of the game the A2 was, rather than the Polo being a poor car.

As for the earlier talk about interior space, the Polo isn't bad either, but the A2 has that unique deep rear footwell. The me-behind-me test (me being 5'7) tells me Polo is ok, A2 is comfortable and as a comparison, A4 (B6,7) are uncomfortable. As for the boot space, I checked again at a 2nd showroom, Polo is not great, A2 seems deeper but narrower but the Honda Jazz is way better than any small car I've seen!
 
And the Bluemotion I was in cost £16,150 as specced. You actually have to pay for an alarm system you know - £190 extra!!!!

The A2 was (and is) a superb car and Audi need to make history repeat itself with the new one. It'll be different to the old one without a doubt, but as long as it's equally forward thinking and not just a badge engineered version of an existing platform, it should be another great car and a worthy replacement for the Ur A2.

Cheers,

Mike
 
humps said:
As for the boot space, I checked again at a 2nd showroom, Polo is not great, A2 seems deeper but narrower but the Honda Jazz is way better than any small car I've seen!
Click to expand...

But would you buy a Honda Jazz:eek:, i think if mine was rote off i would still be on the look out for another A2, there just isn't anything at the moment that does it for me (that i could afford)

Phil
 
Just specced up an A1 and for a 1.6TDi SE with a smattering of options, it comes in at £14.995, which isn't bad at all compared to the Bluemotion.

I think VW need to rethink their pricing strategy.

Cheers,

Mike

PS I've just specced up another A1 TDi S-line - comes to an eye watering £25,690!!!!!!!!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top