Volkswagen Crosspolo test drive since 2010 Minivan
Old New "Polo"
It is sometimes not easy to draw a border between deep modernization and a new model. Quality quality ... quality
How well should the car be made in order to delight the owner of a trouble -free service for a long time? Where does the necessary quality end and begins excessive, not working for reliability, but prestige? Some innovations in the car prompted the author to these questions.
The Polo has now reduced gaps along the contours of the hood and doors. Traditionally, in German cars, they are more than, for example, on Japanese. And the reason is by no means in technology. Just European developers are used to leaving more living space for difficult operating conditions, a long service life and unforeseen circumstances. But if the buyer wants small gaps, he will receive them on the usual Volkswagen-Polo.
The body is completely made of a bilaterally galvanized sheet! Who saw a rotten roof even at a 40-year-old beetle? How many are ready to drive the same car for more than 10 years? But the words completely galvanized magically act on buyers, and a 12-year guarantee from through corrosion attracts no less than Russians. So, it will be done like this.
And competition is pushing to add more standard equipment to the basic package. A pair of airbags, ABS brakes, a hydraulic power steering, adjusting the steering column in height, athermal glass, a filter in the heating and ventilation system painted in the color of the body of the bumper and the mirror body. Those who are not enough can choose one of the options for expanded configuration: trendline, comfortline, highline, color concept. Now add eight types of engines with a capacity of 50 to 125 liters. p., options with an automatic gearbox and several bellows like a hatch with an electric drive, climatic installation, navigation system or leather upholstery.
Enough? Oh yes, the most powerful Volkswagen GTI is equipped with xenon arc headlights and an electronic stabilization system. Looking ahead, I will say: the latter was clearly designed by people not without a sense of humor. The car is really stabilized and very efficiently, although the unprepared driver will have time to pretty tire before this happens. Vienna loop
A short test route for acquaintance with the novelty - a loop of only 60 km around Vienna airport - nevertheless, provided journalists with enough opportunities. Here is a piece of an autobahn with a traditional limitation of 130 km/h, and narrow city streets, and a little wider landstrasse, where there is hardly a straight line in half a kilometer. In a word, the micromodel of Europe. Wouldn't Moscow hatches and St. Petersburg tram tracks.
Some of the colleagues, which is more attracted by the entourage, making a circle, could well enjoy the spectacle of the game in Polo and the barbecue in the fresh air, others wished to try out every modification of Polo.
The first race according to tradition is in the weakest car. Is there a polite 50-horsepower of a 50-horsepower engine? If you need something more than just getting from point A to point B, then, of course, not. However, having such a modest power unit, Polo easily reaches 150 km/h and confidently accelerates on V transmission from 60. Do you need to be desired, remembering the average fuel consumption of 5.7 l/100 km? Only this model is equipped with 155/70R13 tires with reduced rolling resistance. In corners, the weakest polo begins to swim before fellow tribesmen. But it does it very smoothly and easily controlled. The next is GTI Polo. Even in numbers, its capabilities look convincing: 100 km/h for 8.7 s, maximum - 205 km/h. The motor (1.6 liters, 125 hp) in a compact car with a hard body, a dense, but quite comfortable suspension and very tenacious tires 195/45R15 alive even better than in a technical characteristic. Despite the high level of force stirring and slightly stretched for the sports version of the program, he quite allows a lazy ride, when reluctance to take over the lever again. The secret is simple - adjustable intake phases. Unlike all other polo, GTI is very strict in management and does not forgive liberties, although a skilled driver will be able to get real pleasure from this car. The fact that you are driving the most powerful Polo resemble not only chrome rims of devices, but also assertive engine bases.
All other gasoline motors have the same volume of 1.4 liters, but different power. The youngest, 60-horsepower- with two valves on the cylinder, 75- and 100-horsepower engines- with four. Yes, and the parameters of the transmission of cars are almost the same (in the 100 -horsepower Polo - close transfer numbers), so that there was a unique opportunity to compare three engines as an unique. I must say that the weakest has left the most pleasant impression with its flexibility and burden. Although, of course, his top is weak. The middle one seemed to be spineless - a typical modern multi -valve: there is no confident traction at low speeds, there is no grabbing on medium, the top seems to be good, but something is wrong here. The most powerful, 100-horsepower unit with the brightest temperament: there is almost nothing below, but what is happening when the tachometer arrow falls over in 4000! The soul sings, and the mind suggests that the switch of gear lever will have to be changed simultaneously with the oil filter: it will be erased! No, such a machine is not for every day. In addition, a more powerful GTI is more speedy, and in walking mode is more pleasant.
Now about diesel engines. Under the hood of Polo can be one of three: a 1.9-liter hopeless pre-score old man, which gives out 64 mares, a 1.7-liter atmospheric motor with direct injection (60 hp) and an ultramodern three-cylinder turbodiesel with pumps (75 liters . with.). The old man has a little advantages: the low price and the relative cheapness of the spare parts - in terms of fuel consumption to compete with the new generation, is weak to him. ' But the new couple is damn economical - the average consumption of 4.4 l/100 km. The atmospheric diesel was noisy and leisurely, although the confidence with which he dispersed Polo even in the fifth gear caused genuine respect. The stuffy motor is much more harsh and quieter. The engines of the Volkswagen concern managed to hide the turboyam so well that the car confidently accelerates from almost 1200-1300 rpm, and the torque increases quite smoothly.
Which polo is better?
A short acquaintance did not set a goal to answer this question. From the extensive range of models, everyone can choose what he likes. But is the next polo really a new model? They say that updated by 60%. This is more than enough to win the elections, however, even such a number of changed details is unlikely to be enough to recognize the model of a new one. Despite the fully converted interior and updated row of engines, the new old polo will still live in the next century. On a fundamentally new platform, the first to go to the younger brothers of Volkswagen. Skoda for example ...
Polo GTI is distinguished by 15-inch wheels of the company VVS.
Anatoly Fomin
Photo by Anatoly Fomin
A source: The magazine "Driving"
