Volkswagen Cross Polo review (23/05/2012)
Normally, this is not problematic as most parents are sensible about the cars they buy for their children, but a small few are clueless and are free with their money.
In such cases, the children might have persuaded the parents to purchase, say, a Subaru WRX for them, and the parents are quite taken aback when told that the insurance company has no interest in covering an 18-year-old in such a car.
The parents do not comprehend that such performance-oriented cars might not be suitable for a young, learning driver.
For parents facing such a poser, there are solutions, if only they took the time to do a little research and also had more regard for their finances.
One such answer is the new Cross Polo, sent to me by Volkswagen to test and the first thing that came to my mind was those parents whose children have been badgering them, and plaguing them, to purchase some form of wild animal on wheels so that they can turn their computer game fantasies into a real, live thing.
The Cross Polo has been designed in the style of a mini-SUV and it has genuine ‘what-the-hell-is-that’ qualities. Admittedly, the test car came in a vivid ‘magma-orange’ body colour, so it packed an eye-catching punch anyway; but with a ride height 15mm above standard, muscular wheel arches, 17” alloys, unique (magma orange again, so make sure you have your shades on at all times) upholstery, anodised roof rails and colour-coded body parts, it does stand out from the pack.
But the secret here — particularly for worried parents — is that the Cross Polo is a sheep dressed in wolf’s clothing. It might look as sharp as a tack — and, therefore, represents the sort of ‘cool vibe’ so essential to any young driver — but it only comes with small output engines, in both petrol and diesel, which are not only economic and tax-friendly, but extremely practical in getting a young driver insured.
The test car was fitted with the diminutive, three-cylinder, 1.2-litre engine, which outputs some 51 kW (70 bhp), has a top speed of 165 kph and a 0-100 kph time of 14.1 seconds. These figures might sound unimpressive — and they are — but for junior drivers these characteristics make it ideal as a learner machine.
That, of course, is not to detract from its potential appeal to many
other drivers, who will see this as a funky alternative to the normal
super-mini choices — and they’d be dead right: it is very different,
particularly if you get it in magma orange.
For those who know how, getting the most out of this engine is enjoyable. The singular exhaust note of the three-cylinder engine writes its own soundtrack, particularly as you get to the higher end of the rev. range, and I really enjoyed my time with it.
That it will return 5.5 l/100 km is very positive — 50 miles to the gallon is not to be sneezed at, whatever age you are.
Also worth noting are the interior details — sports seats, six-speaker stereo, multi-media aux-in, electric windows, manual air conditioning, a flat-tyre indicator, all as part of the package, because, for the money, this car gives you plenty of bang for your bucks.
On the road, the added height doesn’t affect ride and handling unduly, and I found the Cross Polo to be quite a wieldy tool. It had bags of grip, changed direction enthusiastically and was good to ‘live with’.
The second I saw this car, I immediately thought of my friend and what she had told me about those unfortunate parents who had been brow-beaten by their children into buying extravagant — and uninsurable — cars.
This, it struck me, was an immediate solution to those unfortunate parents whose kids were more road-wise than them.
But they will not be the only potential clients for this car as the Cross Polo will strike a chord with many people other than those in the sub-20 bracket.
It is a Polo with attitude and that will stand it in good stead.
But when I am asked by people what they should buy for their kids, this will be close to the top of the list.
As was exclusively revealed in these columns last week, Toyota Ireland has announced two new additions to its dealer network, Macroom Motors (Cork City) and Grandon Car Sales (Glanmire), in Cork.
These strategic appointments in Cork follow Toyota Ireland’s decision in Jun, 2010 not to renew their dealer agreements with the Keary Motor Group for both the Toyota and Lexus franchises.
Cogan’s, of Carrigaline, and O’Callaghan Motor Works, of Kanturk, will continue to be key pillars within the new network.
Simultaneously, Macroom Motors (Cork City) has been awarded the Lexus franchise for the Cork region, taking over from the Keary Motor Group.
Managing director Toyota Ireland, David Shannon, said: “We are very excited by the prospect of opening two new dealerships in the Cork area. Macroom Motors, who have been a Toyota dealer since the franchise came to Ireland in the early 1970s will be opening a state-of-the-art premises for both the Toyota and Lexus franchises in the city, while maintaining their dealership in Macroom.
“Grandon Car Sales, who are in the motor business since 1975 and have an outstanding reputation in Cork, will be bringing Toyota to their premises in Glanmire.”
Some might say it is not before time, but Opel has announced it is renewing its engine range.
Three new petrol and diesel families are replacing the core portfolio. With the introduction of the new engine range, Opel aims to become the industry leader in terms of fuel consumption, emissions and also with specific torque and noise reduction.
The first new engine to be introduced is a turbo-charged 1598 cc, four-cylinder gasoline unit with direct injection and Start/Stop.
The new SIDI (spark ignition direct injection) ECOTEC engine will be available in various power outputs and across several car lines.
Production of this 1.6L engine will begin in late 2012.
Opel promise smooth acceleration, strong pulling power, low noise levels and low fuel consumption as the main focus of these engine updates. The emphasis was on torque, where engineers achieved up to 187.5 Nm per litre of displacement — a benchmark for petrol engines produced in high volume.
Maximum torque is up to 300 Nm and is available at 1,700 rpm. Peak power of up to 200 hp is reached at 4,700 rpm.
Compared to the predecessor, the 1.6-litre turbo-charged gasoline engine, fuel consumption and CO2 have been cut by 13%.
“In just 12 months, we are launching three completely new engine generations.
“This shows how fast we are introducing new products,” says Opel CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke.
The first Opel engine with spark-ignition direct-injection technology, the 114kW/155 bhp ‘2.2 ECOTEC direct’, made its debut in Opel’s Signum and Vectra in 2003 and was succeeded by the Zafira.
In 2007, the GT offered the first turbo-charged gasoline engine with direct injection from Opel, a 2.0-litre unit with 194kW/264 bhp.
One year later, this engine was introduced in the Insignia and was available in the Opel flagship in two variants: 162 kW/220 bhp and 184kW/250 bhp.
new Astra OPC will be powered by the latest version of this engine offering an output of 206kW/280 bhp.
Volkswagen is aiming to brighten the Irish public’s mood by extending its free motor tax and insurance offer – to which terms and conditions, as you might expect, apply.
The offer is on any new Volkswagen car purchased through May and June.
It was originally launched in April and has proven to be a big success, with an average saving of 495. And to celebrate being number one in the market for April, Volkswagen has
extended the offer throughout May and June.
Looking ahead, John Donegan, head of sales and marketing for Volkswagen Ireland, says he expects interest in dealerships around Ireland. “This is a no-brainer for Irish motorists. Motor tax and insurance is always a considerable cost factor for consumers when they consider purchasing a car.
“We are taking the pain of that cost away for 12 months and allowing them to focus on their car choice without having to scrutinise their already stretched budgets.”
The tyre label, compulsory for all 27 EU member states, will bring added transparency to the European market from Nov 2012.
By this date, at the latest, all tyres sold in the EU must carry a label that specifies rolling resistance, wet braking performance and external tyre/road noise.
Implementation of the new labelling regulations will require tyre manufacturers to operate a self-certification policy, but sanctions for violations and non-compliance are to remain within the remit of national law in the 27 EU member states.
A validation operation will take place in spring 2016 — around 40 months after the EU tyre label comes into force — to critically review whether the labelling targets have been met. The effectiveness of the communication at the point of sale will be a focus of the review.
Speaking about the new EU tyre label, Paddy Murphy, general manager of Continental Tyres in Ireland, said: “We welcome the new EU tyre label as it provides consumers with much greater information on the performance of a tyre in terms of safety and fuel consumption before purchase. While this is far more information than a motorist might normally see when buying tyres, we still see a need for more information to aid drivers, as the new tyre label only specifies three
important tyre properties, but fails to highlight a number of other criteria that are just as important, for example resistance to aquaplaning, handling and dry braking distances”.
A critical issue, in this regard, is the concrete sanctions taken for violations of the regulations and how these might differ from one country to another.
“All EU member states have yet to establish regulations on what measures are to be taken against false tyre markings,” says Mr Murphy. “Unfortunately, as long as there is no threat of consequences to act as a deterrent, the door remains open to abuses.”
Tyres produced before Jul 1, 2012, can be sold without labels.
