There are no publicity photos of the Volkswagen Polo 1.0 MPI, version that does not have a turbo or digital panel. His place at the 2023 line launch event was a corner of a garage in the Pinheiros neighborhood, west of São Paulo.
The model follows the brand’s tradition of not paying attention to the most affordable option in this line. Maybe it’s trauma from what happened in 2002.
20 years ago, on August 1st, the Polo 1.0 16v (79 hp) was presented to the press in Florianópolis. It was the generation with dual headlights, which was already successful in the more powerful options.
But the launch coincided with a change in the rates of IPI (Tax on Industrialized Products). With the dance of numbers, the Polo “mil” was only R$ 610 cheaper than the 1.6 option. Production ended in a few months.
Today, the cheapest – and least profitable – car of the 2023 line has 84 hp, costs R$ 83,000 and has hubcaps and simple dials. The multimedia center is small, but it connects to smartphones via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. There is also power steering and air conditioning.
The turbocharged options are the company’s stars, receiving shiny (or black) wheels and digital displays. The price of the new TSI version with manual transmission starts at R$ 93 thousand. With automatic teller machines, the values start at R$ 103 thousand.
In common, all cars in the 2023 lineup come with new headlights. Halogen lamps were replaced by LEDs.
For those who just want a pleasant car for everyday use, the relegated Polo 1.0 flex is an interesting option. The version that was in the corner of the garage was chosen for the first evaluation of the hatch’s updated line.
When you open the door, you will find seats with one-piece backrests: the headrests have been incorporated into the structure. The solution helped to reduce costs and weight.
The steering wheel doesn’t have any kind of adjustment, but it was easy to find a good driving position.
First gear engaged and the Polo starts without making a noise. It’s noticeably smoother when running, which is a result of swapping the dampers. The hatch was adapted to the taste of the average consumer, who prefers comfort to sportiness.
It was 25 kilometers behind the wheel, most of the time in urban traffic. The most pop of the Polos stands out among the 1.0 models for offering good internal space and perceptions that bring it closer to an endangered segment – that of medium hatchbacks.
Although with a less rigid suspension than before, it remains stable and does not present body movements common to compacts, such as noticeable twists in sharp turns. It’s a solid car.
In the environment in which the assessment was made, the turbo was not needed. With the air conditioning on, the average with ethanol was 11.4 km/l, compatible with the 1.0 flex three-cylinder engine.
Its 84 horsepower is the same as the previous version, launched at the end of 2017. The other options changed amidst Volkswagen’s strategy for the Polo, which includes adaptation to the seventh phase of Proconve (Vehicular Emissions Control Program) and market repositioning.
The turbocharged Polo lost weight and power in the 2023 lineup, but maintained torque. Volkswagen says there was no drop in yield, despite the reduction from 128 hp to 116 hp when fueled with ethanol. The performance of all options will be measured in the Folha-Mauá test.
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