Super TestCar reviews - Volkswagen - Polo - rangeVolkswagen modelsOverview23 Nov 1996 VOLKSWAGEN took a punt marketing a $20,000-plus Holden Barina sized baby in Australia. The Mk3 Polo – already two years old in Europe and a platform sharer with the Seat Ibiza and Cordoba of the same era – featured an unheard-of combination of standard features for the light-car segment, including dual front airbags, power steering, a CD player, central locking, seat-height adjuster, powered heated mirrors, rear headrests and front electric windows. The sassy five-door hatchback styling, solid build quality and an aspiring German badge also appealed. But keen drivers were less enthused by the low 55kW power output of the 1.6-litre engine (the Toyota Starlet 1.3’s was 55kW), hard ride and roly-poly cornering, while rear legroom was tight for adults. The responsive four-speed automatic Polo from March ’97 suited the Polo’s mini-Mercedes persona more than the five-speed manual. New trim and instrumentation arrived unheralded in mid-’97 while a massive sunroof marked the Polo “Open Air” model from July ’98. Alloy wheels were also included from October ’99. The limited edition Polo Trek from September ’98 included a roof-mounted mountain bicycle. A significantly facelifted model arrived from late '00 sporting a completely new cabin but inferior performance. Model release date: 1 October 1996 to 1 October 2000 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen |
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