Posted on
19 July 2012, under
Car / Travel; More Car / Travel articles...
Cross Polo - exterior
Cross Polo - interior
Cross Polo - rear
CROSSING A POLO WITH ... A POLO
When the current generation Volkwagen Polo was launched two and a half years ago it wasn't exciting. Which is OK maybe because exciting is not what VW tends to do.
But the Polo is the brand's supermini, trying to make inroads in one of the most important segments. Against Fiesta for instance it looks, well .... dowdy.
So what do do if you want to attract younger buyers? Add a bit of colour!
This is the Cross Polo. It looks like something between a Range Rover concept and ... well ... a Polo?
Whatever, it certainly has colour. On the outside. On the inside trim. On the sports' seats. I'm not the shades type. But if I was to live with this I'd be tempted. Even if I'm gone well beyond wanting to appear cool.
LetÕs say the things it isn't. The Cross Polo isn't an offroader, or even a crossover. It isn't sporty in performance. It doesn't, in fact, do anything more than a standard Polo does. Except catch some attention.
An owner has to feel there's something special when they buy a special version of a car. So this one gives leather on the shifter and handbrake. And those sports front seats are comfortable as well as eyecatching.
You get three rear headrests. Storage pockets on the rear of the front seats. Foldable rear seats. Luggage compartment lighting. And four ... er, five, doors.
You can get a rake of options, in true VW style. We're not going there today. Though I really would like to have Bluetooth as standard, as some less expensive competitors have.
Look, the Polo, Cross or not, is a simple car. No flash or frills in the design, outside or in. The instruments and switches are familiar, and in familiar places.
The engines are 1.2 litres in size, a 70hp petrol or 75hp diesel. Both 3-pots. Willing and unassuming powerplants. Reasonably thrifty. Bands B and A respectively.
It drives nice. Won't strip the rubber in acceleration but is adequate to decent, and the handling is just what you'd expect from a model that's aimed at those of us in the fairly ordinary bracket. With a max of 75hp, you're never going to drive it into trouble.
So bottom line, who'll buy the Cross? Paying around €1,800 more than the base car? Oh, a young fella who fancies the simple practicality of the VW brand, can't afford a Golf GTI or its insurance, and yet wants to stand out from the crowd.
And the more I looked at it and had it, the better I liked it. The Cross cosmetic bits do really add to the visual whole.
For €18,835 plus dealer adds. Enjoy.
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