Vote now! Send a MSG to VWOA to bring the Polo Bluemotion TDI here!

With high US fuel prices, what better time to drive a super efficient car that doesn't need to be plugged in? VW is selling the new VW Polo Bluemotion TDI in Europe, rated at almost 70mpg. As Car and Driver stated in their review, this car is no longer like driving a "penalty box," but instead it is equipped with amenities we are accustomed to in our Volkswagens here. It's not the fastest thing on 4 wheels however not many cars can even touch it's great mileage numbers. For more info, please read on here:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...sel-quick_spin

And please remember to participate in the poll - SHOW YOUR VOTE ABOVE!

The Polo would likely be too small for me. Haven't seen one in real life so maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, the new Passat is on my very short list of potential new cars. If BMW would bring the 320d, that would be another. I just don't need the scoot the 335d has.

Damn, I must be getting old to say something like that!

Or get the Golf/Jetta with the 1.6 Diesel to this side of the ocean !

I would buy one if priced right. Leave all the options off too. Just air and heat and hand roll windows with manual tranny.

I voted, but I seriously doubt that our opinion will have any effect on what VWoA actually does. VWoA has shown no interest before on what people actually want. They seem to only be concerned about what they (the marketing types) believe people want (like cheaper Jettas). If you were to poll most of our members here, I think that you would find that what we really would like are: Sirocco TDIs, GTDs, 4 motion TDIs, and Passat Wagen TDIs - none of which VWoA appears to have any interest in selling to us. Sad, but true. I won't hold my preath waiting for Polos (or Pointers, or Derbys, or any of the other interesting cars they sell elsewhere).

Have Fun!

Don

I've looked at the Honda Fit and for running around town or putting my teenager on the road, the size is fine. I'd worry about it being a daily highway car, but think that the Polo would be better for that. If you go buy the VW's available here, the Polo will feel like a much more substantial car. I agree with Lightflyer1, let us have some choice on equipment. Bring a actual base model with the TDI, price it in the mid teens, and it will sell. Bring a loaded model and keep the price below 20, and both will sell.

I doubt they can make it meet US crash standards without a lot of work. Besides, 75HP. Us fat, over-indulged Americans want HORSEPOWER!

2 big things keep the variety of cars and engines available overseas out of NA - emissions and crash standards.

Like many others on here, I run 90 hp for 10 years and never felt under powered. Just leave the dsg/autostick on the other side of the pond.

Up-Content

Would love an upcontented VW TDi.

Would prefer to drive a "Stealth" luxury TDi than have to go to MB or BMW.

I drove a Polo for 2-years, it has about the same interior space up front as a Golf. They are cool cars!

I just bought a Golf TDI. Honestly, I'd have preferred something smaller. The Polo TDI would be a better match for my needs. But I'd want a pretty loaded car. I want a small four door hatchback with great fuel economy.

And while diesel is OK with me, there are a lot of possibilities with a hybrid. I like a car that drives nicely on mountain roads and is easy to park in the city. I don't need a lot of space, but I'm willing to pay the price for a nicer car.

I would buy one if priced right. Leave all the options off too. Just air and heat and hand roll windows with manual tranny.

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I don't even want the air on mine.

Triangular vent windows like I had in my 70 beetle are all the "air" I need at highway speeds.

I no need for one now.

I drove with two other people from France to Slovenia in an older (2001?) Polo a couple of weeks ago. I'm 6 feet tall, and there was enough room for me to ride comfortably in the back behind the passenger seat (I wouldn't want to ride behind where I put the seat in order to drive - but that's true in my Jetta Wagon, too!). No, it's not a spacious road-trip car for a family of five with three teenagers, but it felt like just the right size for a primarily city car. Unfortunately we had the little 1.4L gasser engine, not the TDI, so it wasn't exactly a highway champion - especially on Slovenian mountain passes amidst howling Bora winds - but it did well enough!

I think a major disincentive to adoption of smaller cars in the US is our urban parking system. We usually have demarcated spots, whereas in Europe it's common to squeeze in wherever there is space and then put a ticket on the dash. In the latter system, owning a small car offers *major* convenience when it comes to finding parking - I think if US cities switched to that system, we'd see a lot more people start buying small cars!

kjclow said:

Like many others on here, I run 90 hp for 10 years and never felt under powered. Just leave the dsg/autostick on the other side of the pond.

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I just sold my 91 Jetta D in Sept which had 52hp / 71.5 lb-ft @ sea level so up here in Denver it was more like 25-30 hp / 45-50 lb-ft . So a 75 hp TDI powered Polo would feel like a racecar .............But our over stringent NOX rules make it highly unlikely we will ever see any of the Bluemotions here .

And the TDIs don't even suffer much power loss at altitude. The turbo can compensate for the loss of atmospheric pressure.

Putting 140hp in a mainstream Golf is madness. That 75hp in the Polo is ample for the mission profile of the car.
I use (abuse?) my Fabia as a family car and still think the 80hp TDI is completely adeqate for it. At 90mph on the motorway (and more than that is illegal everywhere on the planet but a few German autobahns) what I wish for is a 6th gear ratio, not more hp.

The current Polo is the same size as a MK1 Golf. That ain't too shabby. But the BlueMotion won't sell here until the price of fuel goes much higher. I wouldn't expect to find that one, but a regular TDI along with a gasser could and probably should be expected in the coming years.

BeetleGo said:

The current Polo is the same size as a MK1 Golf.

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Uh, no. The late 90s MK3 Polo was the size of a Mk1 Golf. That's 2 generations of growth ago. The current MK5 Polo is the size of a Mk2 Golf.
Mk5 Polo: L:3970mm, W:1682mm, H:1462mm
Mk1 Golf: L:3705mm, W:1610mm, H:1390mm
Mk2 Golf: L:3985mm, W:1665mm, H:1415mm
Mk3 Golf: L:4020mm, W:1695mm, H:1405mm

The Mk5 Polo's dimensions are remarkably similar to the Mk2 and worlds larger than a Mk1 Golf!

The Polo sedan Russia and some other markets get is 4384mm long. (Mk2 Jetta was 4315mm, Mk3 Jetta 4380mm)

Can folks here in the states order these little buggers? I think for a hatch it's better looking than anything on the market besides maybe a mazda 3. I'd totally grab one of these cars if they came state side. Hell, I'd go take diesel automotive training school just to work on mine for free once the warranty runs out Wish I had a guru to teach me how to work on VW's.

As far as the HP/TQ issue goes, just toss some better nozzles on there, get a remap and tune/exhaust, and poof! Still could get 60-65+ MPG (guesstimating) and have double stock and a heck of a zippy lightweight fuel sipper. I love VW's... soooo much cheaper than any other type of car (gassers) to gain massive gains of power yet still get crazy FE. Honestly, I dive a 95 Civic LX auto right now and still get 26-28 city/32+ highway. As of now it's typically $30 for 8.5-9 gallons. This is just ridiculous, see people with $80+ in their SUV's and all I can think is... you drive an average of 10-12k miles a year and get 14-17 MPG. 26-30 gallon tanks on larger SUV, $100 fill ups. I spend about $1000 a year on gas at that rate and you spend $2400+. That's just absurd!

VWConvert said:

Can folks here in the states order these little buggers?

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No. Not unless VW has it certified.

USA->Germany imports work - if I wanted a Mustang, I could ship one in, pay the import taxes, have the lighting system converted to meet European regulations and then have it individually certified by TÜV to get a German title. The whole procedure is quite affordable.

Germany->USA isn't that easy - the US market has far higher bureaucratic hurdles for bringing foreign-market stuff in. Basically for an individual it's impossible.

A Bluemotion Polo costs about 2/3 of a comparably equipped Golf 2.0 TDI, btw. There's also a 105hp 1.6 TDI Polo for a similar price.

What's weather like out there in Germany, guess I just need to move there. Last names German, I pick up on new languages fast, and I've always wanted to go to Germany

On a more serious note though, that's just idiotic that I can't get that car here. Darn you EPA! *Shakes fist, if you're so worried about clean air, put on some breathing apparatuses... or just hold your breath every time you breath in, maybe pass out from lack of Oxygen and you won't have to worry about emissions again until you wake up

VWConvert said:

What's weather like out there in Germany

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Right now, it could be better... foggy, a bit of rain, 10°C

Here is a question could the Polo compete with Chevy Cruz or Elantra than a down grade Jetta?

MonsterTDI09 said:

Here is a question could the Polo compete with Chevy Cruz or Elantra than a down grade Jetta?

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Wrong size... it could compete with a Fiesta or the Hyundai Accent size wise.

This is a tough survey because it crosses two issues that I'd like to see VWoA address... One is more models in General; Polo for sure, Amarok, Scirroco, Sharan, Passat Wagon, etc. The other is simply offering TDI options on EVERY model. Just things that I want, and that I think would seperate VW's brand from the rest of the herd.

Yea the Amarok... you'd think Americans would love a pickup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYIZKMW4TeE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8ytcl7aDkg

German_1er_diesel said:

The Polo sedan Russia and some other markets get is 4384mm long. (Mk2 Jetta was 4315mm, Mk3 Jetta 4380mm)

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Does it have a longer wheelbase than the hatchback?
At 4384mm, a combi body would be a killer!

wolfskin said:

Does it have a longer wheelbase than the hatchback?
At 4384mm, a combi body would be a killer!

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I'm not sure... It looks like it in the picture. I took the specs from the Russian wikipedia entry because it wasn't on the German one Don't know what's "wheelbase" in Russian.

4384mm is more than the new Fabia Combi, right?

German_1er_diesel said:

Yea the Amarok... you'd think Americans would love a pickup.

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I am wiating on the Amarok for my next truck. If it doesn't come, then I guess I won't be getting another truck.

The Polo sedan, although it's probably smaller, really looks like a good Corolla killer. Unlike the "typical" american, I would rather have the hatchback.