The new Volkswagen Polo, the fifth generation of VW’s evergreen supermini has been unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, 34 years after the original went on sale in the UK. The new Volkswagen Polo is sharper, lighter, safer and more cutting edge than ever before and is set to establish new standards in the small car class.

New Volkswagen Polo breaks boundaries

Not only does the new Volkswagen Polo weigh 7.5 per cent less than the vehicle it replaces – despite being marginally wider and longer – but it’s also stronger, promises greater refinement and efficiency and features new packaging to make it the most versatile iteration yet.

The stylish Polo debuts a new look as well as highly efficient TSI and common rail TDI engines to set new benchmarks in efficiency – bettering even the high standards set by the outgoing car. In addition, advanced safety systems and an all-new construction allow it to meet the criteria for the recently introduced five-star EuroNCAP standard.

Styled by a team led by Walter de Silva (Head of Design, Volkswagen Group) the fifth generation Polo establishes a distinctive new look for the car that draws on the design direction established by the Scirocco and Golf.

At 3,952 mm in length the new Volkswagen Polo is 36 mm longer than the car it replaces. Its width, at 1,682 mm, has also grown by 32 mm, yet the overall height has dropped by 13 mm to 1,454 mm, lending the car a more purposeful stance.

These slightly larger dimensions and a longer wheelbase mean there’s greater space inside the new Volkswagen Polo. Head, shoulder and legroom have all increased, as has the load volume which now totals a minimum of 280 litres and a maximum of 952 litres.

Up front, elegant white backlit dials are set into a dashboard constructed out of high-quality, soft touch plastics. Volkswagen’s renowned attention to detail remains apparent in the new Polo with subtle aluminium highlights dotted around the interior and the option of a handy air conditioned glovebox and an easily accessed connection point for an MP3 player.

In addition, and for the first time on a Polo, the RNS 310 touchscreen satellite navigation system can be specified along with a three-spoke, multifunction steering wheel.