Review

Is the Polo the most practical choice as a second car of the household? The question sprang to mind recently during a trip to the supermarket, when I discovered that a trolley-load of shopping for a family of five struggled to fit satisfactorily in the boot.

Satisfactorily is the key word, as it did fit thanks to the removable boot floor, but required the removal of the parcel shelf.

Examining the specifications of the Polo shows it has a total cargo capacity, with the rear seats up, of 280 litres. That’s 10 fewer litres than the segment-leading Ford Fiesta, which is almost the same length as the Polo, and five fewer than the second-in-segment Vauxhall Corsa, which is some 50mm longer.

The Renault Clio, which, along with the Fiat Punto, is larger than all its competition at 4.06 metres, beats the Polo by 20 litres while the cleverly packaged Honda Jazz tops the chart with 354 litres of load space, almost a fifth more than the Polo, despite being only 20mm longer than the German hatchback.

Of course, boot space is seldom the top consideration in many consumers’ minds when they start their research for a new car. Style and safety are certainly up there, and they are strengths the Polo displays above some of its staid rivals. Nevertheless, for the stay-at-home parent with a baby or toddler it certainly is a consideration, given the quantity of paraphernalia that needs transporting.

 

  Car Length Boot volume (seats up)
1 Honda Jazz 3,995mm 354 litres
2 Hyundai i20 4,035mm 326 litres
3 Citroën C3 3,941mm 300 litres
4 Renault Clio 4,063mm 300 litres
5 Ford Fiesta 3,969mm 290 litres
6 Kia Rio 4,045mm 288 litres
7 Toyota Yaris 3,950mm 286 litres
8 Vauxhall Corsa 4,021mm 285 litres
9 Peugeot 208 3,973mm 285 litres
10 Volkswagen Polo 3,972mm 280 litres
11 Mazda2 4,060mm 280 litres
12 Fiat Punto 4,065mm 275 litres

Factsheet

Price £15,840
Engines 1.2-petrol: 89bhp
Performance 0-62mph 10.8secs, top speed 114mph
Transmission 5sp man
Efficiency 60.1mpg, 107g/km CO2
RV 3yr/30k 38%
Start mileage 3,089
Current mileage 4,915
Rivals Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa, Renault Clio, Peugeot 208