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 |
An award-winning journalist and editor, with two decades of experience covering the motor retail industry, and accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) plus the National Council for the Training of Journalist (NCTJ)
As editor of AM since 2016, Tim is responsible for its media content, planning and production across AM's multiple channels, including the website, digital reports, webinars, social media and the editorial content of AM's events, Automotive Management Live and the AM Awards. His focus is on interviewing senior leaders of franchised dealer groups and motor manufacturer national sales companies to examine latest developments in UK motor retail.
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