Volkswagen says no other car in the compact class will offer as much space as its new Polo, which was shown in Berlin last week and will go on sale in Ireland in November. Some 14 million Polos have been sold across the world since its launch so it's clear why VW would want to make claims of a unique selling point about space because that is the major feature customers will be interested in. Then there is the boot - an increase of 71 litres capacity is described as "significant".
The GTi version of the new Polo.
Then there is the level of standard equipment - another consideration when taking on cars in the same class, such as the new Ford Fiesta, which gets its international launch next month. VW says even the standard entry level version of the Polo will have LED daytime running lights, a speed limiter, a forward warning system for the driver, emergency city braking and pedestrian monitoring technology.
There will also be lots of technology available at an extra cost, such as a semi-automatic park assist system to eliminate bumps and scratches when parking, keyless access and locking and adaptive cruise control.
The list of features show how competitive car companies are becoming by offering technology that would previously have been featured only in bigger models.
The interior of one version of the Polo.
The Irish market will get four petrol and two diesel engines. All will have start/stop technology and regenerative braking. Models with a greater output than 90 horse power will be available with VW's DSG dual clutch automatic gearbox as an option.
