VW Polo: Like many of us who hit 30 years of age, the Polo is playing fast and loose with its age. If truth were told, this particular model is 31 because it actually started life as something else in 1974.
It arrived as the Audi 50, with a l-litre engine that offered either 50bhp or 60bhp and had a maximum speed of 160km/h. Today's entry-level model offers a 1.2-litre engine putting out either 55bhp or 65bhp with a top speed of about 160km/h. So little has changed in 30 years.
The 30th celebrations mark the arrival of VW's version of the car in 1975. Then it was a wannabe Golf, with similar design to its more illustrious brother. However, the current look was introduced in 1995, signalling a sea change in attitude and turning the Polo into a larger version of VW's smallest car, the Lupo.
This has clearly not been the success for which VW had hoped and the minor tweaks we see now may indicate a return to old ways, with the front nose taking on the look of the new Golf and even the Passat. The styling direction will undoubtedly become clearer when the completely new model arrives in 2007. For now we must make do with this facelift.
If you haven't heard about the ongoing scandal at VW about worker directors and allegations involving bribery and prostitutes, then we hope you enjoyed your time in the Big Brother house.
However, let me reassure readers who have been following events at Wolfsburg that there were no brown envelopes in the passenger seat, nor Brazilian "advertising executives" in the back seat. Ours was the Comfortline version - the only things over the normal specification was air-conditioning and metallic paint.
Like some VW staff caught in the scandal, the Polo has an eye for youth. At present, VW claims the average age profile of buyers on the Continent is about 39 years. It wants to bring this down to the late 20s.
The Polo looks small, and is still the same size as the first-ever Golf - interesting in a world of enormous van-like people carriers and mini-tanks that go under the name of sports utility vehicles. Its target audience is the growing number of buyers downsizing from bigger motors, people who discover they need a HGV licence to drive what once was an average family saloon.
For drivers coming out of much larger cars, the little Polo performs well. Its high roof and firm seats offer a good driving position and a feeling that it's taller than it really is.
Our test car was powered by the 55bhp 1.2-litre petrol engine, long favoured by Irish Polo owners. Claiming snail's-pace 0-100km/h acceleration of 17.5 seconds, it's an incredible 5 seconds slower than either the equivalent Ford Fiesta or the smaller-engined Toyota Yaris. Yet the car never felt as lethargic or slow as VW would have you believe - we'd suggest the VW engineers check their stopwatches.
Of course, the Polo is never going to outrun the Golf, but then that's not really what it's meant to do. On main roads you do have to plan your overtaking moves early, but drop down a gear and it bravely pushes forward.
If you want more pep, you can move up to a 64bhp version of the 1.2-litre for another €445 or even upgrade to the 1.4-litre for €1,270. For those who want even more, a 1.8-litre GTi version is due out later in the year or early next year.
Around town we found the 1.2-litre engine more than adequate. The Polo handles like a little city car, easy to manoeuvre in traffic and in car parks. There is a degree of road noise, but that seemed largely due to the tyres rather than anything else and the car has a good confident feel behind the wheel.
Even on a relatively long motorway run, it's no slouch and the interior is comfortable, even if you do have to work the engine.
Boot space is adequate, though you do need the split rear seats of the mid-range specification to take full advantage.
All in all, it's an easy, relaxing drive, with a nice to-hand gearbox. The switchgear and interior plastics are of a very good quality and remain as sturdy as they have always been, giving the impression of a solid well-built car. In fact it would qualify as one of our most favoured interiors in its class; practical and functional.
That's ultimately what the Polo is: it's not as glamorous as some of its competitors, nor as sporty, it would struggle to carry four adults in spacious comfort on a cross-country run with their luggage - but it does work well as a relatively well-built runaround.
Officially, the heritage of the Beetle may be considered to have passed to the Golf, but as it has moved upmarket - both in price and size - the Polo is arguably the nearest VW gets to the principles of the original Beetle these days.
Where it does fall foul of the people car ethos is price. It's more expensive than many similar competitors in a really competitive market.
Still, Polo owners are a loyal bunch and that says a lot about the car itself, its reliability and the fact that life with the little VW seems a relatively happy experience.
Regular Polo owners will find nothing to fault with this latest model and will be won over by the minor changes to the nose, making it look less like the cheaper Lupo and more like the Golf and Passat.
However, for those whose minds have yet to be made up, the Polo may still seem a little staid, particularly when compared with the likes of the Peugeot 206 - which has aged surprisingly well - and newcomers such as the Suzuki Swift. For family motoring, the Honda Jazz is a seriously strong competitor.
VW's argument goes that, while it might be slightly more expensive than some of the rest, it will hold its value much better. That's true to a point, but both the Honda and the Toyota Yaris are likely to be strong on value retention as well.
Overall, it's a well-built, enjoyable drive and we could easily live with the Polo.
