Volkswagen Polo 1.2 E

Germany's take on a super mini is a testimony of their brilliant and innovative engineering techniques. The VW Polo may not be the fastest machine to leave Germany and maybe it cannot outrun a AMG Mercedes but it is refinement, very spacious inside, very good value for money and can seat 5 people.

The advantage of buying a VW Polo is the German build quality: reassuring clunk when you close doors, bonnet and boot and hard wearing VAG paint and fully galvanised bodywork, refined driving dynamics: speed bumps and uneven roads are dampened compared to similar fiesta's or 206's, perky 1.2 engine is very economical when your foot is not glued to the accelerator, high quality plastics in cabin and bright blue illuminated clocks.

The disadvantages of buying a VW Polo is the high cost of buying one, 1.2 engine can struggle with 4 people in car, certain parts can be hard to find in your local Halfords and no wind up windows and no central locking on basic E models.

Insurance and servicing are reasonable due to it being a small car and overall ownership so far has been painless. Economy is very good at 47mpg combined and 40mpg urban. I can get 38mpg with my spirited driving style :).

Total piece of junk, has cost me a fortune.

Bought this car in 2009, was my first car. After only 1 year and with 28000 miles on the clock , it broke down, turns out there's a cracked valve in the engine. It's costing me £1000 for Volkswagen to fix. They say they won't contribute anything towards it. I was under the impression that Volkwagens were reliable, obviously not.

rubbish car! so slow its unbeleivable, not especially good on petrol, dont expect quick accelaration, 1st gear is rubbish no power 2nd gear is rubbisher, in traffic engine is clunky and vibrates the entire car, ride is okay, good build quality, gets very annoying with the lack of power! go for a bigger engine, you find yourself revving it so much to even get up to a decent speed!

rubbish. I took my Polo back to Volkswagen last week complaing of a rough engine and poor mpg. the rough engine is normal, it turns out, as it's 3 cylinder, but I've just worked-out the mpg: 36 to the gallon! I am the slowest driver I know, as I am so tight with money. how can a small, modern car be so bad? also, remember, it has no power at all and will struggle up fast hills.

I have owned my Volkswagen Polo 1.2 car now for about 1 year and completed about 12,000 miles during this time, I have enjoyed my time with the Polo. This small Volkswagen feels like a much more expensive car than it is (especially the ride, which is well damped).

The handiling of the Polo can at times be a little 'rolly polly', but this car was never designed to be a Formula One car so I guess that's a little harsh, and for the most part is good, with the car understeering only when pushed. The Polo compares favourably with other cars I have driven for ride and handiling (Vauxhall Corsa 1.2, Peugeot 106).

The 3-cylinder engine sounds great when revved hard (above about 3000 revs) and makes a useful crusier (wind and tyre noise are low for a supermini).

With the weight that has to be carried around by the safe body, the Polo is not a fast car and fuel economy does suffer when pushing on. On average on longer runs I have achieved about 40 mpg.

The Polo is a comfortable (especially in the front) and refined supermini, that is easy to live with if you choose the 5-door model.

VW Polos are ideal cars for young women, and women of all ages. They are also great cars for men as they look sporty! Especially in the diamond black paint. Which is the colour of mine. They are really easy to drive and I can ' t imagine having any other car now, unless it was another VW you feel safe in them. Are spacious enough to fit a baby car seat in the back and a pushchair in the boot. As I found out when taking my boyfriends fianc and baby shopping. The standard CD player is really good! And the speakers have excellent sound quality! I listen to RnB and HipHop which is basey music and it sounds awesome!

the petrol does seem to go down pretty quickly, but this can depend on how much you use the car. It is about £40 to fill the tank depending on the price of petrol of course!

I would definitely recommend purchasing a VW Polo if you are considering buying one you wont regret it!! I haven ' t!

Im 18 and therefore cant speak of much experience, however having driven many of my friends 1.2 cars for example, the Corsa, Fiesta and the Clio, I actually truthfully think the polo is my favorite and very happy with my choice of first car. It is a 54 plate Polo and I would argue the good points of the car are its quiet, very comfortable on the road with good suspension, and generally seems well made. For example, the audio speakers, steering wheels, seats and general car layout exceeds other 1.2 cars in the price range. Also this may sound strange to say but I find the car a perfect size for a 1.2, not too long or wide...Although I do find a problem with the seats and handles on the car, and sometimes catch the car on a bad angle (in other words possibly not the best looking 1.2 on the market in my opinion.I would still definatly recommend this car to anyone who is thinking about a 1.2 and looking at its competitors.

The Volkswagen Polo 1.2 E is a nice car if you plan to never drive in it and only ever sit in it. As soon as you drive it, all the problems appear. In my opinion this is a useless little car!

In 12 months, the following have been replaced:

2x coil packs

1x catalytic converter

1x exhaust mount

1x speedometer unit

1x o2 sensor

1x brake light switch

1x ignition switch

1x interior blower motor

1x ECU on board computer

2x suspension wishbone bushes

1x screenwash hose

I think that was it! There's probably more that I can't remember!

My experience has been awful!

Would not recommend the Volkswagen Polo 1.2 E unless you spend your driving time in traffic, then it's perfect. On country roads, hills and motorways not great at all.