Volkswagen came in full force at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show with the fifth generation of the Polo range, available as a 3- or 5-door hatchback.
The Polo started its life as a more affordable Audi 50, back in the ’70s, and it was a very important vehicle in the Volkswagen range. It managed to stand proud against the French and Italian competitors mainly thanks to its more evolved diesel engines that proved to be highly fuel-efficient. For the fifth generation, the Polo introduced a new design language that was translated later on to its bigger brothers in the German carmaker family.

It was a significant step from the design point of view with angular lines and a sporty-looking front fascia. The angled headlights and wide grille in the lower side of the bumper inspired a sporty look, even for the five-door version. The only idea carried from the fourth generation was the third side window installed behind the rear doors for better interior light and smaller blind-spots.

Inside, the Polo offered bucket seats at the front with a center console between them that sported the gear-stick and the hand-brake. Its dashboard was typical for a Volkswagen, with rounded edges, soft materials, and a center stack for the infotainment system and the climate control unit. In the instrument cluster, the Polo designers installed a TFT display between the speedometer and tachometer and deleted the fuel-level and the coolant-temperature gauges. In the back, the split-folding (60:40) bench was fitted as standard. It offered adequate legroom for average-sized occupants.

Under the hood, Volkswagen installed an unusually wide range of engines, paired with 5- or 6-speed manual transmissions. The carmaker dropped the torque-converter-based automatic gearboxes and switched to the 7-speed dual-clutch ones.