"Yeah, right!" I thought when I saw Volkswagen's suspiciosly low fuel economy claim on the Polo 1.6 TDI Comfortline.
They reckoned the car would sip only 4.2 litres/100km but my cynical side predicted that South Africa probably stood a better chance of winning the soccer World Cup.
More than 250km later, by which time the fuel gauge hadn't moved, I started thinking Bafana Bafana perhaps stood a fighting chance.
Eventually, after a week of town and freeway driving, the test car returned 6.1 litres/100km... decent, if not nearly as good as VW's claim. I it could do better but the driver would require the patience of a fasting monk because at Johannesburg altitude the Polo TDI was afflicted with some turbo lag. The only way of curing this elastic power delivery was to adopt the fuel-quaffing driving style of keeping the revs high.
I suspect that at the coast, where the car makes around 17 percent more power before the turbo chimes in, drivers won't need to be as heavy-footed and it'll be less thirsty. That 4.2 figure still seems a tad optimistic even at the seaside, methinks.
Another downer of this turbodiesel Polo is its tendency to stall unexpectedly when pulling off - everybody in our test team managed to stall it three or four times.
But once you're in the power band the TDI gallops along with an easy stride that even a steep hill fails to hinder. It's a soft-spoken diesel engine too; nobody's going to tease you about driving a John Deere.
Most prospective Polo buyers, however, are going to ask whether the R209 900 Polo TDI Comfortline flagship is worth the extra money over the R183 900 Polo 1.6 Comfortline petrol version. The 77kW output is the same in each model but the TDI's 250Nm of torque (155Nm from the petrol) is where it's all happening.
It also uses less fuel: VW claims 6.4 litres/100km for the 1.6 petrol but the car we tested a couple of months earluer returned 7.8.
I criticised the new Polo's rather unimaginative styling in a previous road test but I'm starting to warm to the shape and have to eat a bit of humble pie. Maybe the bright-red paint job had something to do with it but our test vehicle was quite easy on the eye and had the sporty look of a baby GTI.
I've never had a problem with the inside of the new Polo; it's probably the classiest and most upmarket-feeling in its class. It's also well-specced, most importantly with a decent driving position that you can mould to your liking with a height-adjustable seat and height and reach adjustment on the steering column.
REAR SEATING'S PASSABLE
There's an indicator in the instrument display that encourages economical driving by indicating when an upchange is needed but - curious, this - neither coolant temperature or air temperature is displayed.
Rear seating space is passable and will accommodate two adults without too much of a squash, if being nowhere near as roomy as a Daihatsu Materia. The expandable 280-litre boot is what you'd expect from a compact hatch - adequate - and at least it carries a full-sized spare in the floor.
The flagship Polo TDI has a high level of knick-knacks, which it should for R209 900, including anti-lock brakes and front and side crash bags, but I found the traction control a touch of overkill as there's not really enough power to warrant it.
The diesel Polo cruises just fine (and zips around the suburbs OK once you learn to overcome the lag) but it's not a sporty enough power delivery to require an electonic nanny.
What the Polo does brilliantly is feel confident and settled in just about any road situation. It's an upmarket driving experience in a compact car and, when you get behind the wheel, the not-cheap price starts to make more sense.
WHY NO FREE SERVICE PLAN?
Everything about it - steering, brakes, gear shift, torsional rigidity, refinement and agility - gel into a car that feels very solid and self-assured.
Every Polo is sold with a three-year or 120 000km warranty but, considering the price, it's rude of VWSA to offer only as options a five-year or 60 000km maintenance plan or a four-year or 60 000km service plan.
As good as the car is, there's a lot of competition out there (Honda Jazz, Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2, Renault Clio).
VERDICT
I'm a fan of the new Polo and can understand why it was voted this year's European Car of the Year. It probably stands a good shot at taking the SA title in 2010. It's a class act and feels like an upmarket car, just minus the legroom.
So, Polo petrol or diesel? I'd take the petrol even though its fuel consumption is higher. It's more pleasant to drive without the irritating lag and is R26 000 less expensive for similar spec (all it's missing is the traction control, which is wasted in such a car).
Prospective buyers need to figure out how long they plan to keep the car - or how many kilometres they are likely to travel - then do the math to decide if the TDI's fuel saving will be enough to justify the price difference. - INL Motoring