The fifth-generation Polo arrived in British dealers back in October 2009 with a range that drew upon 34 years of experience in this market sector. At launch, the Polo was offered with a choice of five engines, three petrol and two diesel. These were a pair of naturally-aspirated 1.2-litre engines with 60 or 70 PS and a 1.4-litre 85 PS; plus two 1.6-litre common rail TDI units producing 75 or 90 PS. All engines complied with Euro V emissions legislation. In a break from the previous Polo line-up, the fifth generation was offered in four different trim levels and an 'A/C' model was offered for those requiring climate control. The range consisted of S, Moda (designed to appeal to a younger audience), SE, and SEL. All models offered a decent level of standard specification including four airbags, ABS and, for the first time, ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme) on every version.
The following year saw the introduction of the 1.2-litre 105 PS turbocharged TSI engine and the specialist GTI and BlueMotion models. The Polo scooped the 2010 European Car of the Year gong and UK titles followed suit. It won Autocar's 2010 'Car of the Year' award and What Car?'s 'Supermini of the Year' title and the 'Best Small Car' award from Fleet World soon followed. It then won 'World Car of the Year' for 2010, so it's fair to say that it had a warm welcome from its critics. In 2011, sales were boosted with offers of £500 off, competitive finance packages, three years' free servicing and free insurance.
The rather slow-selling Moda and SE models were then pensioned off and an old favourite badge came in to replace them, in the form of the Polo Match. The following year saw the introduction of the aggressive-looking Polo R-Line and the excellent 1.4-litre 140PS BlueGT. Volkswagen also started fitting DAB digital radios and Bluetooth as standard to the Polo. In Spring 2013, there were more equipment tweaks with the BlueMotion and Match getting rear parking sensors, cruise control and an alarm, while the Match was renamed the 'Polo Match Edition'. Further up the Polo range, the SEL, R-Line, BlueGT and GTI models were fitted with cruise control and rear parking sensors. A 'Polo R-Line Style' model was added which featured the R-Line body kit, body-coloured door handles and door mirrors, 16-inch 'Rivazza' alloy wheels and a Bluetooth touch phone kit. The Polo received a facelift inside and out for the 2014 model year.
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