2018 Volkswagen Polo 6 pricing and features

The all-new, and bigger, Volkswagen Polo will arrive in Australia in March, with a starting price of $17,990 putting it $1000 higher than the soon-to-be-superseded current-gen base model.

The extra coin brings auto braking as standard and a new 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which provides more power and torque than the current 1.2-litre four, without conceding fuel efficiency.

The new 1.0 litre engine comes in two tunes; 70kW/175Nm in the base-model Polo 70TSI Trendline, and the 85kW unit in the 85TSI Comfortline that produces a whopping 200Nm of torque, which is the same shove as the Golf 7’s 92TSI.

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Both consume between 4.8L/100km and 5.1L/100km depending on transmission, which is a marginal increase over the current model and likely an unnoticeable difference in real-world driving conditions.

The 70TSI Trendline comes with a choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed dual clutch auto, with the latter attracting a $2500 premium.

Standard kit over the current entry-level Polo Urban includes city-speed automatic emergency braking, a bigger 8.0-inch infotainment screen and driver fatigue detection, but it does lose alloy wheels in favour of 15-inch steels.

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The 70TSI also comes equipped with a flat-bottomed leather steering wheel, reversing camera, Multi-Function Display, Apple Carplay and Android Auto, two USB port, cruise control, manual air conditioning and heated power operated wing mirrors.

The 85TSI Comfortline comes in at $19,490 and $21,990 for the manual and auto respectively, and adds 15-inch alloy wheels, dusk sensing headlights, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, auto-dimming mirror, front centre armrest and more premium cloth upholstery.

For an extra $1500 you can add the sporty R-Line package to the Comfortline, which adds a redesigned black lower-front bumper and air intake, side sill extensions, revised rear bumper, high-gloss black rear spoiler, metallic grey 16-inch Sebring alloy wheels, sports suspension and front fog lights.

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A $1400 Driver Assistance package is available for the Comfortline and Launch Edition with adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert and power folding mirrors. It also brings a proactive occupant protection system, which senses if the car is about to be rear ended and flashes the hazards, closes the windows and sunroof and pretensions the seatbelts.

The three initial Polo models will be joined by the Polo GTI and the Polo Beats, with a 300 Watt “Beats by Dre” sound system, during the middle of the year.

The all-new Polo 6 is bigger than the car it replaces, so much so that it has out grown the light hatch segment which includes the Mazda 2, Ford Fiesta, Kia Rio and Honda Jazz.

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The ‘segment busting’ hatch is bigger than a MK4 Golf and its wheelbase is just 52mm shy of the Toyota Corolla. When compared to the bigger hatches, its sub-$20k entry-level pricing becomes very competitive.

2018 Volkswagen Polo 6 pricing*

• Polo 70TSI Trendline, manual - $17,990
• Polo 70TSI Trendline, auto - $20,490
• Polo 85TSI Comfortline, manual - $19,490
• Polo 85TSI Comfortline, auto - $21,990

*Manufacturer’s retail list price