2012 Volkswagen Polo 77TSI Comfortline 6R

Volkswagen's premium supermini has been with us in its current guise for two and a half years now, but the Polo still appears fresh-faced - sporting VW's latest corporate identity that's now seen across the German firm's entire model range.

This is good news as it gives the Polo a grown up, more mature look in contrast to competition from the edgily styled but, by comparison, slightly fussy-looking Ford Fiesta.

The Polo is a well-engineered, well-built hatchback with a glorious air of quality about it. If you're looking for a more premium compact vehicle that has the ability to cover almost all bases (five people and luggage on a long haul trip will stretch it somewhat) then the Polo will suit you very well.

Performance isn't exactly brisk, though. The 77kW 1.2-litre car will complete the 0-100km/h sprint in a rather ponderous 9.7 seconds, but then again, 77TSI is more about value than outright performance.