Volkswagen Polo 2015 review

The starting price for the Volkswagen Polo is pegged at $15,990. On the road. So, why am I driving a Polo with a bottom line at $20,790, before it even leaves the showroom?

Because, like most cars, there is the Polo you want and the Polo you can afford. The $15,990 drive-away deal that has just been extended until March 31 is for a Polo 66TSI manual, which means you get a pretty basic package and an engine that's more about fuel economy than response or performance. You do get cruise control, but no reversing camera.

Jump to the $21,000 car and the Polo becomes much nicer, with a Comfortline upgrade for everything from that reversing camera to radar cruise control and an 81kW engine that gives the car some real punch. Pay a little more again, as many people do, and you also get a classy seven-speed double-clutch automatic gearbox.

Everything is familiar, but a little different. And generally better

So all Polos are not alike, and the 81TSI is a significantly different - and better - car than the basic model we had at the Car of the Year judging for 2014. For 2015 it has received a mild tweak, which is really only about some minor cosmetics. Otherwise is much as it started life.

Sliding into the upscale Polo, everything is familiar, but a little different. And generally better.

I immediately appreciate the camera in the tail, as well as the greater punch from the engine and the slick shifting by the DSG.

The car rides as I remember, which means plush and compliant, but I'm sure I feel a little extra grip in corners than the 66 musters.

The Polo has the substance that comes with the world's better cars

The seats are fine, the steering feel is good with a leather-wrapped wheel, and the Polo is quiet at everything up to freeway cruising speeds.

I've driven a lot of baby cars recently, including the Renault Clio and Honda Jazz which both get The Tick, but the Polo has something extra. It's the solid feel.

The Polo has the substance that comes with the world's better cars, something that gives it an edge over the Jazz, and makes you feel a little safer despite its compact size.

Not that everything is happiness in the baby Volkswagen.

It does feel dark and a bit cramped inside, the multimedia screen is too small - way smaller than the rival Jazz and Clio - and there is no satnav despite the premium price.

I'm also unhappy about the way the car surges when the cruise control is running things, overcompensating for speed loss with big jabs on the gas.

Comparing the car with its rivals, I'm also reminded that for similar money you could get a starter car in the next class. So that could mean a Hyundai i30, Mazda3 or Toyota Corolla, admittedly only with a manual gearbox and no frills.