Many potential Polo customers perceive this to be a more expensive supermini than it actually is. Trim levels start at 'S', but most customers start with the next spec level up, 'Match', which gives you 15-inch alloy wheels, front foglights, rear tinted windows and all-round parking sensors. If that's not enough, the next level up is 'beats', then 'SEL' and 'R-Line', culminating with the GTI hot hatch. There's a single five-door hatch body style and prices start from just over £15,000 (or from around £16,500 for the 'Match' models) and rise up to well over £21,500 (for the GTI variant, it's between £22,000 and £23,500). All of this is about par for the small car sector. Volkswagen hopes though, that equipment levels are anything but par for the segment. 'Big car' features now available in this model include full-LED headlights, active damping, a wireless charging mat for smartphones and one of the largest panoramic glass sunroofs in the class. Plus you can add in the brand's 'Active Info Display' to replace the conventional dashboard dials. Infotainment screens vary in size from 6.5 to 8-inches.
Camera-driven safety standards take a big step forward. Every model comes equipped with autonomous braking - a combination of the brand's 'Front Assist', City Emergency Braking' and 'Pedestrian Monitoring' systems. Buyers can also add in Blind Spot Monitoring, 'ACC' 'Adaptive Cruise Control' and a 'Rear Traffic Alert' feature that'll warn you of oncoming traffic when you're reversing out of a space. You may well have steered into that space using the optional 'Park Assist' system which now includes a 'manoeuvring function' that'll automatically brake the car if you're about to hit a solid object. No more bollard scrapes then.