Car makers can be very good at overlooking the obvious. None of the publicity material that accompanied the Volkswagen Polo Dune's launch pack made any mention of the Polo Dune that was launched in 2004. It's a mystery to you too? That's not surprising. The car wasn't on sale very long and it didn't exactly floor dealers with demand in the period that it was. Therefore, it's probably fair to say that the current generation Dune has very little to live up to.

It's probably just as well. Not because the latest Dune is a bad car - it patently isn't - but because this genre of vehicle has become a legitimate target for the ribbing of every motoring scribe in the business. On the face of it, dressing a supermini up as a 4x4 is faintly ridiculous and no matter how hard I attempt to justify the macho body mouldings in terms of supermarket car park protection, the Polo Dune will always be a tough sell. Volkswagen are justified in being a little aggrieved at being beaten to the punch in this sector. Having thought up the whole '4x4-look supermini' concept with the Polo Fun show car, they quickly saw first MG Rover and then Citroen beat them to market.

As galling as it was for Volkswagen, imagine how the top brass at Ford must feel. With sales of this sort of vehicle looking surprisingly buoyant, they must now regret the decision to tone down the Fusion's 4x4 styling cues, instead positioning it as a sort of half-baked Fiesta MPV. Of all the entrants to this niche market to date, Volkswagen's Polo Dune looks by far the most convincing. Much of that is due to its styling which is chunky and purposeful. Neither the Citroen nor the now dead Rover could claim to offer a modern chassis coupled with a raised ride height and these two factors contribute to make the Polo Dune worth a look.

"The suspension gets a 20mm altitude adjustment"

Prices start from £12,955 for 80PS petrol power or £13,790 for the 70PS diesel, both 1.4-litre units. Both are well mannered engines with the diesel just getting the nod in terms of driveability. Its fuel economy is superior too but you'll need to do a sum regarding your annual mileage and the two cars' respective list prices to see whether the diesel is worth the premium. With unit injector technology and variable geometry turbocharging, this is a state of the art diesel unit and is a lot more refined and progressive in its power delivery than previous generation TDI powerplants.

Volkswagen have striven to give the Polo Dune a burly appearance but retain the standard Polo's agility. Many drivers like the raised ride height as it allows them to see over other traffic, hedges, walls etc, giving a subconscious feeling of safety. This secure feel is aided by the beefy front and rear bumpers, the side and wheel arch protection and the chunky tyres. BBS alloy wheels, silver coloured roof rails and door mirrors with integrated indicators are also part of the Polo Dune styling package. Despite its macho styling, underneath it's virtually identical to a normal front-wheel drive Polo shopping hatch. Although this may limit its ability to tackle the Rubicon Trail, anybody who's driven one of the latest generation of Polo models will know this is a very good thing when it comes to tarmac performance.

The interior of the Polo Dune has been jazzed up to offer a younger look and feel than the rather sombre Polo cabin. The chrome plated instrument surrounds, aluminium effect pedals, sports seats and leather trim for the steering wheel and handbrake set the Dune apart from lesser Polo models. Standard trim is generous and includes semi automatic climate-controlled air-conditioning, electric windows all round, a multifunction computer, an MP3-compatible CD stereo, front fog lights and electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors.

The key themes behind the Polo are the worthy (but slightly dull) avenues of safety and environmental friendliness. Both have been ratcheted up a notch or two, the Dune being fitted with anti lock brakes with electronic braking assistance, twin front and side airbags, ISOFIX child seat mountings and a switchable passenger airbag. With 270 litres of boot space, the Dune can realistically function as family transport, with rear legroom particularly generous. Park yourself behind the steering wheel and you'll witness a level of fit and finish unseen on Supermini class cars. The steering wheel is slightly unusual, resembling an early Porsche 911 design, but the rest of the cabin has that elegant, understated simplicity of all Volkswagen Group products.

Sales figures would suggest that there is a market for this type of car, despite what many supercilious commentators may suggest. The trick is to build a car that's attractive and affordable. Volkswagen have certainly scored with the first count but the Dune is by no means a snip with prices at a premium of over £2,000 compared to a normal 1.4-litre Match Polo model. In other words, you've really got to want it. Many would feel that a safari holiday to Tanzania makes a more definitive lifestyle statement than some body mouldings and raised suspension on your Volkswagen Polo but that's the beauty of personal choice. There's always somebody around to tell you what you could have spent your money on.

TOP 2 POLO DEALS

The results below show the top POLO deals on buyacar

	Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Dune TDI 5dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £235	Saving £1,271	Price £12,549
	Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Dune 80 5dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £217	Saving £1,185	Price £11,800

typical 12.41% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000