Though Volkswagen have tinkered with their Polo supermini in the last few years, substantially improving upon it is a tough task. Yes, you could throw technological gimmickry at the thing in a bid to instil even more of a big car feel, but the Volkswagen has long been near the top of its class in terms of price and jacking the asking fee up still further would only alienate loyal customers. So it is that the Germans have stuck in recent times to merely finessing what has been something of a winning formula for them, albeit one that may now have a tougher time of it since Volkswagen's introduction of the smaller Fox model.

The smart front end introduced in 2005 is now the 'family face' of Volkswagen, with a deep grille forming the point of a V-shape which then continues up through the bonnet to the base of the windscreen pillars. The reshaped headlights lose the cute look of the old Polo in favour of something wielding a little more gravitas, the circular headlamp cutting into the bumper to give a resolutely contemporary look. Prices start at £7,690.

If you haven't tried a Polo for the last few years, you may also notice some visual changes to the rear. Here, the glass emulates the front-end's V-shaped theme, while the rear lights again reprise the design from the front, with large circular elements. Otherwise, apart from a few interior trim tweaks, Polo fanciers should feel pretty much at home. Rear seat passengers still get the same amount of headroom and the view out of the car from the driver's seat is identical to the outgoing model.

"The Polo still feels like a £25,000 car that's just emerged from a hot-wash cycle"

One obvious weak point in the old Polo line up was the inclusion of the archaic 1.9-litre 64bhp SDI diesel engine. We regularly advised buyers to steer well clear of this budget unit, a powerplant that could be wheeled out to show how far modern diesels had come. Wheezy, harsh but frustratingly gutless, this engine had little to recommend it and Volkswagen have thankfully wielded the axe, replacing it with a far superior 70PS 1.4-litre TDI unit. The old 75PS 1.4-litre TDI has been treated to a sprucing and is now good for 80PS, creating a pair of three-cylinder TDI diesel options. The frugal BlueMotion model uses this engine, plus a series of extra tweaks to record an impressive 74.3mpg combined fuel consumption figure. There's also a 100PS 1.9-litre TDI turbodiesel and, like both the 1.4-litre diesels, it's fully Euro4 compliant.

If you'd prefer a petrol-powered engine, Volkswagen offer 60 and 70PS 1.2-litre units, plus an 80PS version of the 1.4-litre powerplant and a 1.6-litre unit developing 105PS. For those who must have the ultimate Polo and don't mind paying around £15,000, there's a GTI variant featuring a 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 150PS. There's even a mock-4x4 model called the Dune, if you like that sort of thing and are prepared to pay a premium that pitches it around the £13,000 mark. This comes in 1.4-litre guise with either the 70PS diesel or the 80PS petrol unit. Ordinary Polos comes in either E, Match, SE or Sport guises and are priced from £7,700. Diesel models cost from £10,785.

An integral aspect of the Polo's appeal is the drive to downsize. That may sound odd given that the car's girth has noticeably swelled, but it now caters very well to drivers no longer interested in running something Mondeo-sized without making them feel as if they've suddenly become a member of the underclass. Swap from a Passat to a Polo and you certainly won't feel as if your station in life has taken a dive; you'll just feel as though you've taken an informed decision to drive a smaller car. No more, no less.

With 270 litres of boot space, the Polo, especially in five-door form, 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 that was once unseen on supermini class cars. It takes enormous corporate confidence to build something this tasteful and without resort to gimmickry to pull the punters in, but Volkswagen have pulled it off with aplomb. All models get power steering plus a tiltable and telescopic steering column, pretty much guaranteeing comfort behind the wheel. Plusher models get an adjustable height drivers seat.

Invisible laser welding makes the roof, rear wing and sills look all of a piece and also contributes to Volkswagen's claim that the Polo has better structural rigidity than any car in its class, although as a rather outsized Supermini, one hesitates to identify exactly which class that is. The key themes behind the Polo are the worthy (but slightly dull) avenues of safety and environmental friendliness. Both are top notch, all Polos being fitted with anti lock brakes with electronic braking assistance, twin front and side airbags, ISOFIX child seat mountings and a passenger airbag that can be deactivated when a child seat is fitted.

Overall? Well, yes, you can buy cheaper, but the Polo feels worth every penny feeling like a £25,000 car that's emerged from a hot wash cycle. Whether you view the Polo's small premium as money well spent depends on your personal perspective on Volkswagen Group products. If you think this is a fleecing, buy a SEAT or Skoda. Personally, I'd be happy paying the small premium for a finish like this.

TOP 5 POLO DEALS

The results below show the top POLO deals on buyacar

	Volkswagen Polo 1.2 E 60 3dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £117	Saving £661	Price £7,059
	Volkswagen Polo 1.4 BlueMotion 2 TDI 80 5dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £238	Saving £1,007	Price £12,553
	Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Match TDI 70 5dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £181	Saving £1,163	Price £10,242
	Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Match 80 5dr Auto Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £179	Saving £1,169	Price £10,411
	Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Match 80 5dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £162	Saving £1,077	Price £9,553

typical 13.72% APR

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