WhichCar By Wheels

In car terms, the current Volkswagen Polo is a little like Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The 2010 Wheels Car of the Year has reigned as the undisputed segment benchmark for much of its life, staving off newer challengers and even VW’s own recent Annus Horribilis of recalls and unreliability accusations with velvet-lined steely resolve.

But the latest Renault Clio – boasting suave styling, sophisticated eco-friendly tech, rich touchscreen connectivity and cushy ride quality – has been a destabilising presence, while a winter might well be coming for the Wolfsburg queen in the shape of the all-new Mazda 2 late this year.

Here, then, is the MY15 Polo – coming to a VW dealer near you in September.

Exterior changes are limited to redesigned bumpers, a larger front air intake, bigger numberplate valance, new headlights with optional LEDs, different tail-light lenses with repositioned reflectors, fresh alloys, more chrome eyeliner and a few additional colours.

Equally, there was little wrong with the Polo interior, so only the trim and centre console have been altered at first glance.

The console includes a revised climate control set-up on upper-end variants, a variation of the Golf VII’s advanced touchscreen audio, multi-media and vehicle functionality interface with – at last – full Bluetooth phone and audio streaming integration.

Unfortunately, Europe’s new “pinch-and-pull” sat-nav option, with a host of programmable functions and downloadable app capability, isn’t for Australia – which seems an error in judgement since Clio, the under-rated Peugeot 208 and even Holden’s top Barina offer similar systems.

Nevertheless, the Polo is a proper little premium techno powerhouse – even in limited-spec Aussie guise.

For the first time, you’ll be able to option up your light car with a reversing camera, adaptive cruise control, a low-speed traffic monitor, automatic emergency braking system and driver-fatigue alert.

From a driving point of view, the overhaul has extended to a new lightweight electro-mechanical power steering set-up for subtly altered dynamic feel.

With slightly firmer dampers and spring rates, the VW impressed us with its quiet and absorbent ride on the standard 16-inch rubber during our first drive in Germany.

Since its local debut in late 1996, every base Polo has been vexed with some variation of a breathless atmo engine, but now it’s turbos all-round – just like the Clio – with the old 63kW/132Nm 1.4-litre lump replaced by a 66kW/160Nm 1.2L four-cylinder direct-injection turbo unit known as the 66TSI, with significantly lower consumption and emissions, in part due to an unintrusive stop/start system.

With either the slick five-speed manual or quick-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, this engine provides a decent shove once the turbo kicks and flexible torque across a wide rev range.

It brings into question the value of stretching to the higher-tune 81kW/175Nm 1.2L turbo alternative, which was not available to drive.

On paper, the 81TSI is 1.5 seconds faster to 100km/h (9.3s versus 10.8s) than the 66TSI, while delivering the same fuel economy of 4.7L/100km – and that’s just 0.1L/100km short of the old 66TDI diesel.

Speaking of diesels, the clattery new 66kW/230Nm 1.4L three-cylinder TDI won’t be heading to Australia because VW reckons the light-car market isn’t big enough to justify it.

VW warned us that the big technology leap will be accompanied by a price rise, so expect a jump of at least $500 from the current Trendline 1.4L’s $16,990.

After our brief but enjoyable blast in the new 66TSI, we reckon the Polo’s reign as the light-car benchmark is likely to extend for quite some time yet.

Volkswagen Polo 66TSI Trendline DSG

Plus: Massive tech uplift; luxury-car driver aids; TSI across the range; improved dynamics Minus: Expected price rise; no sat-nav; no diesel; no 1.0TSI 3-pot turbo; dating cabin architecture Engine: 1177cc in-line 4 turbo Max power: 66kW @ 4800rpm Max torque: 160Nm @ 1400-4000rpm Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto 0-100km: 10.8sec* Avg L/100km: 4.7* Price: From $19,500** On sale: September* Euro figures ** Estimated

Listen up, peasants. The facelifted version of a fourth-generation car your family won’t be able to afford for several more generations has been released.

This is the nipped and tucked A8 sedan, a big luxury barge that would perch on top of the Audi tree were it not so tremendously heavy.

It is similar to the new-generation A8 that was launched it 2010, with upgraded engines, some minor exterior revisions, fresh gizmos and all-electric steering, instead of the electro-hydraulic set-up of the previous model.

That last change is especially important because until now the A8 was not available with features such as automatic parking and lane-change assistance, items available on some cars that cost less than $30,000.

The A8 does not cost anywhere near $30,000, with the cheapest model in the range, the 3.0-litre V6 diesel, starting off at $195,000.

Next up is a 4.2-litre V8 diesel at a more considerable $249,900.

Audi customers in Australia apparently wanted to spend even more money and requested Audi import the yet more expensive S8 model.

This has been available here previously, with a Lamborghini petrol V10 lowered into the nose. However, in 2010, Audi released a new S8 overseas with a petrol turbo 4.0-litre V8 under the bonnet, but Audi Australia didn’t bother bringing it here.

Now it has arrived and it can be yours for $279,000.

For that coin you get a luxurious bruiser that can blast from 0-100km/h in just 4.1 seconds, which is quite remarkable given this car weighs 1990kg, despite being made mostly of lightweight aluminium.

The S8 is no doubt aimed at those who want the biggest and the most powerful because it is not an ideal car for the S treatment.

Even with all that power and the dampers set to the Dynamic mode, it still feels big and heavy any time it gets near a corner.

You never do get tired of the acceleration, though.

The V8 diesel model, with 283kW and 850Nm, does the 0-100km/h dash in the also impressive time of 4.7 seconds. Really, drive this and there is not much point spending the extra for the S8, because it unleashes a torrent of torque that just never seems to stop.

The 3.0-litre V6 diesel, with 190kW and 580Nm, is no slouch, either (0-100km/h in 5.9sec), and the engine is well suited to the A8’s cruisy and comfortable character.

It doesn’t get all the tech gear as standard, but it isn’t a stripped-out special, and you can always add things such as the tricky Matrix active full-LED headlights (for $2000).

The only negatives with the A8 are a little bit more road and wind noise than you expect at this end of the market, and some suspension busyness over some surfaces.

Otherwise, the revised A8 range lives up to the promise of its price tag.

The new M3 sedan and M4 coupe nail the crucial performance, weight and fuel consumption targets set for them, but these are not performance-by-numbers cars lacking spirit and satisfaction, like the 2011 M5.

The M3 and M4 will do much to repair the damage that car did to the stellar reputation of BMW’s M division.

Laps of the challenging Portimao circuit in southern Portugal’s Algarve region highlighted the pair’s performance, traction, brakes and balance. And hundreds of kilometres on a variety of public roads in the region also proved that both M3 and M4 could be used every day.

Their only real shortcoming was annoyingly high levels of noise from the Pilot Super Sport tyres specially developed by Michelin for the cars.

The high-revving twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine of the M3 and M4 proves M division’s engine people are internal combustion aces.The new turbocharged 3.0-litre replaces a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre V8, but the smaller engine delivers a little more power, much more torque and lower consumption.

The twin-turbo produces 317kW at 5500-7300rpm and 550Nm at 1850-5500rpm, and combined-cycle consumption (with the seven-speed double-clutch transmission that will be most popular) is an impressive 8.3L/100km.

There’s no significant difference between sedan and coupe. The two-door is a little lighter (23kg, according to the technical sheet) and the four-door is fractionally stiffer (according to project boss Wimbeck), but the superb engine, double-clutch transmission, super-effective active differential, and standard and optional ceramic brake packages are identical. So, too, is their handling.

All the cars at the international launch were equipped with optional 19-inch wheels and ceramic brakes; smart choices given the demands of the Portimao track.

There was great grip until the superb Michelins wilted under the pressure of repeated hot laps. But decaying grip only highlighted the wonderful balance of the cars’ chassis. They have the M-car magic of old, with the ability to deliver oversteer or understeer in precisely measured doses according to the driver’s desire. Handling neutrality is also a choice, for those searching for the best possible lap time.

What makes the new M3 and M4 arguably better than their revered ancestors is their comfortable and civilised behaviour on the road.

The M engineers have made the most of the electronic tuneability of dampers, drivetrain and steering to offer drivers a range of choices that provides a set-up for everything from racetrack and to lumpy, winding, back road.

The M3 and M4 arrive in Australia in June, with prices close to the obvious Mercedes-Benz AMG competitors. The M3 will be $156,900, the M4 $166,900.

Showing the signs of excruciating timing, General Motors has posted its second-worst annual loss ever, while warning the market that it could get a ‘going concern’ notice from its auditors which may or may not declare the creaky giant unfit enough to continue operating.

GM’s staggering loss of US $9.6 billion in the fourth quarter and US$30.9 billion for all of last year comes as it is asking for more federal loans. GM has already received $13.4 billion in taxpayers’ funded loans and says it needs up to $16.6 billion more, and soon…The ‘going concern’ statement, issued by auditors when they question a company’s viability, is a possibility. GM has already admitted that without government help, it cannot survive the economic crunch.According to USA Today, GM admits it blew $5.2 billion in cash in the fourth quarter and expects to burn through $14 billion this year, much of it in the current quarter. It has also put its debt at $82 billion.On top of these sobering numbers, GM’s sales have fallen in a heap in the US and elsewhere.Opel, its European arm, has been relatively healthy (if losing money) but stands to be dragged down with the sinking ship.Opel’s workers have rallied to demand that the parent company GM spin off Opel. “Opel is not the disaster. GM is the disaster,” GM Europe union leader Klaus Franz said.In further bad news for GM took the second-last spot, ahead of wooden spooner Chrysler, in Consumer Reports magazine’s new reliability survey.Detroit’s other member of the Big Three, Ford, performed better, kind of. It was fourth from the bottom, ahead of Suzuki.Honda cracked the top spot for the third straight year, closely followed by Subaru, Toyota and Mazda. Locked together next were Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Volkswagen and BMW.

After a hefty 18 percent loss in local sales last month, the final February figures hardly look hopeful for the domestic car market.

This time last year, vehicle sales were healthy at a hefty 89,898 units, easily targeting the million-plus vehicle sales mark for the year. In February ’09, however, 70,241 cars, commercials and 4WDs were sold – almost 22 percent or 19, 657 units less than ’08. But let’s not forget – last year’s sales were at record highs.

Toyota’s senior executive director of sales and marketing, David Buttner, said both the overall figures and Toyota’s results were actually the sixth-best February on record, and that February industry sales in previous years had topped 80,000 on just three occasions and between 70,000 and 80,000 only twice.“When analysing this year’s market, it should be remembered that all-time records were being set during the first half of 2008, before the global financial crisis,” Mr Buttner said.“Although the market is tough, we should maintain our focus and recognise that motorists are now being offered some of the best-value deals they have seen for years.”Government stimulus packages should also help the numbers climb towards the end of the financial year, as businesses are allowed to claim deductions of up to 30 percent of a new vehicle’s purchase price before June 30.“The Federal Government has taken action to provide businesses with a considerable tax break when they invest in assets, including new vehicles,” said Andrew McKellar of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) today.“The tax break provides a significant boost to business and will help encourage investment and broader economic activity,” he said.In the sales war, Toyota topped the pops again with 14,274 vehicles sold (20.3 percent market share), followed by Holden (9,029 units /12.9 percent market share) and then Ford (7,396/ 10.5 percent market share).

FOUR-FIGURE CARS

Consider this number: 84,657,534.

What is it? The amount of dollars General Motors lost every day last year. The automaker reported an annual loss of $30.9 billion for 2008, $9.6 coming in the last quarter. Here’s a little more depressing math: at the end of the year GM had $14 billion in cash. Subtract the $4 billion it had received from the U.S. government and you have GM working with less than the reported $11-14 billion it needs for ongoing operations.Other downer numbers: GM vehicle sales in the U.S. fell 22.7 percent in 2008 and the automaker’s revenues fell to $149 billion from $180 billion.So here’s the government’s problem. Cut GM off and it could be bankrupt very quickly, affecting millions of jobs directly or indirectly. There could be automotive chaos, as suppliers who deal companies other than GM would likely fail.On the other hand, if the government steps up to support GM there’s no estimate how long that support will have to continue, nor its cost.It’s this fear of an automotive black hole that has many concerned. As it is, GM is already asking for another $16.6 billion in government aid, with Chrysler requesting an added $5 billion. Ford continues to claim it is okay though 2009, though it did burn through a surprising amount of cash during December and question marks remain…Addressing a joint session of our Senate and House of Representatives, U.S. President Barack Obama spoke about the automakers. He chastised Detroit, saying, “As for our auto industry, everyone recognizes that years of bad decision-making and a global recession have pushed our automakers to the brink. We should not, and will not, protect them from their own bad practices.”Obama then added, “But we are committed to the goal of a re-tooled, reimagined auto industry that can compete and win. Millions of jobs depend on it. Scores of communities depend on it. And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it.”Yes, he got that last bit of history wrong and you could almost hear automotive historians–and Mercedes public relations men–groaning throughout the U.S.Obama’s speech was just the latest in the daily line of news concerning automakers and the economy.President Obama with GM Chairman CEO Rick Wagoner in 2008 As examples: the often outrageous salaries paid to auto executives has been cut, in part because Congress won’t stand for millions of dollars going to executives whose firms are failing. GM Chairman CEO Rick Wagoner made $2.2 million in 2008 and will get $1 in 2009. Other GM top executives are taking a 20-30 percent cut, while Ford’s Alan Mullay is down 30 percent. Year-end bonuses go out the window, and unions have chipped in with financial cutbacks.GM killed its high performance division, and basically said it will do away with Saturn after the 2012 year, unless someone cares to pony up for it, which is unlikely. Saab fans are in trouble.By the way, if there is one continuing question that swims throughout all this drama it is this: GM lost $30.9 billion in 2008 and tens of billions in the half-decade before that and yet the same men remain in charge. Why?Actually one exec is about to depart and he’s the one many of us wish would stay. Bob Lutz, 76, GM’s vice chairman and product chief, will be backing into a smaller role as of April 1 and out the door at the end of December.A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, BMW, Ford, Chrysler and GM, Lutz has always been known as the ultimate “car guy” in a business that has needed such men. Outspoken and charismatic, Lutz has been an inspiring leader in a company too often too fond of its accountants.We’ve had to work through so much bad news lately, I had to finish on an upbeat this month.Racing season has begun again and it started with an excellent Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. After a day’s racing, the winning margin was just .167 seconds, the closest finish in the event’s history.Then we had our premier stock car event of the year, the Daytona 500, and all the associated racing that took place at the Florida speedway over the course of eight days.It was great to have racing back, and much was made during the broadcasts of the effects of the financial situation on the sport. While many of the cars were plastered with all manner of sponsors as always, there was no hiding the cars with minimal advertising. Announcers made no secret of the number of teams running limited schedules during the season. It is a tough reality, but it is being faced with honesty.And then, seeming to defy reality, word came that the long-rumored USF1 project was nearing readiness. Its principles are Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson, who has experience in F1, Indycar and NASCAR. Most F1 fans know Windsor as a one-time manager of the Williams F1 team, but he is quite well known and respected in the U.S. as a television commentator for F1.So in the midst of the cost cutting going on throughout the auto business, how can anyone form an F1 team with all its mega-costs? Windsor claims USF1 can be the prototype for the new generation of lean, mean Grand Prix teams being promoted these days by F1 organizers.Maybe so, but running a team throughout the world, with an emphasis on Europe, while your headquarters are in Charlotte, North Carolina, has to be expensive.As Americans we’d love to see it happen, and have little doubt there is plenty of technological assistance available in the States. Eight years ago I was in the NASCAR shops of Richard Childress, shortly before his main driver, Dale Earnhardt, was killed at Daytona. I was there with Phil Hill and while the shops in general were impressive, we were taken aback by the research and development department. It was peopled by highly intelligent, well-motivated young men with engineering degrees from major universities. They told us with pride how much of the equipment in their department was the same you’d find in an F1 shop… and they were very up-to-date on the latest in F1 thinking, even though they could never use it on stock cars.And right now there are a lot of NASCAR men, even from the top ranks, looking for employment.As for USF1 drivers, Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti have already expressed skepticism in the project, but I was delighted to see another driver who showed interest: Kyle Busch.He is the current bad boy of NASCAR, not all that loveable, but Busch is an excellent driver. Arguably the best in NASCAR.A stock car driver in F1 you wonder? It’s my conviction that had he decided to race F1 instead of NASCAR, Jeff Gordon could have been a World Driving Champion. We’ll never know, but…

More than 45,000 Australian Toyota Yaris owners are involved in an international recall of the model announced in Japan.

Toyota Motor Corp said yesterday about 1.3 million Yaris-based cars were being recalled worldwide to rectify a potentially dangerous seat belt problem and, in Japan, a potential exhaust defect.Toyota Australia says 45,360 cars here are involved in the recall. It says that number represents Yaris hatchbacks and sedans sold here between the October, 2005 local launch of the car and early April, 2007 – not April, 2008, as reported elsewhere.A Toyota Australia spokesman said today the recall was precautionary. He said it involved replacing a sound insulating pad which is part of the seat belt pre-tensioning system. The pad could catch alight in a heavy frontal crash, he said.Toyota US spokesman Brian R. Lyons told the Associated Press that in such a crash, the gas expelled by the pre-tensioner could cause the foam pad to ignite, leading to a fire.Toyota Australia said Yaris owners affected by the recall would be notified by mail to take their car to their Toyota dealer, where the pads would be replaced free of charge. The job would take about an hour, he said.

Spearheading new safety standards for cars across the European Union, all new models of passenger cars and utility vehicles must be equipped with electronic stability systems (ESP) from November, 2011.

EU-Industry commissioner Günter Verheugen called the new regulations “a milestone for the environmental sustainability and road safety “.The move to ESP could save as many as 5000 road deaths annually.New versions of older models get a period of grace until the end of 2013.As well, the new legislation calls for manufacturers to, by November 2012 fit their cars with “optimised rolling resistance” tyres plus a system for controlling tyre inflation. However, it is expected there will be transition periods lasting up to 2018 in order to give the European motor industry time to adjust to the new regulations.Parliamentarian Andreas Schwab told Der Spiegel that about 65 per cent of motorists drive with too-low tyre pressures, a situation that is both dangerous and inefficient, with the under-inflated tyres consuming 3-5 per cent more fuel.Schwab said it’s an important step considering the expected reduced number of deaths particularly in view of the many crashes involving trucks.Observers see the new standards as handing an advantage to the German motor industry which has already been offering ESP in affordable mainstream vehicles.The regulation is part of the EU climate package. The aurals caused by tyres shall also be reduced. The EU member nations are also expected to use more noise-absorbing road surfaces.

Toyota has started an undesirable trend in Japan, with carmakers Honda, Mazda and Nissan now looking to borrow bank funds to keep their cars flowing through a stagnant US market.

With its biggest market in full cardiac arrest, even the omnipresent Toyota has gone begging for yen.Last week, Toyota finally bowed to the pressure and reportedly applied to the Japan Bank for a 200 billion yen loan (AU$3.167 billion) to keep up its dwindling cash reserves and make sure its global customers can borrow against their vehicles. This is after a massive release of bonds onto the market, which were sacrificed at a reduced rate to get another billion yen in the bank.Automotive News reported today that Toyota remains the only Japanese manufacturer to actually ask for the money, but Honda is allegedly sniffing around for AU$157 million to use as US customer credit.Despite of the recent, positive news of plans to increase production due to the high demand of its new Insight Hybrid, Honda will still record the worst profit loss in 15 years this March…Not wanting to be left out of the handout, Mazda and Nissan confirmed that if some of Japan’s cash hoard becomes available through its main bank, they too will put out their hands.

You’ve heard about all the workaholics in Japan, those dedicated office workers who stay at their desks all hours, toiling away for the prosperity of the company.

Now comes some stunning news out of corporate Japan. At Nissan, at least, it’s OK now for staff to Moonlight: that is, for them to find second jobs to make ends meet in the current economic doom and gloom.Nissan, like all makers, is slowing production and idling plants to cope with plummeting sales. As a result, wages are being cut too, in some cases by up to 20 percent. .One way to compensate is to let factory workers find second jobs to make up for the financial shortfall. Some Nissan admin staff in its Tokyo HQ might also soon come under the scheme.The extraordinary idea, agreed with the labour union’s consent, is thought to be the first of its kind on corporate Japan: it’s certainly a dramatic first among Japan’s top car makers. Yes, workers are being allowed to do jobs on the side, but so long as working hours don’t exceed eight hours a day. First they must also report to the company what it is they are going to do.Moonlighting is officially verboten at Nissan but the company has decided to approve it for now “as an emergency step,” a Nissan told the press..On current plans, Nissan will slash Japanese production by as much as 50 per cent to cope with the global sales collapse. Times really toughening up in Japan.