The Volkswagen Polo Mk4 is the fourth generation of the

Volkswagen Polo The Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car ( B-segment) produced by the German car manufacturer Volkswagen since 1975. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, saloon, and estate variants throughout its production run. Histor ...

supermini car produced by the German manufacturer

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

. It was marketed from early 2002 to 2009 in most countries except Argentina and the USA. It was manufactured in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

until 2017, it was sold as the Polo Vivo. The Mk4 replaced the

Volkswagen Polo Mk3 The Volkswagen Polo Mk3 (''Typ'' 6N/6KV) is the third generation of the Volkswagen Polo supermini car and was produced from 1994 until 2002, with a facelift at the end of 1999. It was available in hatchback, sedan and wagon body styles. Although t ...

, while the Polo Vivo replaced the Citi Golf. In 2018 the Mk4 was replaced by the

Volkswagen Polo Mk5 The Volkswagen Polo Mk5 is the fifth generation of the Polo, a supermini-class car manufactured by Volkswagen since 2009. The vehicle unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show in March 2009, while the three-door version was unveiled at the 2009 Fr ...

Polo Vivo. In

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, It was manufactured until 2014 with a second facelift called 9n4, It was replaced in 2017 by Volkswagen Polo Mk6.

Overview

Launched in September 2001 at the

Frankfurt Motor Show The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility shows. It cons ...

, the fourth generation Polo (internal designation ''Typ'' 9N) was made available in early 2002. In keeping with Volkswagen's aim of floor pan sharing it shares its platform with the

SEAT Ibiza The SEAT Ibiza is a supermini car that has been manufactured by Spanish car manufacturer SEAT since 1984. It is SEAT's best-selling car. The Ibiza is named after the Spanish island of Ibiza and was the second SEAT model to be named after a Spa ...

6L,

SEAT Córdoba The SEAT Córdoba is the saloon, estate and coupé version of the SEAT Ibiza supermini car, built by the Spanish automaker SEAT. It was manufactured between 1993 and 2010, and was related with the second and third generations of the Ibiza. ...

6L,

Volkswagen Gol The Volkswagen Gol is a subcompact car that has been manufactured by Volkswagen do Brasil since 1980 as Volkswagen's entry-level car in the Latin American market—where it succeeded the Volkswagen Type 1 (Fusca) and the VW Brasilia. Sev ...

Third Generation, also called G5 or N.F.- Not to be confused with

Volkswagen Golf The Volkswagen Golf () is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates ...

- and

Škoda Fabia The Škoda Fabia is a supermini car produced by Czech manufacturer Škoda Auto since 1999. It is the successor of the Škoda Felicia, which was discontinued in 2001. The Fabia was available in hatchback, estate (named Fabia Combi) and saloo ...

Mk1. The car is all new, and bears more structural resemblance to the 6K than the 6N, outwardly the most recognizable change is the quad round headlights similar to the

Volkswagen Lupo The Volkswagen Lupo (''Typ'' 6X) is a city car that was produced by the German car manufacturer Volkswagen, from 1998 to 2005. It shares most of its aspects with the Volkswagen Group's SEAT Arosa, both derived from the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 platfor ...

. At a length of over , the South African-built Polo Vivo is longer than the first generation of its larger sibling, the

Volkswagen Golf Mk1 The Volkswagen Golf Mk1 is the first generation of a small family car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen. It was noteworthy for signalling Volkswagen's shift of its major car lines from rear-wheel drive and rear-mounted air-cooled engines t ...

, in length.

Release in North America

In January 2009,

Volkswagen Group of America Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (sometimes referred to as Volkswagen of America, abbreviated to VWoA), is the North American operational headquarters, and subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group of automobile companies of Germany. VWoA is responsi ...

CEO Stefan Jacoby announced that the Polo will finally reach North America to join the vehicle line-up as a true entry-level car below the

Rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

. However, the Polo Mk4 was never released in the North American market, leaving the speculation for its successor, the Polo Mk5. When the Mk5 was introduced in European markets, it was not made available for US sale. Due to the increased demand for SUVs, VWoA management confirmed the Mk5 was not slated for a US introduction in the foreseeable future. If the Mk5 had been introduced in the US, it was anticipated to be built at Volkswagen's plant in Puebla, Mexico, alongside the Jetta and New Beetle. As of 2016, there are still no plans to introduce the Polo Mk5 or future generations of the Polo in the US.

Models and specifications

The model range includes the norm for current Volkswagen models, from the Comfortline to the Trendline and Highline, whilst featuring an extensive list of extras that had now become norm in mid-sized small cars. Items such as ABS, power steering, front and side airbags and front and rear head restraints were standard on all models and ESP, brake assistance, air conditioning, satellite navigation etc. were optional on higher spec models. It is the first Polo generation to use a semi-automatic air conditioning system, with

automatic climate control Automobile air conditioning systems use air conditioning to cool the Atmosphere of Earth, air in a vehicle. History A company in New York City in the United States first offered installation of air conditioning for cars in 1933. Most of their cu ...

, named Climatic, that adjusts the interior temperature automatically to the value set on the control panel, whereas the air distribution and air blower speed are adjusted manually. A fully automatic air conditioning system, named Climatronic, was also offered. It was available with a choice of a five-speed manual gearbox, a six-speed manual gearbox, only for the sporty 1.9-litre diesel model, or with a four-speed automatic gearbox, used only in combination with the 1.4-litre petrol engine. A six-speed semi-automatic transmission (

Tiptronic The modern usage of the automotive term manumatic denotes an automatic transmission that allows the driver to select a specific gear, typically using paddle-shifters, steering wheel-mounted push-buttons, or "+" and "-" controls on the gear sele ...

) was added from mid-2006, after the

facelift A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (from the Ancient Greek () "wrinkle", and () "excision", the surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure used to give a more youthful facial appearance. There are mul ...

, also available only with the 1.4-litre or with the 1.6-litre petrol engines. There was also a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

version of the Polo, with off-road styling, named Polo Fun (Polo Dune in the UK, Polo Soho in Spain, CrossPolo in South Africa), released in 2003 - despite its appearance the car was never available with 4WD. According to Volkswagen, the following generation of the Polo would receive the 4motion (four-wheel-drive) option.

Engines

The Polo was available with several petrol and diesel engines: a 1.2 L three-cylinder

petrol engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and ethanol blends (such as ''E ...

with or (depending on the number of valves per cylinder, two or four) and a 16-valve 1.4 L

4-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...

with or petrol engine, the last one on the 16V-badged model. Both turbocharged and unturbocharged diesel engines were available such as the 4-cylinder 1.9 L SDI ( Suction Diesel Injection) which also offered but with of torque, slightly more than some petrol powered units. As well as the unturbocharged SDI engine, newer TDI PD

turbodiesel The term turbo-diesel, also written as turbodiesel and turbo diesel, refers to any diesel engine equipped with a turbocharger. As with other engine types, turbocharging a diesel engine can significantly increase its efficiency and power output, ...

units were also available, these being a 1.9 L with and a three-cylinder 1.4 L model (the 1.9 with one cylinder less) with . A sporty 1.9 TDI PD model, named Polo GT, was launched in 2004, with .

Sedan

A sedan version was launched in November 2003. It was produced in

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and exported to the rest of

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, as well as to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. With the introduction of the Polo Classic saloon in the Australian market in 2004, the Chinese version, has the distinction of being the first Chinese-built car to be produced in

right-hand drive Left-hand traffic (LHT) and right-hand traffic (RHT) are the practices, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side or to the right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to traffic flow, and are sometimes referred to ...

. Compared to the hatchback model, the Polo Sedan (also "Saloon" or "Limousine") is completely re-styled from the B-pillar rearwards. The window line has a slight upward incline and the roof features Volkswagen’s trademark curves and the concise styling of the C-pillar provides aspects that are actually reminiscent of a coupe. At the rear, the large horizontally divided rear lights and sculptured panels complete a design that is classically Volkswagen. Overall, the Polo Sedan is 28 centimetres longer than the hatchback version (4179 mm vs 3897 mm). Consequently, with the rear seatback in place, the Polo Sedan offers 461 Litres of boot capacity (211 litres more than the hatchback siblings) and with the rear seats folded down, 1127 litres of storage capacity is available. Under the bonnet is Volkswagen’s 1.6-litre multi-valve engine that delivers of power at 5500 rpm and peak torque of at 3250 rpm. Transmission is a five-speed manual. Standard features including dual front and side airbags, semi-automatic air conditioning, CD player, ABS brakes and remote central locking with engine immobiliser. File:Volkswagen Polo MK4 sedan facelift 001.jpg , Volkswagen Polo MK4 sedan facelift File:Volkswagen Polo MK4 sedan facelift 002.jpg , Volkswagen Polo MK4 sedan facelift (rear) File:Volkswagen_Polo_9N_Sedan_Mexico.JPG, Volkswagen Polo 9N2 Sedan

Facelift

In May 2005, the Polo Mk4 was facelifted, creating the Mk4F (internal designation ''Typ'' 9N3) moniker, with new headlights, taillights and a different hatch, which resembled other recently launched models in the Volkswagen line-up of the time. The ''Typ'' 9N3 came in six different trims, ranging from the basic E model to the GTI. Like its predecessor, the standard models use the same engine range from the 1.2 L 55 PS (40 kW) 3-cylinder engine to the 1.9 L TDI engine. A 9N3 model Polo with a 2.0L 8v petrol engine shared with the Mk4 Golf 2.0, was also available specific to the South African market from 2005-2007, badged under the 'Highline' trim. File:2005-2008 Volkswagen Polo (9N3) Match 5-door hatchback (2011-10-25).jpg, Volkswagen Polo Mk4 5-door (facelift) File:2008 Volkswagen Polo (9N3 MY08) Club 3-door hatchback (2015-07-24) 02.jpg, Volkswagen Polo Mk4 3-door (facelift)

Polo GTI

With the introduction of the Polo Mk4, the Polo GTI Mk3 was discontinued and was given no direct replacement. It was not until late 2005 that the Polo GTI was reintroduced. It was unveiled on 21 October 2005 at the

Australian International Motor Show The Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) was an annual auto show held in Australia, alternating between the cities of Sydney and Melbourne. Prior to the Sydney event in 2010, both cities previously hosted separate annual exhibitions. Melbo ...

. It featured a 20-valve turbocharged 1.8-litre petrol engine which had been used in models such as the Golf GTI Mk4 and the

Passat The Volkswagen Passat is a series of large family cars manufactured and marketed by the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen since 1973, and now in its eighth generation. It has been marketed variously as the Dasher, Santana, Quantum, Mago ...

Mk5. Its styling bears some resemblance to the Mk5 Golf GTI, with a blacked out central "scoop" in the bumper surrounding the honeycomb grille. In this new model the fully digital climate control is optional and xenon lights are not available, unlike the Polo GTI Mk3 which featured them as standard. Although faster than the previous model, the Polo GTI Mk4 is less powerful than the top versions of the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa,

BMW MINI Mini (stylised as MINI) is a British automotive marque founded in 1969, owned by German automotive company BMW since 2000, and used by them for a range of small cars assembled in the United Kingdom, Austria and the Netherlands. The word Mi ...

and its stablemate

, most of which come with engines with a maximum output above . This led Volkswagen to quickly beef up the Polo further to create the Polo GTI Cup Edition, which was tuned to around and featured more aggressive styling. File:2005-2010 Volkswagen Polo (9N3) GTI 3-door hatchback (2011-10-25).jpg, Volkswagen Polo GTI File:2005-2008 Volkswagen Polo (9N3) GTI 3-door hatchback 02.jpg, Volkswagen Polo GTI (rear)

Polo Vivo

On 11 March 2010, Volkswagen South Africa announced that the

Volkswagen Citi Golf The Volkswagen Citi Golf is a right-hand drive 5-door hatchback manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen in South Africa from 1984 to 2009 as a facelifted version of the first generation Volkswagen Golf Mk1, which ceased production in Germany ...

is being replaced by a version of the Mk 4 Polo, the Polo Vivo. It is available with a choice of two 1.4-litre engines (55 kW & 63 kW) and a 1.6-litre engine (77 kW). The Polo Vivo is sold in both 3-door and 5-door versions and as a saloon. In comparison to the Polo Mk4, the Polo Vivo has a restyled front bumper and grille, deleted scuff strips on the bumpers and sides of the car, and side indicators relocated from the wing mirrors back to the front fenders. This restyling gives the Polo Vivo some of the elements of the

design language A design language or design vocabulary is an overarching scheme or style that guides the design of a complement of products or architectural settings, creating a coherent design system for styling. Objectives Designers wishing to give their su ...

used in other contemporary VW models. It is manufactured at VW's

Uitenhage Uitenhage ( ; ), officially renamed Kariega, is a South African town in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. Along with the city of Port El ...

plant in South Africa, which sources 70% of the Vivo parts locally. This model was discontinued in 2018 and this marked the first generation, replaced by a new model based on the Mark 5 Polo. File:Polo_Vivo_sml_09_2010.jpg, Volkswagen Polo Vivo

CrossPolo/ Polo Fun / Polo Dune / Polo Soho

There was also a

-inspired version of the Polo, similar to the

Rover Streetwise The Rover Streetwise is a compact British car made by MG Rover. It was based on the Rover 25, but had an increased ride height and chunkier bumpers. The car was marketed by Rover as an 'urban on-roader'. Production ended in April 2005, due to t ...

, with "off-road" styling, named Polo Fun (Polo Dune in the UK, Polo Soho in Spain, CrossPolo in South Africa), but despite its appearance the car was never available with 4motion

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

. A mini SUV-styled (but still two-wheel-drive) CrossPolo version of the Mark IVF was also produced as a successor to the Polo Fun for several markets. File:VW Cross Polo 001.JPG, Volkswagen CrossPolo File:VW Cross Polo 002.JPG, Volkswagen CrossPolo (rear) File:2005_Volkswagen_Polo_Dune_TDi_1.4_Front.jpg, Volkswagen Polo Fun File:2007_Volkswagen_Polo_Dune_TDi_1.4_Front.jpg, Volkswagen CrossPolo (Sold as the Volkswagen Polo Dune in the UK)

Polo BlueMotion

In 2006, Volkswagen premiered its

BlueMotion BlueMotion is a trade name for certain car models from the Volkswagen Group with an emphasis on higher fuel efficiency. Volkswagen introduced the name in 2006 on the Polo Mk4 BlueMotion, and in 2007 a version based on the current Passat was ...

range with the emphasis of lower emissions and high fuel economy. Volkswagen's first car under the BlueMotion range is a modified 1.4-litre VW Polo TDI with longer gear ratios, aerodynamic changes and lightweight alloys with low rolling resistant tyres. The end result is a car capable of producing less than 100g/km of CO₂ with a stated fuel economy of 74.3 mpg (3.8 L/100 km) on a combined cycle. Volkswagen plans to use the platform set by the Polo on expanding their BlueMotion ranges which include the

and the

Volkswagen Passat The Volkswagen Passat is a series of D-segment, large family cars manufactured and marketed by the Germany, German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen since 1973, and now in its eighth generation. It has been marketed variously as the Dasher, Sa ...

. File:VW Polo Blue Motion.jpg, Volkswagen Polo Blue Motion File:2006-2008 Volkswagen Polo IV BlueMotion 5-door hatchback 04.jpg, Interior

Safety

The Polo in its most basic version for Latin America received 4 stars for adult occupants and 3 stars for toddlers from

Latin NCAP The Latin New Car Assessment Programme (Latin NCAP) is an automobile safety assessment programme for Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in 2010, it offers independent information to consumers about the safety levels of new cars in the ...

in 2012.

Motorsport

Volkswagen Racing rallied a Polo

Super 1600 Super 1600, also known as S1600, is a rally car formula that was primarily used in the Junior World Rally Championship between 2001 and 2010, as well as international rallycross championships and various national rally championships. Any automobil ...

in the 2003

Junior World Rally Championship The FIA Junior WRC, also known as JWRC and previously known as Junior World Rally Championship, is an international rallying competition restricted to drivers under 29 years old. The championship currently consists of five select rallies of th ...

, winning the Turkish round, with

Kosti Katajamäki Kosti Katajamäki (born 26 February 1977) is a rally driver from Finland. Career He made his rallying debut in 1997 in a Ford Escort RS2000. He won the Group N class of the Finnish Rally Championship in 2001 and the Group A class in 2005. His f ...

as the driver. The 1.6-litre engine developed to the front wheels. Volkswagen Racing in South Africa rallied a

Super 2000 Super 2000 is an FIA powertrain specification used in the World Rally Championship, the British Touring Car Championship, the World Touring Car Championship, and other touring car championships. The engines were originally 2 L naturally aspirate ...

Polo, that won the South African Rally Driver and Navigator Championship for four consecutive years since 2005. Its 2.0-litre engine delivered a maximum output of .

References

External links

Volkswagen UK's Polo Site

Volkswagen Australia's Polo Site

Polo Mark IV/IVF review - Parkers

Polo Mark VF review - What Car
{{Volkswagen (China) timeline 1984 to date Polo 4 Cars introduced in 2001 Cars discontinued in 2017 Subcompact cars Front-wheel-drive vehicles Hatchbacks Latin NCAP superminis