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VW Polo 6R, the rural cousin, forgotten by time and civilization. VW Polo 6R, the car designed in 5 minutes during a break. VW Polo 6R, the official car of the entry-level sales agents.

If you expect me to badmouth and write an sort-of-hate article review the VW Polo 6R, then I let you know that you are right. The main reason I am so upset about the VW Polo 6R is that my first car was a Polo 9N and I would have expected VW to make an improvement with the newer generation. At least to pass the class. But no, VW felt that if Polo had been improved then the world would not have bought the VW Golf so they just abandoned it.

In the automotive industry most cars have a life cycle of 8 years, with a facelift happening every 4 years. I explained the phenomenon in the review about the Ford Fiesta, and there I mentioned that the car was so good that it had a longer life than the 007 movies. But in the 2010s VW yard things are not done the traditional way, because Germoney. Because in 2010s VW car industry, the cars have a lifespan of 4 years, as in the case of the VW Golf, which has been replaced every 4 years. But no, the VW Polo was stuck in time, receiving only a modest facelift and being held under the iron foot of the Golf.

And how did the VW Polo 6R fare?

The VW Polo 6R remained a better-selling car than yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes during the holidays. VW Polo 6R has remained in the world of superminis what the VW Golf has remained in the world of hatchbacks – the benchmark. It is not the most fun car, it is not the cheapest car, it’s good at everything but excellent at nothing. A kind of Richard Hammond in an 1.42 meters high variant.

Another important thing to note about the VW Polo 6R was its popularity. Many people bought the Polo, sometimes even in low-cost fleets sales, so you’ll find billions of used cars for sale. You can really find anything. Much like dampness, you can find one at any corner. Can you imagine what it was like when someone knocked on the dealership’s door and said, “Hello, I’d like to buy a crate of Polos."

Sadly howver, much like dampness, it can come with a lot of problems. The internet is full of documented problems with the VW Polo 6R, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a worse car than the rest of the VW range. Many cars mean a very large community of owners who have written about each nook and cranny of the car. There are also a lot of drivers who are as good at maintaining a car as Vinnie Jones is good at maintaining the atmosphere through jokes. 

VW Polo 6R Engines

Petrol

• 1.0 TSI CHZB of 60 and 75 horsepower – The official engine of pizza and kebab delivery cars for students who are too drunk to drive to the store. If you’re ever going out of town, don’t opt ​​for this engine. Also, this engine heralded the 1.0 TSI issues so expect quite the oil consumption.


• 1.2 BZG / CGPA of 60 and 70 horsepower – The old 1.2 MPI which used to be on the Polo 9n and Fabia, which in itself is a 1.6 MPI with a cylinder removed. Noisy, oil consuming and with a timing chain that can jump around. Also, it’s as agile as Piers Morgan so it’s more of an city engine.


• 1.2 TSI CBZA of 90 and 105 horsepower – Not gonna write anything about it here, you will have to scroll down to the general issues section.


• 1.4 BXW / CGG of 85 horsepower – A bit old, a bit problematic. But it’s the most balanced engine for the VW Polo 6R and it’s definatelly the pick of the range, if you want an good old fashioned naturally aspirated engine.


• 1.4 TSI CAVG / CTHG of 140 and 180 horsepower – The twin-charger engine is so bad that it deserves to be greased with fat and left in the parking lot overnight for all the stray dogs to come and scratch it in search of the meat that they can smell, but can’t see. Also, this engine drinks oil as if it were playing beerpong in the car version.


• 1.6 BTS of 105 horsepower – The old, antique and reliable 1.6 MPI is more present in the VW world than Liviu Varciu in the world of television. Consuming oil and coilpacks and with an irregular idling, the old 1.6 MPI offers a lot of reliability and sportiness, especially on the VW Polo 6R.


• 1.8 TSI DAJA of 192 horsepower – Available only in the “GTI” version, this is a correct engine and as powerful and potent as Mike Holpin. Pay attention to the oil consumption instead, which can go up to 1 liter per 1000 km.

Diesel

• 1.2 TDI CFWA of 75 horsepower  – This attempt of an engine breaks down every 100 meters when driving through the city. Totally unsuitable for city driving, with serious issues that can only be avoided by driving strictly on the open road. It’s like making Tom Jones play only rock music, and if he tried to sing his usual stuff, you’d hit him with the microphone.


• 1.4 TDI BMS of 75 and 90 horsepower – The old 1.4 TDI off the Polo 9n is ready to save the reputation of the little giant once again. The last of it’s kind, this engine proves that old methods can still be relevant in new times.


• 1.6 TDI CAYB and CAYC of 90 or 105 horsepower – We Europeans have a problem with 1.6 diesel engines. No matter if we are talking about VW, PSA or Ford, the 1.6 engine is always as good as a fake perfume sold by a gold-chain-wearing-businessman at the flea market. Massive EGR, DPF and dual mass flywheel issues when driving strictly in the city. Oh, and as a bonus, for the 1.6 TDI the EGR can’t be cleaned, it needs to be replaced altogether.

VW Polo 6R Reliability Issues

• The turbocharged petrol “TSI” engines have serious issues with the timing chain tensioner. The tensioner no longer works, the chain jumps into the engine and the NSYNC jumps out of the glovebox and starts singing “Bye Bye Bye”. The 1.2 TSI engine is especially the star of this issue. Since 2013 however VW switched from timing chain to timing belt, which no longer have this stretching issue. So make sure that when you buy one it has a timing belt, not chain.


• Diesel engines have serious issues with EGR and particle filter. If you have a 1.2 TDI or a 1.6 TDI and you want to drive it around town, you will have to shut up and pay up. Filters clog up very quickly, EGR valves break even faster. Completely avoid these engines if you itend to drive around town.


• DRL daytime running lights are not to everyone’s liking. Important to check if you like it or not. Luckily however you have plenty of choice when buying a VW Polo 6R.


• The DSG6 and DSG7 automatic gearboxes need their oil changed every 60,000km, along with the filter. Both also have a Mechatronic unit that controls the gearbox and breaks down without having the possibility of being repaired.


• The front brake disks ovalise as if Dawn French had been sitting in the driver’s seat for 12 hours straight and Jonah Hill had been sitting in the passenger seat for 48 hours, and the car had its springs and struts removed.

VW Polo 6R Verdict

Even if the list of issues might scare you, you should know that the VW Polo 6R was a relatively reliable car. The problem is given by the multitude of cars and in this way all possible problems are discovered, documented and solved. The VW Polo 6R remains a subpar Golf, but it has been stuck in time. The Germans were afraid to go improve the Polo and make it better, because it would have been a slightly inferior car to the Golf, but at a much cheaper price. You would’ve had no reason to buy a Golf if you had a decent Polo available and so VW Polo 6R remained in a dark corner, kept away from the light.