Updated Volkswagen Polo now offers semi-auto driving tech

In more than 45 years of history, the Volkswagen Polo has always possessed the big-car quality of its stablemates. Now, it pushes this quality further as the facelift of the seventh-generation Polo now features a semi-autonomous driving tech, the IQ Drive Travel Assist system.

The IQ Drive is compilation of driver assistance systems said to be first seen in the Volkswagen ID.4, and now has made its way to the new Volkswagen Polo.

IQ Drive includes adaptive cruise control (ACC), forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic warning, lane departure warning, and lane-keeping assistance.

It's the ACC and lane-keeping assist technology that Volkswagen has highlighted in the new Polo.

ACC automatically accelerates or decelerates the car in order to maintain a safe distance from the car in front. Lane-keeping uses a live feed to monitor the lane markings that lay ahead, and steers the car back to its lane should it wander out of it.

Volkswagen has also shared the big-car features among the Polo range, from the base model, up to Life, Style, and R-Line. Even the entry-level model, the Polo, now boasts LED headlights, LED tail light clusters, a multifunction steering wheel and Lane Assist, VW said.

Another new addition is the center airbag. This airbag opens between the driver and front passenger, protecting them in the event of an accident.

In addition, Volkswagen has now incorporated the Digital Cockpit, which is a digital instrument cluster, with an eight-inch display, into the basic equipment.
A larger 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment comes with it the expected Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The new Polo R-Line reveals a sporty character. The bumpers are distinguished from those of all other Polo versions by their striking R design, with the high-gloss black cross and longitudinal bars of the air intakes up front. LED matrix headlights and LED fog lights are fitted as standard, too.

A gloss-black diffuser with chrome-look integrated exhaust panels in the lower part of the vehicle rear distinguishes this area from the Polo, VW said.

One-liter engines with different states of tune power the new Polo. It starts from a naturally aspirated unit with 80hp and 93Nm of torque, which goes to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. Up the range is a 1.0 TSI with either 95hp or 110hp.

A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is said to be optional for the lower powered TSI, while standard for the 110hp version.

Here in the Philippines, another compact Volkswagen aims to feel bigger than it is with the features it packs.

Standard features on the upcoming T-Cross are cruise control, USB ports front and rear, and safety features such as rear park distance control, tire pressure monitor, and electronic stabilization program.

Suggested retail prices for the T-Cross will be P1,098,000 the MPI AT S, and P1,198,000 for the 1.5 MP AT SE.

The MPI AT SE gets side and curtain airbags, autonomous emergency braking, a rearview camera, and rear air-con vents.

Photos from Volkswagen

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