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One of things that has amazed me the most about my Polo is the fuel economy. I did not buy the car specifically because of this and I am not the sort to drive in such a way as to favour fuel economy above anything else. But it is a good bonus. My previous car (Mazda 2) weighed as much as the Polo but gave me about 39 - 40 mpg (just over 7 litres / 100 km) in normal driving and about 45 mpg on the freeway (around 6.3 litres / 100 km).
Typically I get around 48 - 50 mpg in day to day driving with the Polo but thus far have never measured it on the freeway. Today I had a round trip to Mittagong so decided to see what I got. On the trip down I got around 54 mpg (5.4 litres / 100 km) but the trip back home was simply amazing - 74 mpg or 3.8 litres / 100 km. This is according to the trip computer, but I have verified the trip computer is very accurate and gives the same figures as when I manually make the calculation at the fuel pump.
To me that is exceptionally good for any petrol powered car heavier than 1,000 kg, especially as it isn't one of those tiny sub-800 kg miniature hatchbacks that were selling in the 80s such as the Daihatsu Charade Turbo - and getting high 40 mpg on the freeway at best.
OK, so the 74 mpg was a best case scenario for me (others can no doubt do even better) - constant cruise control - 110 kmh @ 2100 in 6th gear and no traffic that required disengagement of the control at any point except when leaving the freeway and only 1 x 76 kg person on board. Plus, looking at the Bureau of Meteorology website, there would have been a (cross) tailwind on the way home as well.
What is just as impressive to me is that in 6th gear at freeway speeds, the Polo is just as responsive (i.e in gear or up hill) as my previous Mazda 2 was in 4th gear or my Mum's Yaris in 4th gear. And in both cases, those engines are ticking over way faster than the Polo - more than double the revs for the Mazda.
I really love this car to bits - it is so quiet and comfortable and cruises on a freeway better than the 6 cylinder cars (Falcon / Commodore) I used to drive for work puposes back in the 90s and early 2000s. It really seems to defy the on-paper figures though - it isn't a powerful car at all and does not have very much torque in absolute terms either. Yet it way outperforms all the other small cars I test drove and - as I say - goes better than all the family sixes up until about a decade ago.
I suppose you could say that after only 3 months ownership I am still in the honeymoon period with this car, but the car has been so good so far that my only regret about buying it thus far is that one day it will wear out and I will have to replace it!
Incidentally, I use Caltex Vortex 98 which I buy from Caltex Narellen Rd, Mt. Annan.
Typically I get around 48 - 50 mpg in day to day driving with the Polo but thus far have never measured it on the freeway. Today I had a round trip to Mittagong so decided to see what I got. On the trip down I got around 54 mpg (5.4 litres / 100 km) but the trip back home was simply amazing - 74 mpg or 3.8 litres / 100 km. This is according to the trip computer, but I have verified the trip computer is very accurate and gives the same figures as when I manually make the calculation at the fuel pump.
To me that is exceptionally good for any petrol powered car heavier than 1,000 kg, especially as it isn't one of those tiny sub-800 kg miniature hatchbacks that were selling in the 80s such as the Daihatsu Charade Turbo - and getting high 40 mpg on the freeway at best.
OK, so the 74 mpg was a best case scenario for me (others can no doubt do even better) - constant cruise control - 110 kmh @ 2100 in 6th gear and no traffic that required disengagement of the control at any point except when leaving the freeway and only 1 x 76 kg person on board. Plus, looking at the Bureau of Meteorology website, there would have been a (cross) tailwind on the way home as well.
What is just as impressive to me is that in 6th gear at freeway speeds, the Polo is just as responsive (i.e in gear or up hill) as my previous Mazda 2 was in 4th gear or my Mum's Yaris in 4th gear. And in both cases, those engines are ticking over way faster than the Polo - more than double the revs for the Mazda.
I really love this car to bits - it is so quiet and comfortable and cruises on a freeway better than the 6 cylinder cars (Falcon / Commodore) I used to drive for work puposes back in the 90s and early 2000s. It really seems to defy the on-paper figures though - it isn't a powerful car at all and does not have very much torque in absolute terms either. Yet it way outperforms all the other small cars I test drove and - as I say - goes better than all the family sixes up until about a decade ago.
I suppose you could say that after only 3 months ownership I am still in the honeymoon period with this car, but the car has been so good so far that my only regret about buying it thus far is that one day it will wear out and I will have to replace it!
Incidentally, I use Caltex Vortex 98 which I buy from Caltex Narellen Rd, Mt. Annan.
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