The fifth generation of Polo was released in 2010 and it was almost immediately declared the European car of the year for the same year, the first time in the history of the model, also going on to secure an award for World car of the year at the New York International Auto Show.

The awards didn’t stop there, as What Car? chose it to be their supermini of the year in the same year, as well as being the Japan Import Car of the Year from 2010 to 2011.

A huge success straight out of the box then, the polo proved to have the best of the company’s star car, the Golf but in a smaller and more economical package. The fifth generation was in production for 7 years before being upgraded to the sixth and latest generation.

The current owner purchased the car back in April of 2021 as a daily driver, using the car since then. The owner’s current circumstances now mean the car must be moved on much to the current owner’s reluctance.

A clean and well specced Polo, this little VW is the perfect car for a daily commuter with the ability to keep driving fun and enough performance to satisfy even the most discerning petrolhead.

The current owner has kept the Polo in good working order, fixing and upgrading small things along the way although the car has proved to be very good in the factory specification, so it has mainly been smartening things up such as the 17” alloys (the centre caps will be replaced before sale).

The car comes with full paperwork from its sale, being an 8-year-old German car, the paperwork with regards to receipts for work is reassuringly small.

The car comes with the V5, the original sale paperwork, MOT and regular maintenance history and notably a receipt for new tyres the car received on the 29th of June last year as they were advisories on the latest MOT.

The Polo GTI receives the same treatment for its upholstery as its bigger brother the Golf GTI with the plaid inserts and embossed ‘GTI’ on the seat backs. The figure-hugging seats have to be some of the best seating options VW make with plenty of side support and seat base bolster to keep you and your passengers in place should you decide to ‘chuck’ the little Polo round some backroads.

As for the layout of the interior, it’s all as you’d expect from VW with the latest infotainment system and familiar dashboard layout to the Golf. The DSG gearbox allows for easy cruising as well as some racy paddle shifting should the need for a bit of ‘within legal restrictions’ speed takes you, the red paddles behind the steering wheel fit in nicely with the red highlights of the plaid in the upholstery. 

The interior of the Polo feels very grown up and goes some way to reduce the gap between the Polo and its bigger counterpart with much of the hardware making its way over to the smaller more economical Polo.

This car has been well looked after during its time and it really shows, the interior is just as good as when it left the showroom with little evidence of wear or use.

The deep metallic black paintwork still holds a lot of its lustre and presents with no swirl marks or scratches or defects, something that is impressive in itself as black cars tend to show every little thing in their mirror like finish. 

This should be further evidence that this car has not seen a hard life. The wheels and tyres as mentioned have been touched since the current owner has had the car, the alloys, which VW fans will recognise as being options on the Mk5 Golf GTI, have had a refurb to get the mirror finish on the chrome. 

The tyres are also less than a year old so should have plenty of life left in them for the new owner. 

Familiar badging and GTI touches are found all-round the car, mainly the red inserts in the front grille and the red GTI badges all round. The front bumper benefits from a lower splitter as does the rear to house the dual exhaust tips instead of the single found on the models lower down in the range.

The boot also gets an extended spoiler to add to the racier look over the standard models. All in all a very clean and tidy example of a Polo GTI on the outside that has been meticulously taken care of and kept to a high standard.

The 1.4L engine in the Polo produces 178bhp and benefits from dual charging from a turbo and supercharger to maximise efficiency of the inline 4. The DSG gearbox is smooth, quiet and changes when you want it to, but the paddle shifts give some of that decision back to the driver in manual mode. 

The gearbox also has a sport mode, meaning the gearbox holds onto gears longer and meaning it won’t go into the top 7th gear. 

The engine as you’d expect from a well maintained, low mileage, 8-year-old VW is working perfectly, it starts on the button, idles quietly and sounds good when provoked. There were no suspect noises to be heard from the engine upon start up, idle or under movement.

Economy is also seen to from the 7 gears on offer and the Polo comes in as more economical than the Golf because of it. Everything under the bonnet is in good working condition and shouldn’t cause any headaches for the new owner, especially in the knowledge that the advised regular maintenance has been adhered to during the car’s life.

The Polo was always a little overlooked in favour of its bigger brother the Golf, but the Mk5 Polo GTI was a star in its own right and had plenty to offer the motoring public to tempt them away from rivals. Owners who had grown accustomed to the way VW build their cars would have been pleased with the finish of the Polo while saving money with the economical attributes it had over the Golf. 

This example has a great specification and has all the practicality of a modern 5 door supermini, it’s in a fantastic colour which compliments its styling well, the items that connect it to the ground have been upgraded and maintained maximising the driving pleasure you’ll get from commuting and the interior is top of the line when it comes to comfort and equipment. 

This would make a perfect first car, second car or city commuter, regardless of what the Polo is bought and used for, it’s bound to bring a smile to the new owner’s face.