Why is the VW ID.Polo selling so well?

[Renault4]

It is flying off the shelves faster than a line of coke at a Hollywood party with reportedly a 12 month wait for a factory order. So why is it selling incredibly well, unlike the Kia EV2, Renault 4 and other contenders? Do buyers see it as more reliable, or more premium, or better looking? Have you ordered one, if so why?

To my mind it looks okay outside, it’s rather grey inside, performance and space are good, but reviews suggest it isn’t quieter inside than the competition, some suggest it’s noisier, and it’s pricier than the others.

[clockworks]

Is it actually available to test drive yet?

My guess is it's getting orders on the back of the Cupra Raval - same car with different styling, and actually available to test drive. The Raval is a very good car, but the styling may not appeal to everyone. The Polo is much more "normal".

I was looking to replace my Kia EV3 with something a bit smaller.
What put me off the EV2 was the lack of performance. Same with the R5.

It came down to the A290 and Raval VZ.
Nearest Alpine dealer is 180 miles away, and the styling changes from the R5 don't suit me. I would have seriously considered an R5 with the A290 motor and seats.

The Raval range has something to suit everyone, much like the Fiesta did back in the day - shopping car to hot hatch.
The Polo will be the same, but with subdued styling.

[dxg]

People have always liked the Polo.

It's smart, small, somewhat reliable, and just a pleasant place to be. Not fun but a car that is a tiny bit more than a white good. I've had a couple of different generations in my time when life meant that I just needed to get from A to B and feel at ease, if not excited, when doing it.

The current ICE generation, however, threw all of that away in its terrible design and horrendous cost cutting. Inside, it's hard plastic dash felt cold and uninviting. Outside, it's design was obnoxiously bland as it had become the ultimate 'designed by committee' car in which not a single challenging decision had been made. And it had grown to the size of a Golf.

So, I think people are coming back to the ID.Polo because it looks and feels like a traditional Polo again. Design conquers all, even the means of propulsion.

[Renault4]

clockworks said:

Is it actually available to test drive yet?

My guess is it's getting orders on the back of the Cupra Raval - same car with different styling, and actually available to test drive. The Raval is a very good car, but the styling may not appeal to everyone. The Polo is much more "normal".

I was looking to replace my Kia EV3 with something a bit smaller.
What put me off the EV2 was the lack of performance. Same with the R5.

It came down to the A290 and Raval VZ.
Nearest Alpine dealer is 180 miles away, and the styling changes from the R5 don't suit me. I would have seriously considered an R5 with the A290 motor and seats.

The Raval range has something to suit everyone, much like the Fiesta did back in the day - shopping car to hot hatch.
The Polo will be the same, but with subdued styling.

Thanks for the answer. The ID.Polo 0 to 60 mph time is roughly one second faster than the R5. Is that really important to you? I agree about the Alpine A290, I prefer the R5 looks. And I agree about the EV2 performance. I assume the R4 did not appeal for the same reason as the R5 and maybe the looks did not appeal.

I considered the Raval, but it was too Star Trek for my tastes. Yes the Polo is more ‘normal’, it’s not bad looking from outside, nothing special but quite okay IMO.

[Renault4]

dxg said:

People have always liked the Polo.

It's smart, small, somewhat reliable, and just a pleasant place to be. Not fun but a car that is a tiny bit more than a white good. I've had a couple of different generations in my time when life meant that I just needed to get from A to B and feel at ease, if not excited, when doing it.

The current ICE generation, however, threw all of that away in its terrible design and horrendous cost cutting. Inside, it's hard plastic dash felt cold and uninviting. Outside, it's design was obnoxiously bland as it had become the ultimate 'designed by committee' car in which not a single challenging decision had been made. And it had grown to the size of a Golf.

So, I think people are coming back to the ID.Polo because it looks and feels like a traditional Polo again. Design conquers all, even the means of propulsion.

Thanks for the reply. I agree the Polo is a good package overall. I have a 2018 Polo, it’s at auction today, the interior is fine but yes it lacks the premium feel of the previous generation. I like the exterior design more than the ID.Polo, but that’s a subjective evaluation.

I can see why the ID.Polo appeals more than the Renault 5 as it has useable rear seats and a bigger boot. But why does it appeal more than the Kia EV2 and Renault 4? Is the Kia too weird looking? Is the Renault too SUV like, or do people think Renault are unreliable?

Or maybe as you suggest, the ID.Polo is just a good all round package, not exciting but practical and pleasant.

[the-norseman]

Are they available on incredible lease deals somewhere? that usually ties up with why there are so many around.

Such as the Golf R and American style pickup booms that we have seen over the last 10 years.

[clockworks]

Renault4 said:

Thanks for the answer. The ID.Polo 0 to 60 mph time is roughly one second faster than the R5. Is that really important to you? I agree about the Alpine A290, I prefer the R5 looks. And I agree about the EV2 performance. I assume the R4 did not appeal for the same reason as the R5 and maybe the looks did not appeal.

I considered the Raval, but it was too Star Trek for my tastes. Yes the Polo is more normal , it s not bad looking from outside, nothing special but quite okay IMO.

I wanted a car that was smaller than my EV3, but I didn't want less performance.
The only thing I was willing to sacrifice was range.

That really only left the A290, Raval VZ, or ID Polo gti.

[Renault4]

clockworks said:

I wanted a car that was smaller than my EV3, but I didn't want less performance.
The only thing I was willing to sacrifice was range.

That really only left the A290, Raval VZ, or ID Polo gti.

Thanks, that makes sense.

[ManicMunky]

Because it's the only genuinely interesting VW EV car (the Buzz is van )

The rest of the ID range has been lacklustre.

[Mark V GTD]

the-norseman said:

Are they available on incredible lease deals somewhere?

I don't believe so.

[the-photographer]

clockworks said:

Is it actually available to test drive yet?

My guess is it's getting orders on the back of the Cupra Raval - same car with different styling, and actually available to test drive. The Raval is a very good car, but the styling may not appeal to everyone. The Polo is much more "normal".

I was looking to replace my Kia EV3 with something a bit smaller.
What put me off the EV2 was the lack of performance. Same with the R5.

It came down to the A290 and Raval VZ.
Nearest Alpine dealer is 180 miles away, and the styling changes from the R5 don't suit me. I would have seriously considered an R5 with the A290 motor and seats.

The Raval range has something to suit everyone, much like the Fiesta did back in the day - shopping car to hot hatch.
The Polo will be the same, but with subdued styling.

Info from other forums, they arrived in garages, you should be able to see one, test drives are a few weeks away

[Stick Legs]

Looks great, when so many cars are aggressive and ugly.
Trusted brand.
People are getting over their EV-reluctance as infrastructure improves and almost everyone now know someone who has one, so anecdotal experiences from friends and family are helping acceptance.
Cars are getting bigger, so actually the Polo is sitting in the traditional Golf slot.
Doesn't look like an EV.
You can get one for <£300/month.

I'd say VW have nailed it.

[the-photographer]

Renault4 said:

It is flying off the shelves faster than a line of coke at a Hollywood party with reportedly a 12 month wait for a factory order. So why is it selling incredibly well, unlike the Kia EV2, Renault 4 and other contenders? Do buyers see it as more reliable, or more premium, or better looking? Have you ordered one, if so why?

To my mind it looks okay outside, it s rather grey inside, performance and space are good, but reviews suggest it isn t quieter inside than the competition, some suggest it s noisier, and it s pricier than the others.

• Small
• Lots of buttons and switches
• The small battery version looks cheap, although high spec big battery versions look pricey
• Looks plain and normal, also lower compared to the slightly "jacked" R5
• More rear space and boot compared to R5

[Renault4]

the-photographer said:

• Small
• Lots of buttons and switches
• The small battery version looks cheap, although high spec big battery versions look pricey
• Looks plain and normal, also lower compared to the slightly "jacked" R5
• More rear space and boot compared to R5

You’re right about rear seat and boot space in the R5 but the R4 and Kia EV2 are the real competition, in my view anyway. I’m coming to the conclusion that as others have said, they’ve nailed it, it is a good package with good conventional looks i.e. plain and normal. I think the Renault 4 is a bit too out there in terms of looks, as is the Kia EV2, and perhaps people unfairly associate VW with quality and Renault with electrical faults.

[Sheepshanks]

Renault4 said:

It is flying off the shelves faster than a line of coke at a Hollywood party with reportedly a 12 month wait for a factory order.

Poster on SpeakEV saying they ordered one a couple of weeks ago, configured to spec with a bunch of options, and was given a Jan build slot.

Dealer called yesterday and has not now got a build slot of 5th Nov.

Edited by Sheepshanks on Sunday 11th October 21:53

[Renault4]

Sheepshanks said:

Poster on SpeakEV saying they ordered one a couple of weeks ago, configured to spec with a bunch of options, and was given a Jan build slot.

Dealer called yesterday and has not got a build slot of 5th Nov.

I don’t have any contacts in the trade, so I Googled. It looks like the ten month figure came from a major dealership. A website tracking orders says 4 months based on only ten or so customers. Someone asked VW France and was told four months. Your case was originally four months to build plus shipping. Based on Nov 5th, that’s two to three months total. In my case, a Renault 4, shipping after building took six weeks, but it was built just before the summer hols, and there were issues in the UK port. It does look like a VW dealer has been giving out duff estimates to the press.

I wonder if this is some sort of deliberate trick, given the troible VW is in, to talk them up.

[Sheepshanks]

Renault4 said:

I don t have any contacts in the trade, so I Googled. It looks like the ten month figure came from a major dealership. A website tracking orders says 4 months based on only ten or so customers. Someone asked VW France and was told four months. Your case was originally four months to build plus shipping. Based on Nov 5th, that s two to three months total. In my case, a Renault 4, shipping after building took six weeks, but it was built just before the summer hols, and there were issues in the UK port. It does look like a VW dealer has been giving out duff estimates to the press.

I wonder if this is some sort of deliberate trick, given the troible VW is in, to talk them up.

I've seen plenty of articles saying all three models on the platform are on long leadtimes, but I wonder if a lot of it is dealers loading orders? I've had that twice with ordering VW Group models. When wife got her Tiguan we were being told 6mths, second nearest dealer said they could get us one in colour and options she wanted in 6 weeks. It arrived at the dealer in 8 days!

[The Mad Monk]

AutoTrader shows 11 brand new ones available for sale.

[Sheepshanks]

The Mad Monk said:

AutoTrader shows 11 brand new ones available for sale.

I had that with a Skoda needed quickly a couple of years ago. Even "in stock" apparently doesn't mean it's physically in stock anywhere that dealer can immediately get their hands on it. Several cars had "just been ordered by another customer".

[Renault4]

The Mad Monk said:

AutoTrader shows 11 brand new ones available for sale.

Some are marked as March arrival, one is supposedly about to arrive, and who knows with the others.