Farewell to the world's best Polo engine?

Volkswagen's 1,2 TSI with 90 horses is, in my opinion, a very successful engine for the Polo.

I have previously referred to it as the world's best... Polo engine that is. I concluded that this engine would definitely be in the new Polo 6 - which I thought would arrive in 2016. I was wrong twice. The new Polo 6 would not arrive until two years later, as a 2018 model, - and the fine 1.2-litre TSI engine is not in the engine range. There are only 3-cylinder 1,0-litre engines. There will eventually be more powerful engines, but no 1.2-litre.
 
The maximum torque, 160 Nm, is delivered along a torque curve that is almost completely flat between 1400 and 4000 revolutions. You notice quite well when the turbo kicks in a little above idle speed. You can hear it in the sound of the engine. It is possible to know a turbo team as well. Not on the road. But if, for example, you have to maneuver in a parking lot, you can notice it. The engine lags, you compensate by giving more gas, and suddenly the car accelerates for seemingly no reason. This is a typical feature of all turbo engines.
 
What makes the 1.2 TSI so good is that the power is delivered over the entire rpm range that is normally used. You can drive quite actively without having to work with the gear lever all the time. The car feels "peppy" during city driving. It accelerates well both from a standstill and when overtaking. Motorway driving at European motorway speeds also works well. I think the VW Polo 1.2 TSI is a really fun car to drive.

I've driven several cars lately. Not only are they bigger, more powerful and more expensive, but also in better condition than this rental car I have at my disposal for 10 days. All the bumpers bear the stamp of Barcelona's nonchalant parking culture. The left front door has a dent that has been temporarily fixed. The tires are at the 1mm stage, the handbrake is far too loose and according to the dashboard it is time for an oil change. The odometer shows 55 km. That's a lot for a rental car that has been treated without love.
 
There is still something special about the Polo and this 1,2 TSI engine.
 
On the way from the airport around midnight at 140 km/h on Autopista 7, my wife commented on how steady and quiet the car was. She herself owned a Polo 5 a few years ago. I myself have lost count of how many Polo 5s I have driven between 2009 and 2017, several with the 1.2 TSI. And the conclusion is the same every time. Because it is not just the engine characteristics and the well-adapted manual 5-speed gearbox that score highly. I also like the soundscape. The 4-cylinder engine is certainly audible, but hums without the annoying high-frequency hum and rumble that many small engines have.
 
I don't think it will be long until I sit behind the wheel of the new Polo 6. Then the engine will be a 3-cylinder engine of 1,0 liters with 95 horses and a torque of 175 Nm between 2000-3500 revolutions. I am skeptical about the sound image in 3-cylinder engines. They sound charming on short trips, but become shrill on long trips.
 
Today's 1,0-litre MPI engine, which has been on the market for several years now, was praised to the skies by a collective motoring press. I myself cannot accept that a Polo should sound like a scooter. It will still be exciting to try Volkswagen's new 1,0-litre Polo engine. It is said that "less is more".

So far, the 1,2 TSI 90 is the world's best Polo engine... among terjesbiler.no 🙂

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