New VW Polo R Line junior GTI revealed

Volkswagen has revealed a new junior hot hatch version of the Polo called the R Line, which mates a racy look to an economical 1.2 turbo petrol engine.

The new Polo R Line is derived from the Polo Match but has a much more stylish appearance thanks to a new styling pack.

This includes deeper R Line bumpers front and rear, chunky side sills and 16-inch alloy wheels. There’s a gloss black R Line-branded front grille and dark glass at the rear, while front foglights with a built-in cornering light function are also standard.

Inside, Volkswagen has fitted sports seats with an R Line logo in the headrests, plus an R-line branded leather sports steering wheel and aluminium scuff plates.

In the GTI tradition, the roof lining is made of black cloth.

It doesn’t quite have GTI performance but the 1.2-litre TSI engine is still punchy: thanks to a turbocharger, it produces 105hp and can hit 60mph from rest in 9.7 seconds.

It has a top speed of 118mph but, more importantly, the Polo R Line can average 53.3mpg and emits 124g/km CO2.

Extra value comes from the addition of semi-automatic air conditioning, iPod-compatible stereo, trip computer, tyre pressure monitor and remote central locking.

The Polo R Line comes in both three-door and five-door guise, with prices starting from £15,195 – £4,135 less than the GTI.