With a new Volkswagen Polo GTI announced, we’ve taken a look back at the previous versions of Wolfsburg’s supermini that have worn the fabled hot hatch badge. And not just because ESM’s editor has owned two of them… Ok, maybe the ownership history plays a small part in it, but there’s also the motivation to…
Category: Ownership
Editorial – Have you got fuel economy OCD?
Motorway cruising has got our editor thinking about just how far do you need to go in the pursuit of fuel economy, especially when it’s probably an impossible task. Driving down the A1(M) in the Polo R-Line the other day, sulking whippet in the boot, something struck me about the traffic that was being generated. Usually on the A1(M)…
2014 SEAT Leon Cupra – Something of a bargain
We like the new SEAT Leon Cupra here at EngageSportMode. We like it even more when SEAT UKÂ announces keenly priced finance options, that match the power output of their car’s 2.0 TSI engine. Call us OCD, but having a Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) finance deal that lets you drive a 265 PS SEAT Leon Cupra…
200th Post Special – Volkswagen Polo R-Line 8,000 Mile Review
It seems hard to believe that a year has now passed since ESM picked up a very shiny Volkswagen Polo R-Line on a chilly January afternoon. So 365 days and 8,000 miles later, just what has life with the R-Line been like for the past twelve months? In short, the R-Line has been virtually flawless throughout…
EngageSportMode Shares the R-Line Love
If you just cannot get enough of hearing about my Polo R-Line, but would rather read about it elsewhere, then you prayers have been answered. Over the coming months I’ll be documenting my ownership of the R-Line over at PoloDriver.com But in all seriousness, I am genuinely honoured to have been asked to contribute to…
Friday Photo from the Archives #7
Some car ideas work better in certain places than others. Some, such as the BMW 5-Series GT, don’t really seem to work at all – at least not in America that’s for sure. The Volkswagen Jetta (or Bora/Vento/Golf with a boot) is one of those propositions that has never really taken the UK by storm….
Music Makes it Better – Driving Tunes
Does music turn a drive into a journey? It’s something that struck me last weekend, as I found myself piloting the Polo R-Line along a short stretch of road from Crakehall to Catterick in North Yorkshire. It’s the one highlighted in blue on the image below: It’s a road I’ve driven a few times, but…
VW Polo R-Line – 1,000 Mile Review
As you might have just read, after a huge period of indecision, ESM finally acquired a Volkswagen Polo R-Line. That was back in late January so, several months and miles later, just what has the kitted-up supermini been like to live with? First, some photos from when it arrived and the cleanest it has been…
ESM’s 2012 Car Buying Predicament #6 – The Finale
Recently I wrote about the end of my ownership of the 9N3 Volkswagen Polo, following the epically long saga to replace it which began all the way back in October last year. So after several months of searching, test driving and negotiating, just what did land on the EngageSportMode drive? Originally when my quest began I…
End Of The Road: The VW Polo 1.4 SE (9N3)
I intended to write and publish this item many, many, weeks ago. However, certain events transpired to prevent me from doing so. So here it is, now, slightly later than planned. Â In short, the 9N3 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 SE pictured above is no longer with me, having been traded in for something else, which…
ESM’s 2012 Car Buying Predicament #5
I realise that calling this series of posts a “predicament” is somewhat of a dramatisation. Like having to decide on whether to pick a Cheryl Cole or Megan Fox calendar for the ESM office, this is a nice first world problem to have to deal with. But at the same time it is hardly like…
ESM’s 2012 Car Buying Predicament #4
So after weighing up the benefits and pitfalls of PCP car financing, I managed to come to the conclusion that if it enables me to get a better, newer car (tailored to my specification), then it is probably a necessary evil. Having been tempted by the seemingly generous offers available from MINI, it seemed sensible to…
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