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10 Dec 2012

VW Polo R WRC - 220bhp rally car for the road

The hot hatch market is set for a new, rally-bred, entrant in the shape of the new VW Polo R WRC.  Based on the current Polo platform, the R WRC is based around Volkswagen's Polo WRC car which was unveiled in May 2011 and has been extensively tested by Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Ogier.  The WRC Polo will make it's competitive debut in the Monte Carlo Rally in January 2013.

The R WRC road car is front wheel drive and is powered by VW's 2.0 TSi engine, which can also be found in the Golf GTi.  Whilst it produces 210bhp and 206 lb/ft of torque in the Golf the engine in the Polo boasts 220bhp and a massive 258 lb/ft in the Polo R WRC.

The Polo R WRC weighs 1324kg, which is more than the 1269kg of the Polo GTi, but that has a 1.4 litre engine.  0-62mph takes 6.4 seconds and top speed is 151mph.  

The R WRC gets a front and rear spoiler and a rear diffuser.  It sits on 18 inch alloys with 16 inch disc brakes.  Inside, the R WRC gets rally inspired trim with WRC badged seats, an Alcantara steering wheel and racing pedals.  Fuel consumption is claimed to be 38mpg.

The Polo R WRC will cost £27,000 and only 2,500 will be built (enough to satisfy WRC homologation) - all in left hand drive.  At the moment no R WRCs are destined for the UK although VW have said they will monitor interest.  VW have also said they may supply a WRC styling pack for the UK market with alloys, paint and stripes and other such trinkets.

Orders will start on 11 December and deliveries will start in September 2013.

Polo R WRC stats:

Engine - 2.0TSi
Power - 220 bhp
Torque - 258 lb/ft
0-62mph - 6.4 seconds
Top speed - 151mph
Weight - 1324kg
Price - £27,000

How the Polo R WRC stacks up against it's nearest competition:

Power (bhp) Torque (lb/ft) 0-60 Top speed Price
Volkswagen Polo R WRC 220 258 6.4 151 £27,000
Vauxhall Corsa VXR Nurburgring Edition 205 205 6.5 143 £22,305
Skoda Fabia vRS 180 184 7.3 139 £16,415
Renault Clio Renaultsport 200 200 158 6.9 141 £17,930
Mini Cooper JCW GP 218 206 6.3 150 £28,790