IT may be hard to believe, but it's been seven years now since Volkswagen's current Polo supermini first made its public debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.

And what an instant success story it proved to be. European Car of the Year 2010, World Car of the Year at the New York International Auto Show the same year and Japanese Import Car of the Year 2010-2011.

However, during that time it has been given tweaks here and tucks there to keep it fresh, the last major facelift taking place in 2014.

Always playing second fiddle behind it's larger Golf sibling, the chunky Polo did help narrow the gap between the two in the sales stakes.

For the Mk V the Polo gained a couple of inches and is now only nine inches shorter than its big brother, making it a really great buy both new and second-hand.

Even though it gained a little where it mattered, the Polo came in far lighter than the model it replaced and as a result proved more economical and environmental friendly.

In the latter half of 2012, VW added both three and five-door BlueMotion models to the Polo range and should you be in the market for a used diesel supermini, then you won't go far wrong if you can get a hold of one of these wee beasties.

The 74bhp turbo-diesel engine tops out at 107mph, which is pretty respectable for a car of this ilk, but it's the fuel consumption figures that really set the car off.

How about 67.3mpg on the urban cycle, 91.1mpg on the extra urban cycle and 80.7mpg on the combined cycle? Pretty staggering in anyone's book.

But, unlike many "official figures" that motor manufacturers are happy to give out but which turn out to be mostly way off track, those given out by VW for the Polo proved to be pretty accurate to say the least.

Even driving hard over hundreds of miles the consumption figures are pretty much spot on.

Not only that, this little gem could accelerate to 62mph in 13.9 seconds, which is fast enough for most needs and comes with a CO2 emission rating of just 91g/km, making it free from road tax.

Out on the black stuff it's a delight to drive. Simply a joy on dual carriageways and more than willing on fast motorways. In busy city traffic it's also something of a breeze, being comfortable and spacious enough for four adults.

In the comfort stakes the Polo was certainly not lacking with climatic semi-auto air conditioning, remote locking, start/stop and cruise control. There's also heated door mirrors, fog lamps and a host of other safety features built in as standard.

Like all Volkswagen models, the Polo keeps its price well and a 2012 62-plate BlueMotion five-door example with 40,000 miles on the clock will have a price tag of between £5,620 and £7,360, while a 2013 63-plate model with around 30,000 miles will rise to anything from £6,280 to £8,110.

Even a 2014 64-plate version willl not break the bank, coming in between £7,015 and £8,950, and for those buyers who can get by with just three doors, then take £400 to £600 off the above five-door prices.