THE Volkswagen Polo is getting pretty long in the tooth now - the current model was launched seven years ago - but with the latest 1.0-litre turbo engine it still feels right on the money.

This gem of an engine is perky and sweet, revving easily and tunefully to deliver great performance that means a 0-60mph sprint of well under ten seconds.

It makes the Polo pure joy to drive and the only drawback is that it only seems to be available in higher end cars, which makes it rather expensive.

I drove the five door SEL, which seems to be the cheapest car available with the engine, and it hits the bank account to the tune of £17,100.

That's just too much when other good cars like the Vauxhall Corsa are still good fun and reasonable to run, but are thousands cheaper.

That said, the Polo is very, very good. The little three cylinder engine produces 110bhp and is eager and willing even from low speeds.

It's also quiet and refined - as is the rest of the car.

The six-speed gearbox is a delight to use and the clutch is light and easy, with just enough space for my size 10 shoe to get onto the left footrest. All the other controls fall beautifully to hand.

Perhaps the way this car really scores over some others is the comfort. It rides beautifully over all surfaces - even at slow speeds in town - with excellent seats and plenty of adjustment.

But the road-holding and handling are also superb despite the soft suspension, giving marvellous cornering and very good handling, aided by informative power steering.

The interior is small compared to the best in class, with only enough space for three if there's a six footer behind the wheel, but it does have 60/40 split fold rear seats.