BACK in the dim and distant past when I joined the Irish News, the editorial department held the keys to several pool cars, among them a Volkswagen Polo and a Peugeot 106.
One of the first things I learned was that you absolutely wanted to avoid the Peugeot. It might have been a relatively new car and still largely untainted by the irreversible effects of prolonged exposure to photographers and trips to Drumcree and Croke Park but it had a number of quirks, of the alleged "but they all do that" nature.
These included will-they-won't-they brakes and a clutch which was, on a good day, only on nodding terms with the rest of the transmission. None of this inspired any confidence.
Contrast this with the Polo. There were Apollo rockets with fewer miles on the clock. Like a well-read book, it looked a little shabby and dog-eared. There were even wild rumours it had never been serviced.
But it was solid and reliable, tough and dependable - just the thing that a newsroom staff car needs to be.
We've moved on to other pool cars since then, but there are those of us who still remember the sacrifices of that battered red Polo. May it rest in peace.
The Polo's popularity obviously extends beyond the idiosyncratic environment of your favourite daily newspaper.
Real people spend real money on them. In Northern Ireland, it was our fourth favourite car last year, pipping rivals like the Vauxhall Corsa and Renault Clio, though trailing behind the default-choice Ford Fiesta.
Indeed, as I write this and my view of the Irish News car park momentarily clears - I should explain that it gets rather busy at this time of year, as hordes of awe-struck tourists make the pilgrimage to take in its Hanging Gardens of Babylon-rivalling splendour - I can see several Polos.
The Polo might not be as stylish as the Clio or Mazda's swish new 2, or as good to drive as the latest Corsa, but the Volkswagen nails build quality, dependability and a big car feel like no other supermini. Plain and straightforward, with an all-age and classless appeal, the Polo is, it seems, immune from fads and the passage of time.
It's a mini-Golf, which given the Golf is even more popular than the Polo in Northern Ireland, is obviously a good thing.
Volkswagen has given the Polo a bit of a refresh. It's evolutionary stuff - the Polo doesn't do radical revolution - so on the outside there are subtly tweaked bumpers and lights while inside it gets the same multimedia system as the Golf. This is a good thing.
There are also some new engines and your new Polo can now be optioned up with the latest safety kit, such as adaptive cruise control.
It's more expensive than most rivals, but the impression of superior quality is tangible. It's there in the panel gaps, the texture of the plastics, the firm support of the seats, the solidity of the switchgear.
The test car came with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine which produced a non-sock-drawer-threatening 59bhp.
It was, in other words, about as far removed from the power and performance of the Polos which are the cars to beat in the World Rally Championship, as trumpeted from an incongruous sticker in the back window of my prosaic SE specification car.
Volkswagen say thus equipped, this is expected to be the most popular Polo combo of engine and trim.
The 1.0-litre engine had a pleasant thrum, was mostly quiet, got the Polo up to motorway speed - eventually - and generally went about its business in an undemonstrative fashion.
Similarly, the mighty Polo 1.0-litre SE isn't exactly set-up to corner on its door handles, but it's tidy, predictable and safe - just what you want, really, with this sort of car.
And therein lies the secret of the Polo's success - it's exactly what you need, in a handsome, understated and durable package.
