The Volkswagen Polo in question is a 2003 MK4 Twist model.
The 1.2L 3-cylinder engine was a beast.

Unveiled in September 2001, the all-new Mark IV (or 9N/"Mark 4") model was put on sale in early 2002.

Top Gear's 2005 survey rated the Polo as the third least satisfying supermini to own, with only the Fiat Punto and Rover 25 receiving a worse rating. It fell behind most of its crucial rivals, namely the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa, Citroën C3 and Peugeot 206. But luckily for me, they're all wrong.

Even Richard Hammond gave it a review!

This version of the Polo was a mixed success in the United Kingdom. It sold reasonably well (though not as well as some earlier Polos) but several customer satisfaction surveys by high-profile motoring magazines such as Top Gear gave the Polo a very low rating. Again, they were clearly wrong so this is just bias shilling paid for by Ford.