No airbags in '98 Polos?

zilog_jones

I have recently noticed several '98 Polos without any airbags, which I found quite disturbing due to the likes of Ford making airbags standard on all their cars at the start of 1994 and most the other half-decent marques following suit soon afterwards. Were they still only an optional extra on Polos? Was this because of VRT? Feck sake like...

bazz26

zilog_jones wrote:

I have recently noticed several '98 Polos without any airbags, which I found quite disturbing due to the likes of Ford making airbags standard on all their cars at the start of 1994 and most the other half-decent marques following suit soon afterwards. Were they still only an optional extra on Polos? Was this because of VRT? Feck sake like...

Because it's a Volkswagen.

Sure Golfs didn't get electric front windows or a cd player as standard until around 2002.

crosstownk

Nope - not on 1998's. IIRC, airbags were an option back then. I think it was 2000 before they were standard.

colm_mcm

VW buyers in blinkered badge loyalty shocker!

mondeoman

my friend bought a brand new VW transporter last year 2.5 TDi
& it came with a tape deck no cd!!:eek:

gucci

i drive a 97 polo, no bags, crashings and expecting an airbag to save your face is for sissy's anyways!!

colm_mcm

mondeoman wrote:

my friend bought a brand new VW transporter last year 2.5 TDi
& it came with a tape deck no cd!!:eek:

to be fair, a Hiace didn't get ABS or a passenger airbag till this year!

zilog_jones

gucci wrote:

expecting an airbag to save your face is for sissy's anyways!!

I hope you're not serious. OK I don't care about my face either, but I do care about my head!

Tipsy Mac

Mate had a 96 hatchback Polo and it had passenger and driver airbags.

I suppose the majority of Irish drivers buy the entry level Irish model that just meets the bare EU limit for safety to be allowed on sale due to our government pocketing the VRT cash on these life saving devices.:mad:

colm_mcm

very few small cars had dual airbags in 1996. it was only in 2000 or so that they started to filter onto most small cars.

bazz26

I'd say that 96 Polo was probably a UK import as twin air bags were standard on the UK Polo years before they were over here.

Stark

gucci wrote:

i drive a 97 polo, no bags, crashings and expecting an airbag to save your face is for sissy's anyways!!

At the risk of being vain, I prefer my nose outside my brain.

Besides, if films have thought us anything, it's that driver-side airbags are most useful when trying to escape a kidnapping passenger

BostonB

Polos don't go fast enough to need them

VW's have scabby spec.

E92

Yes VW provided nothing at all in the Polo till 2004 when it finally got electric windows and central locking. Back then VW, like most of the german companies supplied you a car and yes you got a steering wheel, a gearbox, seats, gearbox, clutch, starting motor, battery, wipers, suspension, a dash, wheels, god they even gave you an engine and locks for the doors and windows that would go up and down:D (by hand of course!). But you had to build the car yourself, nothing at all as standard, sure the Polo didnt even have PAS until 00, central locking till 04. And airbags were most certainly optional back then. VRT or no VRT, its hardly acceptable that they should leave out airbags, though considering that the 1 litre Polo took 22.5 seconds, (later improved to 18.5) to hit 60, it was hardly needed in a way:). Still it could have been worse, what about the car that took over half a minute, yes more than half a minute, to hit 60; the one, the only NISSAN SERENA 2.0d which took an incredible 31.5 seconds to hit 60 mph:D , replaced by the 2.3d which took an almost as bad 27.8 seconds to hit 60.

colm_mcm

The Serena was 2.3, and only 71bhp and it didn't weigh that much, which makes it even more pathetic! Mercedes were getting 95bhp out of their normally aspirated 2.2 diesel at the time