Car Review: Volkswagen Polo
There are few cars that have made their way into my heart over the past seven years of being a motoring journalist. The Volkswagen Polo is one of them. I was accused of being biased because I once owned a Polo, but in all fairness, what is there not to like? And I am not the only person to feel this way, just look at Polo sales in this country and across the world (South Africa is the third biggest Polo, including Polo Vivo, market in the world.) It is one of the most successful hatchbacks in the country.
Volkswagen have given the Polo a little midlife nip and tuck and this is the new and dare I say, improved, Polo. You will see larger headlamps up front, lower air intake, more chrome detailing and a resculpted front bumper. It is most certainly starting to look like its Golf sibling (which is not a bad thing). At the rear, the lights have also been redesigned.
Step inside and you won’t be disappointed with the typical VW feel. It is a definite step up from the previous generation. It has a touch more class and if you get the model which features a new 12-inch touch infotainment system you will feel as if you are styling! The Composition Touch unit is the entry level one with four speakers, SD card and auxiliary interfaces. It comes standard on the Trendline. The more-sophisticated version is called Composition Colour and offers a colour display, two more rear speakers, CD player, MP3 functionality, SD-card input and USB and Bluetooth connectivity.
The new Polo comes in Trendline, Comfortline and Highline. There is also the CrossPolo version (which is another favourite of mine). We will see the TDI and GTI versions in the first quarter of 2015.
This Polo has new engines and gearboxes. The entry-level version has a 66 kW 1,2-litre engine. Now I know you are thinking this has to be super slow, but you are wrong. This car is nippy around town and ok, I know it is not exactly going to be sprinting along the open roads and national highways, but it is a turbo engine and is mated to a five-speed manual transmission. You will not be left disappointed. An 81 kW version is also on offer. The advantage of these smaller engines means that with downsizing and turbocharging, efficiency is improved. The 81 kW version now stands at 5,1 L/100 km. That is LOW!
According to Volkswagen, ownership of the new Polo will be significantly less than the outgoing model since the new TSI engines are 20% more fuel-efficient and service plans are now included in the price (it’s about time VW).
The Polo is in a very competitive segment but it is right up there with the front runners. I was so happy to drive this little guy around for a week. It was comfortable, easy to drive, spacious enough, refined and I never felt like I was in anything that wasn’t of high quality. If you are in the market for a hatchback then this new Polo is definitely one to consider. Go and test drive it!
PRICING FOR THE NEW VOLKSWAGEN POLO
1.2 TSI 66kW Trendline – R188 300
1.2 TSI 66kW Comfortline – R209 700
1.2 TSI 81kW Highline – R233 300
1.2 TSI 81kW Highline – DSG R247 800
1.2 TSI 81kW CrossPolo – R241 000
All Polo’s come with a 3-year/45 000 km service plan and a 3 year/120 000 km warranty.
Read more about the features on the new Polo here.