Over the next couple of months, the CAR team will deep-dive into what has made the Polo a bread-and-butter model for Volkswagen locally, and our experience living with it. Charlen Raymond was the first to spend time with it.
Looking for a new or used vehicle? Find it here with CARmag!
Time spent: One of three months
Distance covered: 1 632 km
Average fuel consumption: 6.31 L/100 km
We like: Solidly constructed, rock-steady on the motorway
We don’t like: Wired infotainment connection a bit clumsy
With the proliferation of crossovers and affordable imports from markets such as India and China, it’s little wonder that the fortunes of once-popular compact hatchbacks – including the venerable and long-popular Polo – have faded somewhat. Although the Volkswagen Polo may not be atop the new passenger car sales charts of late, it’s remained a key player in its market segment since the first locally produced examples rolled off the Uitenhage line in 1996.
Related: Fuel Consumption Test: Volkswagen Polo GTI
We flew to the Eastern Cape to collect a Polo 1,0 TSI 70 kW Life Manual from the Volkswagen Group Africa’s factory in Kariega. We’ll spend three months in its company to see whether this longstanding favourite still has the means to appeal to a market that’s now leaning towards the abovementioned newcomers. The first task was simple: drive the new addition to our Cape Town office using the 800 km trip along the N2 as a good opportunity to familiarise ourselves with one of South Africa’s most popular cars.
While nippy, the engine, with just over 2 800 km on the odometer upon collection, must still be driven in; hence it was piloted sensibly. On the plus side, the fuel consumption dropped to as low as 6.3 L/100 km; of course, aided by the plethora of roadworks between Kariega and Swellendam that required patience and an extra light foot.
Volkswagen claims 5.4 L/100 km for this Polo in the combined cycle, so our economy after 800 km, albeit with plenty of open-road driving, is seen as a win. At least for now.
Related: Living With it – Volkswagen Polo Life 1.0 TSI MT [Introduction]
Despite its compact dimensions, the Polo has always felt far more solid and surefooted on the open road than many of its rivals. Thanks to composed road manners and a premium-feeling cabin featuring quality materials all around, this continues to be the case. The steering input is predictable but still proved pleasingly direct when negotiating the sweeping bends of the Garden Route. With a modest 70 kW on tap, the five-speed gearbox had to be worked a bit on inclines, but it never shaved momentum to the point of running out of oomph. A nice touch is the adaptive cruise control (a R13 500 option) that doesn’t deactivate when changing gears, the engine does a good job of maintaining the locked-in speed.
Although the Polo underwent an update in the second half of 2023, the infotainment system’s reliance on a cable connection for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is a bit of a let-down. Vehicles at a slightly lower price point, like Suzuki’s latest crop of products, for instance, have gone wireless for accessing these features. This gripe with the Polo’s multimedia system aside, once connected, users can access any compatible app via a crisp central touchscreen.
