VW Polo shows why it’s one of the most popular cars in Mzansi

Easy-shifting five-speed manual gearbox is a lot of fun to drive.

The Volkswagen Polo is one of South Africa’s most popular cars and has been so for as long as I can remember. And I can remember back to when dinosaurs roamed the earth, which in this case is 1996, when the VW Polo was first launched locally.

VW recently decided to offer us the current generation Polo 1.0 TSI Life that launched back in the beginning of 2022. Since I haven’t driven a regular Polo since – expect for testing the red-hot Polo GTI – those same dinosaurs roamed the earth, I jumped at the chance.

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Subtle tweaks

One thing VW do is subtle and the exterior changes basically mean only the bumper and tailgate have been given a new look. The headlights and taillight clusters now also come standard with LED technology.

On the inside the big news is the VW Polo boasts a Digital Cockpit, a redesigned multi-function steering wheel, new generation infotainment system and wireless App Connect.

The VW Polo Life comes standard with a Digital Cockpit. Picture: Charl Bosch

Being the middle of the range Life model, my VW Polo came with the likes of a mobile phone interface, front and rear park distance control, rain and dusk sensor, front fog lights and cornering lights. It also had electric adjustable, heated and folding mirrors, front and rear USB Type C ports, cruise control, driver alert system, airbag for driver and front passenger, side airbags, and front and rear curtain airbags.

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This standard setup in Pure White paintwork will set you back a cool R385 300. If you dig a whole lot deeper into your pockets and can afford to go over the R400 000 mark, then you would be able to kit your VW Polo out with lots of goodies. These include a tilting and sliding panoramic sunroof, keyless locking and starting, park assist and rear view camera, multi-colour digital cockpit pro with composition media, adaptive cruise control and speed limiter, lane assist, multi-function camera, pedestrian monitoring and front assist, and 16-inch Torsby alloy wheels.

Our test car features optional 16-inch alloy wheels. Picture: Charl Bosch

The most entertaining part of The Citizen Motoring’s week with the Polo was getting to spend time driving a manual car again. It is just something that we don’t do much anymore. It was a lot of fun using the easy-shifting five-speed manual box to wring the best out of the 70 kW / 175 Nm 1.0-litre turbocharged powertrain.

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VW Polo easy on fuel

And although the fuel consumption number is claimed at 5.4 litres per 100 km/h, a more realistic 7.6 litres per 100 km/h is what we got. Maybe less wringing would see this number come down, but either way it is still good.

I am getting a chance to drive a Polo Vivo Highline in the coming weeks. It is going to be good to see if a previous generation car that comes in almost R100 000 cheaper offers the same experience expected from a Volkswagen Polo.