The four-door Polo is larger and slightly cheaper than its hatchback cousin, writes Denis Droppa.
Image:SA’s love affair with hatchbacks and crossovers has consigned the once-popular sedan shape into relative obscurity.
Unlike the Polo and Polo Vivo hatches, which are built locally, the car is imported from India, and it’s the only three-box saloon in the brand’s local line-up. It is not the most exciting vehicle in the VW stable but it scores highly in practicality and affordability without being completely bland. Inside, its beige cloth seats are snug and comfortable if not necessarily practical; keeping them clean might prove a challenge, as the upholstery in the low-mileage test car already had faint stains.
Climatronic air-conditioning is also part of the deal, as is ambient lighting, an eight-speaker audio system, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel with tilt and reach adjustment, and front and rear LED lights. The Life Tiptronic adds hill start assist and steering wheel paddle shifters to the menu.
There are three Polo sedan models with the cheapest one selling for R332,400. All are powered by VW’s familiar 1.6l four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine with outputs of 81kW and 152Nm — paired to either a five-speed manual transmission or six-speed Tiptonic auto gearbox. The test car’s fuel consumption averaged an acceptably frugal 7.2l/100km, not too far off the 6.2l factory claim.
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