Volkswagen Polo Vivo
Volkswagen has always been a company of Icon cars. Think Beetle, Mk1 Gti, Volksie
bus and I would say, but not all
wood agree, Scirocco. Citi golf
took the catchet of Mk1 Gti and
kept it going.
Initiatially just an
offering of a cheap car. Old model
tooling saving money for an ideal
first car. It was only several
generations of Golf later that iconic
status entered the paradigm for
Citi. Some would say this
happened with their colour
schemes, others when Cti models
came out, harking back to the
magic and mystique. Facelifts of
the dashboard and throwing in a
steering wheel airbag where not
going to bring this model into the
world of Euro/Ncap and sadly Citi is
no longer with us. VW needed an
entry level car as Polo was going to
come in around the R200k mark.
So they found a novel concept, roll out the old model as new and now we have Polo and Polo Vivo as the old, stripped out cheaper model. Two engine variations, 1.4 with an asthmatic 55kw and the ability to get to Timbuktu on a tank of fuel, and the 1.6.
Two model variations with each engine, a standard and Trendline. Near as I can tell Trendline translates as “with alloy wheels and an airconditioner.” The 1.4 with the kw deficiency turns out to be the only one available as a 2 door.
Curious that. Where are the turbo-supercharged variations with racing stripes and 800kw under the hood to suit the two door? Just kidding, these are the stripped out economy class models. They sacrifice a little in terms of nicety. For instance power windows on the 1.6 Trendline on test are at each door only and the driver cannot easily open the passenger window. Aircon works, but no auto climate control.
The interior is relatively spartan but more or less up to date as a current VW interio,r if stripped down. No R20k sat nav options need be messed with here. On an interior note the optional “Radio/CD/MP3/SD/ USB/Bluetooth streaming with 4 speakers” (their eloquent description) is the best bluetooth fitment I have experienced in any vehicle! Bluetooth was seamless, people could hear my conversations clearly and even more astonishing it streamed my music on my Blackberry perfectly!
this? The vehicle falls way behind on NVH. While not too buzy, it lacks the refinement levels of its big brother, Polo real. Polo light is also not quite sporty, with the 1.6 able to rev but feels reluctant to do so. This is not a car to enjoy time with the engine near the red line. The emphasis is on eas.y Starter car then, and priced around there, but beware, without the amazing bluetooth head-unit, which should not be considered an option we are already talking R144,900, although it comes with a 3 year/120 000km warranty and a 6 year Anti Corrosion warranty.
To get the 5 year / 60 000km Volkswagen Automotion Maintenance Plan as well as a 5 year / 60 000 km Service Plan you need to tick the dreaded options boxes. At least they throw in a full sized spare wheel.
