Reigning hatchback revamped

The Volkswagen Polo Vivo, South Africa’s go-to-hatchback since 2010, was relaunched last week in the windy and friendly city of Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape.

After racking up more than 425,000 sales, the obvious question is: So, what is new? 

For one thing, a smarter infotainment system, that has a 9-inch screen with at least four speakers. The infotainment system is intuitive and easy to use, although a Type-C to Type-C cable is required to connect to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. The connection is seamless and works instantly. The map is clear and crisp on the screen and large enough to follow the route without squinting. The Polo also has its own built in mapping service, which I did not try out, as Android-based mapping is still the gold standard.

The interior of the vehicle is tastefully finished, with fabric seats in interesting designs. The seats are comfy with even more safety features, like airbags in both front seats on certain models.

Why is the Polo Vivo such a big deal? It is an excellent mix of affordability, great engineering, safety, space, and comfort. It is like getting a luxury car on a budget, without sacrificing quality.

The Polo Vivo has a sleek new face with a 2D VW badge, snazzy headlights, and a redesigned bumper.  

_{Photo: SHERYL GOLDSTUCK.}

Before manufacturing begins on the new VW Polo Vivo in South Africa, every component of the vehicle goes through rigorous testing. It was fascinating to see how every part of the front bumper was aligned and then tested and then aligned again and tested again. This process can take about 2860 hours. Yes, that is right, more than 100 days. The seats are also tested with different weights to ensure their durability and safety.

Volkswagen knows that safety is important, so they have packed the Polo Vivo with features like Electronic Stability Control (ESC), hill start control, and even a rear-view camera (optional).

The Polo Vivo comes with a range of powerful yet fuel-efficient engines, from the 1.4-liter to the top-of-the-line 1.0 TSI. I enjoyed the drive in the 1.6 Tiptronic Polo Vivo. It was smooth and the road holding was strong and firm. The car is solid but easy to manoeuvre.

It is no wonder that the Volkswagen Polo Vivo is the top selling car in South Africa.

The Volkswagen Polo Vivo comes standard with a 3-year / 120 000km warranty and a 6-year anti-corrosion warranty. The service interval is 15 000 km. 5-year / 150 000km engine warranty.

Volkswagen EasyDrive Maintenance and Service Plans are available as options.

* Sheryl Goldstuck is general manager of World Wide Worx and Editor of GadgetWheels.