PoloDriver

The Volkswagen Polo started life as a hatchback, but since the introduction of its Derby stablemate in 1977, a sedan (or saloon) model has been a mainstay of the range. In South Africa the Polo Sedan has been a steady selling model since its first appearance in the mid-1990s and now, there is an all-new model.

Essentially a re-badged version of the Indian-market Volkswagen Virtus – itself a cousin of the model of the same name which first went on sale in selected South American markets in 2018 – the new car is based in Volkswagen’s MQB A0 platform, and shares many technologies with the sixth-generation Polo, which first appeared in 2017. Its elegant silhouette houses a 521-litre luggage capacity (170 litres up on the Polo hatchback), and at 4,561mm long, the car is 517mm longer than its hatch sister.

Upmarket look
The South African new Polo Sedan shares the same ‘Tornado’ character line as the Polo, and a wide lower bumper grille sits below standard LED headlamps. At the rear, the LED tail lamps have a smoked and clear glass finish, while chrome window strips and door handles – available on higher specification models – give the car a more upmarket look. Going on the first images issued by Volkswagen South Africa, there is a little too much of a gap above the 16-inch alloy wheels, but overall, the new Polo Sedan carries on the elegant styling which has long been a hallmark of previous Polo saloons.

Inside, the dashboard is virtually, if not identical to the Polo hatchback, with a horizontal layout in which is housed a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Dual-tone colour schemes brighten up the cabin, and higher-specification Life models feature digital automatic climate control.

Three trim levels
Volkswagen South Africa is offering the new Polo Sedan in three trims: Polo Sedan, Polo Sedan Life and Polo Sedan Life Tiptronic. Entry level cars come with 16-inch steel wheels, cruise control, a multifunction steering wheel, and Volkswagen’s App-Connect system for smartphone connection.

The new Polo Sedan Life features 16-inch ‘Scimitar’ alloy rims, a 10-inch colour touchscreen system, ambient lighting, Climatronic air conditioning, keyless entry and start, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, power adjustable and folding exterior door mirrors, a rear view camera, and wireless mobile charging and App-Connect. Externally, the Life is also marked out by its front fog lamps and cornering lights. The Polo Sedan Life Tiptronic features steering wheel-mounted shifting paddles to help further control its automatic gearbox and a hill start assist function.

The only optional feature is the choice of five exterior colours. Candy White is the only solid paint option, the four metallic shades being Carbon Steel Grey, Reflex Silver, Rising Blue, and Wild Cherry Red. Safety kit is high with up to six airbags, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), and multi-collision braking and tyre pressure monitoring systems.

1.6-litre petrol engine
In a difference to other global markets that feature low-capacity turbocharged TSI units, the South African Polo Sedan only comes with a 1.6-litre petrol engine. With a power output of 109bhp/81kW, 112lb ft/152Nm of torque is produced at 3,850 to 4,100rpm. The 0-62mph time is 11.2 seconds, and the new Polo Sedan tops out at 118mph/190km/h. A five-speed manual gearbox is standard, the Polo Sedan Life Tiptronic featuring a six-speed automatic transmission.

The previous, fifth-generation Polo-based Polo Sedan was long overdue for replacement. It has soldiered on for another four years after the introduction of the sixth-generation Polo in South Africa, so the new model is welcome. The previous car sold 44,267 units since it was introduced in 2011 – itself based on the Vento sold and manufactured in India – and Volkswagen South Africa sees little reason why the new car shouldn’t continue its predecessor’s steady success.

2022 VOLKSWAGEN POLO SEDAN (ZA) RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICES
(VAT and emissions tax included)

Polo Sedan 1.6 81kW manual R318,300
Polo Sedan Life 1.6 81kW manual R345,600
Polo Sedan Life 1.6 81kW Tiptronic R365,500

The new 2022 Volkswagen Polo Sedan comes standard with a three-year/120,000km warranty, a three-year/ 45,000km EasyDrive Service Plan and a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty. Service intervals are 15,000km and customers have the option to extend EasyDrive Maintenance and EasyDrive Service Plans up to 10 years/300,000km.

The Volkswagen Polo was the seventh most popular car in the UK during February 2020, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With 1,451 Polos finding new homes, the small Volkswagen is eighth in the year-to-date top ten rundown – a total of 3,787 have been registered since the start of 2020.

The Volkswagen Golf topped the chart with 3,457 registrations, just as the eighth-generation model starts to appear in UK retailers, with the Ford Fiesta in second place. Longstanding chart stalwarts Ford Focus, Vauxhall Corsa and Mercedes-Benz A-Class rounded out the top five.

Overall, UK registrations fell 2.9 per cent in February to 79,594 units, as demand from private buyers declined again. It was a good month for battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars, though, with 4,566 joining the UK roads but at just 5.8 per cent, their market share remains low. The UK’s top ten most popular new cars during February 2020 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Volkswagen Golf: 3,457 (7,484, 3rd)

2 Ford Fiesta: 3,123 (9,210, 1st)
3 Ford Focus: 2,784 (8,051, 2nd)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 1,871 (6,244, 4th)
5 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 1,648 (4,862, 6th)
6 Vauxhall Grandland X: 1,540 (3,801, 7th)
7 Volkswagen Polo: 1,451 (3,787, 8th)
8 Mini: 1,339
9 Nissan Qashqai: 1,293 (5,901, 5th)

10 BMW 5 Series: 1,286

(The 2020 year-to-date top ten most popular cars absent from February 2020’s UK registration figures were the ninth-placed BMW 3 Series and the tenth-placed Kia Sportage with 3,648 and 3,386 units recorded respectively.)

Polo Vivo is registration champion
Once again, the Polo Vivo topped the new car registrations charts in South Africa, with 2,417 cars rolling out of retailers. The latest National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) figures state that the sixth-generation Polo was again in second place with 2,120 units sold, with an additional 10,409 exported from Volkswagen South Africa’s Uitenhage plant. The Polo-based T-Cross registered a total of 463 cars, while 540 traditionally styled Polo Sedans left the forecourts.

Following on its Volkswagen’s recent design sketches, the company has released the first official images of the new Russian and international-market Polo sedan. The car’s Skoda Rapid-based origins are obvious, and the car will be built at Volkswagen’s Kaluga factory in Russia, alongside its Czech stablemate.

Appearing less sleek than the car depicted in the sketches, the Skoda heritage of the new Polo sedan is most obvious in the side profile. The car bears a resemblance to the 2012–2018 SEAT Toledo, too, which was also based on the Skoda Rapid. However, the front does have the Jetta-inspired grille as shown in the preliminary sketches, which also borrows cues from Volkswagen’s newest batch of SUVs. LED headlights are standard as is VW’s new style of roundel badge. At the rear, the tail lights take current VW design forms, as does centred ‘POLO’ badging. A pair of fake exhaust finishers add a finishing touch.

Interior update
Inside, the car has had more of an update. Volkswagen’s 10.25-inch Active Info Display digital instrument set-up is optional, and the car’s colour touchscreen infotainment systems are available in 6.5 or 8.25-inch sizes. A steering wheel which borrows style from the new all-electric ID 3 is also emblazoned with VW’s new corporate logo, while the air conditioning controls are also different from the sixth-generation Polo, which is based on the ‘MQB’ platform. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a USB-C port will take the new Polo notchback into the digital age. The new model sits on the Volkswagen Group’s older ‘PQ25’ chassis which also underpinned the fifth-generation Polo and it’s Vento-based saloon sister.

Three petrol engines power the new Polo sedan. As expected, a naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre four-cylinder gives outputs of 88 and 108bhp, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. A six-speed automatic can be specified on the higher-output version. A 1.4-litre, turbocharged TSI model has 123bhp and is allied to a seven-speed DSG gearbox as standard. The wheelbase and length of the booted Polo has grown with the introduction of the new model, up by 49mm and 93mm respectively. Luggage space has grown by 90 litres to 550 litres. On sale in the summer, the new Polo sedan will arrive in four trim levels for the Russian market: Origin, Respect, Status and Exclusive.

Official Volkswagen Design sketches of the newest Polo sedan destined for international markets show a Jetta-inspired appearance. In particular, the four-door notchback adopts a ‘face’ which bears a striking resemblance to the larger saloon which is sold in the US. The Polo sedan will be sold in Russia and other selected territories later in 2020 and will replace the model first introduced in 2010.

Although the new Polo sedan has updated looks, it is still based on the older Volkswagen Group ‘PQ35’ platform, and not the newest ‘MQB’ chassis of the sixth-generation Polo and its Virtus saloon sister. The Russian-market Polo sedan will be a sibling to the latest Skoda Rapid, the two cars having a similar relationship in other markets: the Indian version of the Skoda is itself a re-engineered Volkswagen Vento (sold as the Polo sedan in some countries), which is essentially a fifth-generation Polo saloon. Still with us?

The Volkswagen Design sketches show a strong ‘face’, with headlamps that merge into the front grille, and a rear end with evokes the Passat. And while it has the appearance of a traditional saloon, if the car is based on its Czech stablemate, it will actually be a five-door ‘liftback’. The exterior silhouette may point to its older origins, but the interior is totally new, and will include a central touchscreen as well as digital instruments. There will also be around 550 litres of luggage space and a choice of 88bhp and 108bhp 1.6-litre MPI, and 123bhp 1.4-litre TSI petrol engines, paired with either five and six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG gearboxes.

The latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal that the Volkswagen Polo was the ninth most popular car in the UK during January 2020. A total of 2,336 Polos found new homes in the first month of the year, which also means the long-standing model is also ninth in the year-to-date top ten chart.

The Ford Fiesta was the clear leader with 6,087 registrations, ahead of its larger relative, the Ford Focus, in second place with 5,287 units. The Nissan Qashqai rounded out the top three with 4,608 registrations. The Volkswagen Golf’s 4,027 units put it in fifth place. Soon to usher in a new generation, the Vauxhall Corsa took fourth place with 4,373 registrations.

As a whole, UK registrations fell 7.3 per cent in January to 149,279 units, but demand for battery electric cars enjoyed a year-on-year rise of 2,720 units. Plug-in and ‘self-charging’ hybrids also enjoyed a peak in demand. The UK’s top ten most popular new cars during January 2020 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 6,087 (6,087, 1st)
2 Ford Focus: 5,287 (5,287, 2nd)
3 Nissan Qashqai: 4,608 (4,608, 3rd)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 4,373 (4,373, 4th)
5 Volkswagen Golf: 4,027 (4,027, 5th)
6 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 3,214 (3,214, 6th)
7 Kia Sportage: 2,457 (2,457, 7th)
8 BMW 3 Series: 2,242 (2,242, 8th)
9 Volkswagen Polo: 2,336 (2,336, 9th)
10 Vauxhall Grandland X: 2,261 (2,261, 10th)

Across Europe, a total of 20,037 Polos were registered according to Jato Dynamics, making it the fifth most popular car across the continent. The Golf was topped the popularity stakes with 26,303 registrations. Volkswagen was the most popular brand across Europe with 133,558 registrations, and the Polo-based T-Cross SUV’s 12,880 units saw it declared top market share winner.

Polo Vivo is the South African chart-topper
Seemingly never putting a tyre wrong, the Polo Vivo once again topped the new car registrations charts in South Africa, with 2,811 new cars on driveways. The latest National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) figures show that the sixth-generation Polo was in second place once more with 1,761 units sold, with 7,959 exported from Volkswagen South Africa’s Uitenhage factory. The Polo-based T-Cross registered 764 units, and 503 fifth-generation Polo Sedans were registered.