PoloDriver

The Volkswagen Polo Vivo is the most popular car in South Africa – and has been for over a decade –  and if you like a certain colour, it may have just got even more appealing. Volkswagen South Africa has added the Black Style Package to its entry level model. The pack has been an option on the Tiguan and Touareg since 2019.

Features of the Polo Vivo Black Style include, as you might expect, black 16-inch ‘Portago’ alloy wheels, gloss black mirror caps, a gloss black (really?) painted roof, gloss black (yes!) B and C pillar covers, as well as (you can see where this is going), matt black sill covers. There’s also a chrome exhaust tip, privacy glass, anthracite headlining and sun visors, 15mm lower suspension and an R-Line body coloured rear spoiler.

Choice of four colours
And the body of the Polo Vivo Black Style comes in a choice of four colours: Flash Red, Pure White, Reef Blue, and Reflex Silver. The optional Black Style Package is available now on the 85/103bhp Comfortline and 103bhp Highline manual versions of the Polo Vivo. Prices start at R9,000 on the Comfortline and R8,250 on the Highline. The Polo Vivo Black Style follows the most recent special edition of the Polo Vivo, the Mswenko, introduced back in September 2020.

The Black Style Package has also been introduced to the latest South African Golf GTI. Like the Polo Vivo, the clue is in the name, and if you like black, you’re well catered for. Features include piano black side mirrors, a piano black front grille chrome strip on the front grille, as well as black 18-inch ‘Bergamo’ alloy wheels. Prices for the Golf 8 GTI Black Style Package begin at R8,000. 

‘Popular optional pack’
The Tiguan and Touareg Black Style models continue, the optional pack costing R28,000 on the former, and 
R45,200 on the latter (but only available on the Executive variant). ‘The Black Style Package is a popular optional pack and its success in the Tiguan and Touareg models motivated our decision to introduce it to the new Golf GTI and the Polo Vivo ranges,’ states Steffen Knapp, head of the Volkswagen Passenger Car Brand.

Since its introduction in March 2010, the Volkswagen Polo Vivo has been the most popular car in South Africa, with over 261,285 registered up to September 2020. Originally based on the fourth-generation European Polo, the Vivo took the shape of the fifth-generation Polo in February 2018.

Volkswagen India has launched another special model of the fifth-generation Polo; the Polo Matt Edition is based on the Polo GT, and as its name suggests, is distinguished by its striking matt grey paint finish. A sister saloon model accompanies it, the Vento Matt Edition a new version of the fifth-generation Polo-based saloon.

Powered by Volkswagen’s three-cylinder 1.0 TSI petrol engine with 108bhp mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, the Polo Matt Edition features 16-inch ‘Portago’ alloy wheels, unique Carbon Steel matt grey paintwork, and gloss black door handles and door mirror caps. It also gets a gloss black rear spoiler atop the tailgate.

The Vento Matt Edition meanwhile – based on the Highline or Highline Plus models – has a neat gloss black boot spoiler with the same body colour options as its Polo sibling, with the exception of the Highline-based car which wears 15-inch ‘Linas’ wheels. Inside, both the Polo and Vento Matt Edition have no upgrades over the cars on which they are based, but standard equipment is high, with a 6.5-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system featuring Bluetooth, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, automatic wipers, and a leather-wrapped sports steering wheel.

Prices for the Polo Matt Edition start at Rs 10.25 lakh (ex-showroom), the Vento Matt Edition offered at Rs 13.36 lakh for the Highline-based variant, rising to Rs 14.79 lakh for the Highline Plus model. For more details on the Polo and Vento Matt Editions, visit the Volkswagen India website here and here.

Unveiled in April, the revised 2022 Volkswagen Polo opens for order today in the UK. As well as a new face, there is more technology and more kit, and a new range structure. Prices start at £17,885 for the Polo Life, with adaptive cruise control and a digital cockpit available on the base model equipped with a 93bhp engine.

One of the most popular cars in the UK, the Polo’s traditional strengths of big-car technology, comfort and quality continue with the refreshed 2022 model. Still based on the sixth-generation Polo introduced in 2017, the new car has sharper lines and a more digitised interior, taking its lead from the eighth-generation Golf and ID family of electric models. First launched in 1975, over 18 million Polos have been sold in the intervening 46 years.

Four engine and gearbox configurations
Four engine and gearbox configurations are available across the new Polo line-up – all 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engines, with power from 78 to 107bhp. The entry-level 78bhp engine has a five-speed manual gearbox, the more powerful 93bhp unit coming with five-speed manual and seven-speed DSG transmissions. The DSG is also exclusively reserved for the 107bhp engine, and is currently the most powerful Polo in the revised range until the firecracking 204bhp GTI arrives. To us, though, there still seems to be a bit of a yawning gap in the range which needs to be plugged in-between these two models.

The 118g/km, 93bhp Polo Life is the ‘cleanest’ model in the new Polo family, officially achieving 54.3mpg. Volkswagen UK forecasts that the 93bhp engine will take around 60 per cent of sales, shared between manual and DSG configurations.

Polo Life
With a trim structure that spans Life, Style and R-Line, the new Polo range mirrors that of the latest Golf. Entry-level Life models fitted with the 93bhp engine have Volkswagen’s new suite of safety technologies, bundled under the Travel Assist banner. This means the Polo is one of the first models in its segment to offer partly automated driving. LED head and tail lamps are also standard, along with 15-inch ‘Essex’ (‘Shu’up’!) alloy wheels, an automatic dimming rear view mirror, auto wipers, a multifunction steering wheel, and power-folding door mirrors.

There is also an eight-inch Digital Cockpit driver’s display and a ‘Ready 2 Discover’ colour touchscreen of the same size which uses Volkswagen’s third-generation Modular Infotainment Matrix (MIB3). This makes the revised Polo the most connected ever, and the App-Connect system uses either a USB connection or Bluetooth link to activate smartphone mirroring via the central touchscreen. Volkswagen UK expects 75 per cent of all new Polos to be in Life trim.

Polo Style
Moving up the range, the £20,785 Polo Style – currently only available with the 93bhp engine – adds 16-inch ‘Palermo’ alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, IQ Light intelligent LED matrix headlights, a 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro driver display, as well as a Discover Navigation infotainment system.

Polo R-Line
The range-topping R-Line is the sportiest new Polo until the GTI arrives and looks the part with its unique body kit, 16-inch ‘Valencia’ alloy wheels, black roof lining, stainless steel pedals, and sports seats upholstered in ‘Karoso Artvelours’ microfleece. Sharing many of its interior appointments with the Polo Style, the R-Line adds Dynamic Road Sign Display and High Beam Assist aids.

To make their new Polo stand out further, drivers can choose metallic paint, with two new Polo shades, Kings Red (£695) and Vibrant Violet (£595) – the Polo is the first Volkswagen to have the colour – as well as 16 and 17-inch alloy wheels, a suite of assistance systems, and sports suspension (£360), which incorporates the XDS electronic differential lock first introduced on the Golf GTI, and Driving Profile Selection.

To find out more about, and to order the latest version of Volkswagen’s big small car seller, visit the Volkswagen UK website.

2022 VOLKSWAGEN POLO PRICES

Polo Life
1.0 78bhp five-speed manual; 124g/km*; 51.4mpg**; £17,885 (RRP OTR)
1.0 93bhp five-speed manual; 118g/km*; 54.3mpg**; £18,825 (RRP OTR)
1.0 93bhp seven-speed DSG; 125g/km*; 54.3mpg**; £20,260 (RRP OTR)

Polo Style
1.0 93bhp seven-speed DSG; 119g/km*; 51.4mpg**; £20,785 (RRP OTR)

Polo R-Line
1.0 93bhp five-speed manual; 119g/km*; 54.3mpg**; £20,785 (RRP OTR)
1.0 93bhp seven-speed DSG; 127g/km*; 50.4mpg**; £22,220 (RRP OTR)
1.0 107bhp seven-speed DSG; 128g/km*; 50.4mpg**; £23,355 (RRP OTR)

*WLTP CO2, **WLTP combined.

That was a turn up for the books. A mainstay in the UK’s most popular cars chart for over a decade, the Volkswagen Polo is a favoured choice among UK drivers. However, in July 2021, it was the most beloved model of all. According to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the Polo was the most popular car in July 2021, with 3,047 registered, 46 cars ahead of the Toyota Yaris.

In terms of year-to-date figures, the Polo has risen one position to seventh place with a total of 18,601 registered cars, 476 ahead of, yes, that pesky Toyota. The Vauxhall Corsa still tops 2021’s aggregate figures with 26,215 cars finding new homes, with the once unassailable Ford Fiesta in second place with 23,521 registrations.

Strangely, the Corsa doesn’t even appear in the July chart, and even the Fiesta is in ninth place, perhaps suggesting the global semiconductor chip shortage could be playing a part in the shake-up. Of course, we’d say that everyone has finally cottoned on to what we’ve known for decades: the Polo is the best supermini out there… For whatever reason, though, it’s finally number one, and we’re celebrating it!

For UK drivers who have embraced the Volkswagen Polo as their top choice, enhancing this beloved model’s capabilities is as important as its popularity itself. Amidst this shift in the automotive landscape, ensuring your cherished Polo is equipped with the latest features is a prudent move. Many car enthusiasts are turning to auto electricians for expert services, such as installing a dash camera, to bolster their vehicles’ functionality and safety. With the rising demand for cutting-edge technologies and customizations, trusted auto electricians play a pivotal role in keeping these favored cars up-to-date and perfectly tailored to their owners’ needs.

Supply chain shortages
The Polo’s success comes against a backdrop of the weakest July new car registrations since before the millennium. A total of 123,296 new cars were registered in July 2021, which the SMMT attributes to supply chain shortages and the UK’s Covid-app ‘pingdemic’. July’s figures were down by 29.5 per cent compared to 2020, and when compared to the last decade, totals were down 22.3 per cent on the average recorded over the past 10 years.

The UK’s top ten most popular new cars during July 2021 and the year-to-date (registration figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Volkswagen Polo: 3,047 (18,601, 7th)
2 Toyota Yaris: 3,001 (18,125, 8th)
3 Kia Sportage: 2,631 (18,941, 6th)
4 Ford Puma: 2,621 (20,853, 5th)
5 Volkswagen Golf: 2,362 (21,970, 3rd)
6 Audi A3: 2,300
7 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 2,186 (21,684, 4th)
8 Mini: 2,138
9 Ford Fiesta: 2,010 (23,521, 2nd)
10 Hyundai Kona: 2,006

(The 2021 year-to-date top ten most popular cars absent from July’s registration figures were the first-placed Vauxhall Corsa, the ninth-placed NissanQashqai, and the tenth-placed BMW 3 Series with 26,215, 17,812 and 17,188 units recorded respectively.)

Volkswagen performance specialist RacingLine has released a series of upgraded parts for the 2017 onwards sixth-generation Polo GTI ‘AW’. Along with a set of sport springs, there is also a new turbo muffler delete for MAF-engined EA888 2.0 TSI ‘Gen.3B’ models.

The sport springs package for the ‘AW’-chassis coded Polo GTI lowers the car by 30mm at the front and 35mm at the rear, and is, RacingLine says, ‘just how it should have come from the factory’. Manufactured in Europe from the same factory that produces many of the OEM springs, RacingLine uses progressive rate springs to preserve the ride quality in normal use, but then stiffen the rates at the ends of the travel. 

It states that a comprehensive development programme gives a ride quality just as good as that of the standard car. There are no official prices available yet – just a part number: VWR31P2GT. Head over to the RacingLine website to find out more.

Turbo muffler delete
Alongside the springs, RacingLine has made changes to its EA888 ‘Gen.3B’ turbo muffler delete (part number VWR160001) so that it now fits MAF-coded 2.0 TSI engines. The turbo muffler delete also forms part of RacingLine’s whole ‘MAF’ intake package which includes an R600 intake with cotton or trifoam R600 filter choice, a turbo inlet elbow, a turbo inlet hose, as well as a coolant underhose.

The turbo muffler delete is CNC constructed from single-piece billet T6-6061 aluminium, with a maximum diameter smoothed internal bore for max airflow. Hand-polished and anodised in gloss midnight black, it can be installed in just 30 minutes. By smoothing the airflow path out of the turbocharger and eliminating the restriction and turbulence caused by the OEM part, RacingLine confirms that ‘a small but useful’ power gain is made.

For more information on RacingLine products for the 2010-2017 Polo GTI ‘6R/6C’ and the 2017 onwards sixth-generation Polo GTI ‘AW’, visit the RacingLine website, or locate a nearby dealer from the company’s global network of retail partners.