Bucket Seat: 2022 VW Polo TSI Life

During the fourth quarter of last year, Volkswagen SA released their latest generation Polo. A model that has been a firm favourite with South Africans over the years and saw it dominate sales in its segment. There is no denying why the model does so well, VW have created the perfect formula for a compact hatch that offers great features, decent engines, comfort, space and not forgetting that excellent price point. This new model still continues with those key values and adds a bit more, hence its bound to be a resounding success with the consumers. VWSA have also changed the model line up a bit with them offering the new Polo in four trims, being the Standard Polo, Polo Life, Polo R- Line and the range topping Polo GTI. I had the opportunity to spend a week with the Polo Life and here are my thoughts on the car. 

DESIGN

While at first glance the overall design of the new Polo looks pretty similar to the previous generation but on closer inspection you will notice quite a few design changes apart form the lights. The car I had was in the new launch colour of  "Vibrant Violet Metallic" and it was pretty vibrant and surprisingly very appealing to many.  The car has grown in size with it being longer, wider and slightly higher than its predecessor but yes, the key design changes are with the lights, up in the front the LED headlamps are more angular and wider than the older model with lovely details that tie into the solid LED bar that runs along the grille just like the Golf 8. The light bar stops at the VW badge in front and gives off a very impressive look at night. The bottom of the front has been revised to more of the Golf 8 style cues as well with the wider radiator grille and smaller more angular side pods. Side profile of the new Polo looks pretty similar to the older generation and as you head to the back, the revised rear lights with the extension of them that are on the tailgate give the car a more mature look to it. The interior has been completely redone as well with, again styling cues coming from the Golf 8 and T-Cross. 

PERFORMANCE

The VW Polo Life comes with one engine, the 1.0 TSI but with two transmission options, the 5-speed manual or the 7-speed DSG. I had with me the manual derivative and I quite enjoyed it. While the trend focus may shift to automatics these days and when it comes to automatics, the VW DSG is up there with the best but every now and then you don't mind the old "stick shift". The 5-speed manual has less power output from the 1.0L TSI engine though with it producing only 70kW, a whole 15kW less that the DSG. Having a manual did assist with this lack of power as you could easily down change when required. The eco assistant advising you when to change gears helps you obtain a healthy fuel economy but the motor itself does so well on using minimal fuel in any case. Whether on the highway for long distances or just urban driving the Polo seemed well equipped to propel me around on my journeys with it. 

COMFORT

Like I said, the Polo has grown a bit and its evident in the interior with their being ample space to comfortably seat four grown adults. The new design is very welcoming with everything being new, from the steering wheel to the dash. The large touch-screen infotainment screen greets you as you enter the car with it tilted to face the driver. There are a number of features to this including profiles for multiple moods or drivers. The instrument cluster is fully digital as well displaying all kinds of driver related info as well as media. I love the various modes and views you can choose from, you can opt for the traditional analog dial setup or go for something new with digital readings that make more room for other information. The Polo comes with built-in mobile apps that offer wireless integration, there is the option of USB wired charging with two USB C ports located just below the analog AC controls. The car came with optional extras such as Park Assist, Park Distance Control and A large panoramic sunroof. The cabin is laid out with good quality materials and textures which keep the car vibrant and appealing to the youth. 

VERDICT

You can't really go wrong with the Polo, while it has a legacy of being an affordable hatch aimed at students and emerging professionals, it really is growing up to tap into other markets of buyers as well. The inclusion of technology and robust materials could see it appealing to others in the buying spectrum. Given the recent and future fuel increases, this 1.0L TSI engine will become extremely popular with those that do not wish to frequent the pumps. Apart from looking nice and performing well, the car is such a pleasure to drive and I feel that is one thing many brands lack with of recent, with them concentrating on so many other things to keep their models up to date, sometimes they dont put in much effort into the drivability of their cars and that is one thing VW do brilliantly. Another great reason to purchase this car is that its produced locally so there's nothing wrong in showing some patriotisms.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.0L TSI
Gear Box	5-Speed Manual
Torque	175Nm
Power	70kW
Top Speed	187km
Price	R353,600*

*Base Price

Bucket Seat: 2018 Ford Fiesta - First Impressions

This week see's the launch of the all new Ford Fiesta in South Africa, a car which played a big part in forcing the trend of the compact hatchback in the country. Over the years it's grown in size and become quite a great looking car, and this new variant is spot on in terms of styling and interior design. While we may not be attending the launch, we are hopeful of receiving one to test in the not to distant future but for now lets take a look at what Ford tells about this all new Fiesta. 

As mentioned before, new styling, Ford say the new design follows an evolution of the old which is very evident but they also made it more contemporary but just a bit so much not to lose its "Fiesta-ness". After all, Fiesta does mean festive, if the car looked boring they should change its name to "Siesta"....okay enough of the dry jokes from me.  They have managed to make the car look more elegant with the bold styling, silver finishes and the nice LED loop the front headlights make. It definitely looks more mature than the outgoing model. The car has also grown a lot with an additional 71 mm in length and 13 mm in width. Ford says this gives the car a more premium appearance but for me, that just means more cabin space which is a major plus for a big guy like myself. 

Moving under the hood, Ford retains its multi award winning 1.0L Ecoboost petrol engine in the Feista line up, I mean if the engine won the "International Engine of the Year" award 6 times, why change it. The car is available in both 6 speed manual and automatic, with the latter having a conventional six-speed torque converter transmission. The Ecoboost engine produces 74kW of power and 170Nm of torque. More than enough to run around town with. If you prefer a diesel engine, Ford have their 1.5L TDCi turbodiesel engine and is exclusively available with a six-speed manual gearbox producing 63kW and 174Nm of torque. The Fiesta now also features stop/start technology, further enhancing it's fuel efficiency. 

Getting into the Fiesta, while you must take into consideration this isn't a luxury car so don't expect plush interiors to match the exterior, while I say that, Ford have done a relatively good job. The materials look solid and nothing cheap about it, the driver set-up looks great an the new large infotainment touch screen which has SYNC3 loaded on is perfect. SYNC3 also integrates with your mobile device so if you have Apple Car Play or Android Auto, everything gets displayed via the cars screen, rather than you having to check your phone all the time which adds to the safety of the you and your passengers. 

Overall, Ford look to have a great car hitting their showrooms, while many are used to having cars like this for students and so on, with the ever increasing price of petrol, which is said to go over the R15 a litre mark in June, a car like the Fiesta could be for anyone that wants to save on their trip to the petrol station. It has all the creature comforts, looks great and is pretty nippy. If you wanting something a bit faster, the Fiesta ST is due sometime during this year but Ford SA won't giving a date as yet, so watch this space. 

Pricing for the Fiesta range is as follows.

Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost Trend 6MT	R261,900
Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost Trend 6AT	R277,300
Fiesta 1.5 TDCi Trend 6MT	R292,500
Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost Titanium 6MT	R295,500
Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost Titanium 6AT	R310,600

Bucket Seat: 2018 Toyota Yaris - First Impressions

Own it! That's the tag line for the new Toyota Yaris which is being launched this week in my beautiful province, just 20km up the road from my office, so getting there wouldn't have been a problem for me, hashtag just saying Toyota. Okay, enough with me being grumpy for being over looked for the launch because I'll be getting to spend a week with this latest generation small hatch from the Japanese giants. Well I suppose I can't really call it small anymore, since its arrival in 2005, the car stayed relatively the same size with a gradual growth in size as it went a long, if you recall, late last year I had the Yaris Pulse, which is a great car but I did make mention that the finishes and quality of certain interior finishes weren't the greatest. 

Getting to the all new Yaris, it has grown, a lot, it actually looks like a baby Auris, in fact I won't be surprised if some confuse the two when they see it on the road. When I say its bigger, I mean in 165mm in length and 5mm in width so its much longer than the old one which is very evident from the outside. The design while similar to the Auris has some details that differentiate the two. The lights  are a little longer and has a sweep to the end, their are more details in the front grille which takes some design cues from Lexus. There are some nice aerodynamic design elements which create a flow to the overall design from the front to the back. The c-pillar at the rear is blacked out and with the swooping rear wind shield, gives the car a very sporty look. 

Moving onto the inside, Toyota have totally reconfigured their dash and made everything central again, which I love! From the pictures the interior does look miles better than the old one. Also the large touch screen infotainment system finally has Apple Car-Play and Google Android Auto integration! Hooray! If you don't have those fancy phones, you'll be please to know that the car still has normal Bluetooth for telephone and audio streaming as well as satellite navigation! From the pictures, it seems like they've adopted climate control air conditioning as well but I think those are reserved for the higher end models. 

Power wise, all models of the new Yaris will be powered by the 1.5L, four cylinder petrol engine. Which utilizes a dual VVT-i and DOHC 16 valve layout. The engine pushes out 79kW and 140Nm of torque. The car is offered in both manual and automatic, with the manual being 6 speed shift with a top speed of 180km/h with the auto buyers have a choice of either the 5-speed transmission of Toyota's "Multidrive" CVT. The car is front wheel drive  so with the CVT, the car is enabled to react faster to acceleration input. I did find the Pulse to be a bit sluggish but that had a bigger gearbox and an older CVT system so perhaps this has fixed that issue. Will have to wait for the test unit to come in so I can confirm it. 

Pricing and Models:

1.5 Xi MT        - R230,800
1.5 Xs MT        - R253,400
1.5 Xs CVT      - R268,500
1.5 Cross          - R268,500
1.5 Sport           - R286,000