Bucket Seat: VW Polo Vivo - Refreshed

The Polo Vivo remains one of South Africa's best selling passenger vehicles with over 425 000 units sold  locally and in Sub Saharan Africa, all of which were manufactured at their Kariega Plant just out Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. This week I got the opportunity to view the plant, which since February this year, is the only plant in the world to make the Polo and its derivatives. The visit was to view the refreshed Polo Vivo which hits the streets of Mzanzi this month. Many expected drastic changes to the current model as face-lifts go, this was pretty on par with nothing dramatic in terms of styling cues but lots of extras in terms of tech and safety. 

The major talking about about these updates that the Vivo receives is that most of them were designed and manufactured right here in South Africa. The engineers in the plant talked us through the major design change which is the front bumper which is now more aligned to the Volkswagen design language, featuring a broader lower grille made up of slats that are pronounced by angular "boomerang" styled side pieces which are colour coded to the cars colour. The Polo Vivo also receives new headlights with corner bending lights on higher trims. The rear see's the "Vivo" name plate follow the new VW convention of being in center, again, another item which was designed locally and needed sign off from head office. The GT line gets an updated badge and not stick on decals like the older model. 

The Vivo will be available in three variants, the entry level Vivo, mid level "Life" and the range topping "Style", There is also the range topping GT and a limited edition "Black Styling" package of which only 500 will be made. On the Life variant, it will feature a special 15-inch alloy wheel which was designed and made here in SA, dubbed "Ubomi"it is quite an attractive looking wheel for the mid range Vivo. 

On the safety front, all Vivo's will come with front fog lamps and cornering light with day time running lights, Life and Style models will get Twin headlamps with integrated high beam assist. All Vivo's will have tyre pressure monitoring and get side airbags fitted into the driver and front passenger seats, taking the total airbags up to four now, making it one of the safest cars in its segment. 

All Vivo models will come with new seats, each specific to its variant with unique designs, made from robust yet comfortable materials. Each design was carefully thought of for the various model and with thorough testing of the seats which was demonstrated to us in the quality control center of the plant. The major talking point has to be the new infotainment unit which replaces the old dated radio. A 9-inch high definition touch screen unit which, again was co-designed here in SA along with VW Argentina is a refreshing update to the cabin. It's easy to use and displays the cars info such as trip logs, fuel range, tyre pressures and has mobile apps which is connected via USB A cables.

Polo Vivo has 3 engines in its line up with the 1.4L naturally aspirated engine in the standard Vivo and Life models. This motor delivers 55kW in Vivo and 63kW in the Life and has a 5-speed manual gearbox. There is a 1.6L naturally aspirated motor that delivers 77kw that is available with a tiptronic auto gearbox in the Life and a 5-speed manual in the Style variants. The range topping GT now gets a 1.0L TSI engine that delivers 81kW and has a 5-speed manual gearbox. I drove the base line Vivo at the launch and truth be told, I found zero difference from the older model, it's a solid ride but lacks power especially with a load. It's build quality is solid and with the new updates makes it an affordable car that starts off at the same price as the outgoing model which is a major plus for the consumer. 

Pricing:

1.4 55kW Vivo Manual - R266,600

1.4 63kW Life Manual - R288,500

1.6 77kW Life Tiptronic - R320,200

1.6 77kW Style Manual - R318,000

1.0 TSI 81kW GT Manual - R356,000

Prices exclude service plan