Bucket Seat: Volkswagen Polo Vivo GT

The Volkswagen Polo Vivo has for long been a star in the countries budget hatch segment, while pricing on it may be higher than some of the other competition, it still maintains a strong dominance over them due to the name and quality associated with the Volkswagen brand. The fact that is is assembled locally here at the VW plant in Kariega is an added bonus! Last year I attended the launch for the latest update in the model line up which featured cosmetic, technology and safety upgrades to the models as well as some other enhancements to keep up with the times. A few months following the launch, VWSA sent me the range topping Vivo GT to drive for a week, to get an on hand feel with the updates they've made, it also gave me an opportunity see how a car like the Vivo which is more of a budget hatch back can be a versatile family car, here's my experience with it. 

DESIGN

Much noise was made about the design of the refreshed Polo Vivo during launch, saying that is looks the same as the old one, given the life cycle of a car like the Polo Vivo, it follows the trend of its sibling, the normal Polo and that is still running with its face-lift version, so in theory they cannot have a shape change. Also keeping the same chassis allows for VW to keep the cars pricing quite competitive, that's not to say they haven't made any changes to the styling. Key differences between this GT and the previous model include a black painted roof, bumper skin and lower and upper grille with chrome, new interior trim and a body coloured boot spoiler. The front bumper has been revised to suit the latest VW styling, giving it a more larger frame with the bigger opening with boomerang style design side pieces which are colour coded and house the fog lamps which also serve as daytime running lights for the car. Depending on the trim chosen, there are various new alloys on offer, the GT comes with 17-inch Mirabeau alloy wheels in Anthracite. 

PERFORMANCE

Powered by the infamous 1.0 TSI engine, the Vivo GT produces 81kW and 200Nm of torque, this is paired with the 6-speed manual gearbox that provided a smooth and efficient drive. For day-to-day driving, the Vivo GT gave a rather zesty feel, being the sports derivative of the Polo Vivo line-up, it didn't disappoint in providing a spirited driving feel. The nimble nature added to the experience of fast paced driving with easy maneuverability. It felt solid on the highways as well, with me taking it on a weekend to the Berg, the Vivo GT with a fully boot and cabin coped well. With plenty of power available for the highway and even doing well on some gravel roads. When it comes to fuel economy, this 1.0 TSI engine is superb and practically sips the petrol from its tank, I swear for the first two days after filling up, the range kept increasing instead of decreasing, I almost wanted to call VWSA up to say that there is a defect with the car but it wasn't. 

COMFORT

Look, I'm going to be straight with you guys here, this car is"budget" for a reason so don't come in here expecting massaging seats and all the bells and whistles because you're not going to get it. You don't even get climate control aircon but you do get aircon. The seats, while coming with new trendy trims are not the most comfortable, they are firm and very hardy, with durable material that will last you a long time but other than that, not much to write home about. The seat sizing is also small to adapt to the cars size but in saying that it was still okay for me, who is larger than the average human. While the suspension isn't anything fancy, it gave a decent ride on normal roads. The large 17-inch rims didn't help but not as bad on normal surfaces, just not the best for lower quality roads. The car as mentioned does come with air conditioning with just a single setting for the cabin. The new 9-inch display is very cool and easy to use, would have been nice if the mobile apps were wireless but not a major train smash to plug in the USB, which is USB A and not C like most new VW models. There are lots of new safety features in the Vivo like side airbags for the driver and front passenger, the GT gets twin LED headlamps and tyre pressure monitor. 

VERDICT

Overall, the Vivo GT is still my go-to from the Vivo range, offering that sporty feel for a fraction of the cost of other hatch backs. The Vivo as mentioned is feature packed and most of the changes were developed at the plant in Kariega so we have a lot to be proud about in this car. It proved its versatility to me on my trip to the berg, managed to cram the boot with our luggage as well as essentials for the weekend for 3 adults, fine, there was some items that had to be stored on the back seat but not much to make the journey uncomfortable for anyone. The fuel economy and performance on the 1.0-litre TSI is second to none in the segment so with that in mind, as well as the competitive pricing, makes the Polo Vivo GT a firm favourite of mine. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.0 TSI
Gear Box	6-speed manual
Torque	200Nm
Power	81kW
0-100km	9.7 seconds
Price	R356,000

 

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