The Toyota Yaris and Volkswagen Polo are both top choices in the city hatchback class, but which one is best?
- A clash of cultures
- Price fighters
- Safety haves and have-nots
- Same goals, different tactics
- Life on the light side
- Heading east or west?
A clash of cultures
If you’re a sucker for cartoon styling, a jellybean range of colour options and a teetotaller’s approach to drinking fuel, there’s no question that the 2022 Toyota Yaris five-door city hatchback is your kind of car.
If, on the other hand, you’re of the belief that Europe has the exclusive rights to sophistication, style and overall cool, the 2022 Volkswagen Polo is more likely to be your thing.
Funny thing is, both represent the world’s two largest car companies and are both among the leading contenders in class, no longer competing at the budget end of the market but standing tall as two of the best in class.
They are so close on size, spec levels and on-road performance it’s not funny. And they start at similar prices.
Yet the Yaris and Polo nevertheless seem unlikely prospects for cross-shoppers. They might be conceptually similar – size, weight, performance – but they’re widely separated in terms of how the respective companies approach the development brief.
So what is it that keeps this Japan/Europe rivalry alive in such a close-fought battle?
We figured the most realistic way to get a handle on the things that make the Yaris and Polo such close competitors was to line up the two at price-competitive levels, adding some spice by specifying a hybrid version of the mid-level Yaris SX to take it a bit above the DSG auto version of the entry-level Polo Life. (A manual version of the Polo is also available for $3000 less.)
Although the Yaris SX Hybrid on test was standard-spec, the Polo Life required a few extra bits and pieces – via a model-specific option pack – to equalise most of the important equipment.
From then on, it was no holds barred.
Price fighters
The starting figure for the auto-equipped 2022 Volkswagen Polo Life, at $28,250 plus on-road costs, is a tad less than the Toyota Yaris SX Hybrid at $29,130 plus ORCs. But there are some discrepancies – some significant, some less so – that require attention to bring equipment equivalency and end up adding to the Volkswagen’s price.
Among the things that are standard on the Yaris SX Hybrid but are missing on the Life-spec Polo are GPS navigation, climate-control air-conditioning, self-dipping headlights and keyless starting.
Sat-nav and climate control come with a $1700 Vision & Tech package on the Polo that also throws in wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, plus as Travel Assist function that is a small step towards autonomous driving.
Adding this pack to the Polo Life brings the price up to, and past, the base SX-spec Yaris but, at just $820, not by a huge amount.
So as tested here, both the Yaris SX Hybrid and Polo Life are fitted out with LED headlights (self-dipping in the Yaris), Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity (wireless in the Polo) and DAB digital radio as part of their respective six-speaker sound system.
On both, the seats are cloth-trimmed, without any niceties such as power adjustment, heating or cooling.
But the overall ambience, in either Yaris or Polo, lacks little in terms of style or comfort.
Safety haves and have-nots
In the Life model grade, the 2022 Volkswagen Polo also lacks adaptive cruise control and various other things that are standard on the Toyota Yaris SX Hybrid that help keep its occupants safe.
The Polo gets city-safe, low-speed-only autonomous emergency braking (AEB), whereas the Yaris system works at both high and low speeds. The Volkswagen also lacks the Toyota’s lane trace assist to help hold station between the lines in the road.
Intersection turn assist, post-collision steering and braking, and speed sign recognition are also standard on the Yaris.
It’s not all one-way traffic though. Standard on Polo Life but missing on Yaris SX are AEB in reverse, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert (the Toyota has it up front though) and all-round parking sensors.
Both get driver attention detection, a technology that is relatively new to Toyota but familiar for some time on most Euros.
Both cars also have front centre airbags, which are designed to prevent head-clash between the driver and front passenger in the event of a collision. But the Yaris, through the added inclusion of a driver’s knee airbag, has a total airbag count of eight where the Polo, which does without, has seven.
Five-star ANCAP ratings are common to both, the Toyota dating from 2020 and the Volkswagen with a fresh rating for 2022. The assessment criteria for both cars is directly comparable as ANCAP’s latest testing protocols came into effect in 2020.
Same goals, different tactics
Both the 2022 Toyota Yaris SX Hybrid and Volkswagen Polo Life offer similar performance, but it’s delivered a lot differently, with differing levels of fuel efficiency too.
The Polo’s 85TSI powerplant is a feisty, fractionally long-stroke 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol that spins out a solid 85kW at a relatively low 5500rpm and muscles in with 200Nm of torque, produced between 2000 and 3500rpm – once again, relatively low revs considering the engine’s minuteness.
In contrast is the bigger, normally-aspirated 1.5-litre three-cylinder used in the Yaris, developing 67kW and 120Nm but supplemented with an additional 59kW/141Nm from the electric motor to produce a combined total of 85kW – exactly the same as the Polo but enhanced by the solid, additional shove of electrically-generated torque.
The transmissions are worlds apart too. The Polo sends its power through to the front wheels via Volkswagen’s dry-clutch seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, while the Yaris hybrid utilises Toyota’s clever multi-tasking, planetary-driven continuously variable transmission (CVT).
With neither car weighing in particularly heavy – the Polo’s tare weight is 1165kg, the Yaris 1110kg – there’s good punch available throughout the speed range although the Polo is deterred a little by the reluctance of its DSG gearbox to get off the line quickly.
Once underway the mini Volkswagen shifts efficiently and smoothly and is quite quick on the open road. Official figures have the Polo 85TSI accelerating from 0-100km/h in 10.6 seconds, which is brisk enough for a light hatch.
But the smoothness of the Polo is multiplied many times in the Yaris, which is not only helped off the mark by the electric motor’s instant torque, but is also smoothly responsive at speed on the road.
And, in general use, the Yaris’ CVT transmission is keen to avoid the steady, constant-rpm droning that is typical of the genre. Put the boot in, though, and that changes.
As expected, the Yaris trumps the Polo for fuel economy. Using the standard driveline mode (the Yaris offers power, eco and full-electric modes), the consumption of 3.3L/100km is astounding and easily beats the Polo’s claimed – yet still impressive – 5.4L/100km.
Life on the light side
Although the 2022 Volkswagen Polo measures fractionally bigger in overall dimensions than the Toyota Yaris, the effects on cabin space are minimal.
There are only a few centimetres favouring the Polo to be found in cabin measurements such as shoulder width, headroom and legroom.
Stepping between the two light hatches reveals easy visibility all round and enough rear-seat leg space for reasonably tall passengers provided those up front are prepared to do a little compromising.
The seating in both cases is comfortable – particularly in the Polo which offers adjustable lumbar support up front – providing one keeps in mind we are comparing two light-class five-door hatchbacks here.
A plus for the Polo is its padded-lid centre console with a bit of storage space underneath. The Yaris only gets a little drink bottle-style cavity between the seatbacks.
Getting through the rear door of the Yaris is more cramped for foot space than the Polo too.
Luggage space generally favours the Polo, although the tailgate of the Yaris does provide a slightly better opening on the vertical plane.
The Polo’s claimed boot capacity of 351 litres – opening to a quite impressive seats-folded 1125 litres – is evident though, and quite a bit better than the straight 270-litre claim for the Yaris.
Both provide two boot-floor levels, but the Yaris is neater with its hard-cover lower floor which contrasts with the Polo’s bare exposure of its (full-size) spare and other accoutrements once the upper cover is lifted.
A thing to point out here is the Polo’s interior. Where the Yaris seems contrived and plasticky, the Polo, even in base-level Life form, looks more upmarket with its stylish, high-set dash, quality materials featuring a light smattering of soft-touch surfaces, a voguish flat-bottom steering wheel (with shift paddles), a self-dipping electro-chromatic rear-view mirror and easily-understood controls including the 8.0-inch touch-screen sat-nav that’s part of the optional Vision & Tech package.
The Yaris is clearly (young) age-specific with all its bumps and bubbles but, as already mentioned, does come with standard sat-nav on an elevated tablet-style 7.0-inch touch-screen, plus single-zone climate control and push-button starting.
The Polo Life comes with four USB-C sockets, the two located in the rear for charging only, while the Yaris makes do with a single USB-A socket. One-touch window-opening throughout applies to both.
Both the Yaris SX Hybrid and Polo Life use MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension systems and run on 15-inch alloy wheels with 185-section tyres, the Yaris slightly lower-profile at 185/60 compared to the Polo’s 185/65s.
To be truthful, both are similarly competent on the road. The Yaris feels slightly more absorbent on patchy road surfaces and is less inclined than the Polo to crash over sharp bumps, but is a little bit woollier in the (similarly-geared) steering.
The Polo scores with disc brakes on all four wheels whereas on the Yaris the rears are drum-only.
The bottom line is that both the Toyota Yaris SX and Volkswagen Polo Life are adept on the road, with the Polo’s slightly more communicative ride and handling countered by the smoother behaviour of the Yaris.
Heading east or west?
In a classic case of east meets west, where similar results are arrived at from different directions, our verdict in this showdown between the 2022 Toyota Yaris and the Volkswagen Polo comes down to weighting the advantages against the disadvantages.
In essence, that’s the astounding fuel efficiency and calculated cheekiness of the Toyota Yaris against the suave refinement of the Volkswagen Polo.
If these cars were to be expressed musically, the Yaris would be pure Pop, the Polo cool Bebop.
Despite all this, both Yaris and Polo arrive pretty much at the same spot. They are dimensionally similar, drive, ride and handle with equal verve and are close on pricing once the Polo is equipped to similar levels.
In the Toyota’s favour are its more inclusive standard equipment, its markedly better fuel economy and its contribution to a cleaner environment through lower exhaust emissions.
The Yaris presents a pretty picture in terms of resale value too. RedBook figures indicate it retains around 70 per cent of its new price after five years, where the Polo is about 60 per cent.
Maintenance costs over time favour the Yaris as well. According to Toyota, an owner will spend $1025 in servicing over five years, while Volkswagen puts the figure for the Polo at $2200 over the same period.
Technicolour lollipop connotations aside, the Toyota Yaris is, under the skin, a truly competent light car and is the all-round winner in this ‘Look at me’ versus ‘Don’t you know who I am?’ confrontation.
How much does the 2022 Toyota Yaris SX Hybrid cost?
Price: $29,130 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol-electric
Output: 67kW/120Nm (electric motor: 59kW/141Nm)
Combined output: 85kW
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 3.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 76g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2020)
How much does the 2022 Volkswagen Polo Life cost?
Price: $28,250 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 85kW/200Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 5.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 123g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)
Keyword: Toyota Yaris v Volkswagen Polo 2022 Comparison