The Polo Vivo still claims a spot in the top 5 best-selling passenger vehicles in South Africa, but is this B-segment hatch still the aspirational vehicle that it has been for decades? We spent a week with the latest Vivo High Line model to see if it can still compete.
Interior & Space
Viva Vivo Viva!
Volkswagen – the people’s car, it’s right there in the name. The German automaker has cried king of the entry-level, affordable compact car since the 50’s with legends like the Beetle and Golf. As technology and tastes have moved on, VW has had to move with them and even those aforementioned legends were retired. Locally, the Golf replaced the Beetle in the late 80’s/early 90’s and the Polo replaced the Golf in the early 2000’s and we may just be about to see another shift.
The Volkswagen Polo, has for a number of years, been the best-selling passenger car in South Africa, retaining its aspirational value for millions of South Africans and very often being a first car for thousands more. In order to get as much lifetime out of the Polo models the Vivo model was introduced becoming a cheaper and more attainable version. For those who are unaware, whenever a new Polo model is introduced the outgoing model becomes the new Polo Vivo and thus we are seeing an aspirational vehicle that becomes steadily more feature-packed but also more expensive.
The Polo has fallen from its top spot in the sales charts and as consumer tastes continue to shift toward crossovers and SUVs could we see the Vivo experience the same? We spent a few days with the latest Vivo in Highline trim to see if the people’s car still has what it takes to wow an audience.
Styling
As the baseline of VW’s line up the Vivo is a good-looking car and has styling cues that come across as timeless. Our test unit was draped in a stunning metallic Reef Blue paint colour with black accents and featured an optional black styling package to accentuate its aggressiveness.
The Black package consists of 16″ Portage wheels, black mirror caps and black side sill trim, all of which add to the sporty appearance of the Vivo. As far as lighting is concerned the Vivo gets LED head and taillights as part of the optional Light and Vision package.
The Polo Vivo’s styling is unoffensive bordering on timeless. The design has stood the test of time and each successive treatment only makes the Vivo hatch look more and more modern without changing its essence.
Space & Interior
The interior of the Vivo is a no-nonsense affair, seating is covered in a hard-wearing cloth material, with high-quality plastics adorning heavy traffic areas. The steering wheel is wrapped in a soft-touch leather while the switchgear throughout the cabin is easy to use and of good quality.
Our test unit also received some interior touches such as floormats front and rear and a handy storage option in the form of a centre armrest with hidden storage and a storage tray under the driver’s seat. the Vivo has seating for 5 but as is commonplace with vehicles in this category it will be at a bit of a crunch for rear-seated passengers if the driver and front passenger expand their legroom.
Comfort & Convenience
The Polo Vivo is comfortable and spacious for those riding in front with ample legroom as long as the seats aren’t pulled too far forward. Driver and passenger get manual air con while rear passengers will have to make do with manual winding windows at the rear.
Entertainment is taken care of in the form of a touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth and steering wheel controls. The Vivo does retain its voluminous bootspace allowing 280l of packing space that can be expanded by dropping the folding rear seat to attain 952l.
Performance
Under the bonnet, you will find VW’s 1.6l 4-cylinder NA petrol engine that produces 77kW and 153Nm. This is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and with some deft cog swapping a top speed of 188km/h can be achieved.
The Vivo accelerates swiftly up through the gears without any fanfare and cruises effortlessly at highway speeds with very low NVH levels, a testament to its build quality. It handles well through corners and one can see why so many of these are driven to within an inch of their lives, it’s just so easy to drive!
Fuel Economy
This is where the Polo Vivo absolutely blew us away. We received the test car with a full fuel tank and after a week of the daily commute and general runabout activities, we returned the Vivo with almost a full tank, the indicator gauge hadn’t even moved! The Vivo sipped petrol at an astounding 4.8l/100km meaning that had we tried we would have had to cover close to 850km to empty the tank.
Safety
The Polo Vivo scores a 3-star global NCAP rating with ABS and Stability Control as standard. The Vivo also gets a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and 2 airbags for the driver and passenger. There is ISOfix in the rear for car seats and rear PDC as well as a reverse camera.
Price
This is the factor that had us raising our eyebrows, unfortunately, the Vivo’s price has increased to a point where consumers are able to choose other vehicle types and are able to find cheaper options. There was a time not too long ago when an entry-level Vivo was under 200k. With the availability of cheaper vehicle types that offer more desirable features, the Vivo may have a difficult time ahead.
| Model | Price |
| Volkswagen Polo Vivo hatch 1.4 Trendline | R 255 600 |
| Volkswagen Polo Vivo hatch 1.4 Comfortline | R 276 500 |
| Volkswagen Polo Vivo hatch 1.6 Highline | R 304 700 |
| Volkswagen Polo Vivo hatch 1.6 Comfortline auto | R 306 700 |
| Volkswagen Polo Vivo hatch 1.0TSI GT | R 341 800 |
Which Volkswagen Polo Vivo trim depreciates the fastest?
Competitors
The Polo Vivo doesn’t have many competitors left as the segment slowly fades away. The Toyota Starlet and Suzuki Baleno are in with a shot size-wise, while on a price comparison, smaller cars such as the Kia Picanto and Hyundai Grand i10 take the occasional swipe. The pricing may be of concern but it is also consumer tastes that are changing, small family hatchbacks just aren’t that popular anymore.
Verdict
As consumer demand for sedans and hatchbacks continues to wane, the mantel of SA’s favourite car may just be moving to another’s shoulders. As consumers become more discerning of their tastes, the tech, features, and styling, as well as prices, become an ever-important factor, the Polo may no longer be the aspirational vehicle that it once was, losing out to newer models like the T-Cross. We don’t see that happening to the Vivo quite yet though and the Vivo still has plenty of steam left in it and we will continue to see successive models in the coming years. In the meantime, the Polo Vivo can happily wear the crown of SA’s people’s car as long as VW watches that pricing!
Keyword: Volkswagen Polo Vivo High Line (2023) Review