2016 Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen’s Polo has become the default answer for South Africans who want something a little more upmarket than your average B-segment hatch, but aren’t willing to cough up for a Golf or pay C-segment premiums. You’ll see them everywhere from Sandton to Sea Point, and that’s no accident. It goes toe-to-toe with the Toyota Starlet, Suzuki Swift, and Renault Kiger, but the Polo’s trump card is that blend of everyday polish and badge appeal. Engine choices swing from frugal diesels to peppy petrols, manual and auto boxes, but most shoppers are laser-focused on that 7-speed DSG – and honestly, if you’ve schlepped through Rivonia Road traffic, you’d understand why. Current listings are all over the map: from R69,500 for a high-mileage, decade-old unit to a wallet-wilting R699,995 for a loaded new one. The median sits at R319,500, which is telling: the market’s buoyed by a sea of well-loved used examples, with 203 used units outnumbering the 118 new cars you’ll find on dealer floors. For anyone shopping below R300k, that matters. The 1.0 TSI Life DSG is the Polo you’ll see most often, with 56 listings between R284,900 and R514,540, and the plain 1.0 TSI close behind with 55 options starting at R268,890. Most used Polos show around 51,251 km, which is par for the course if the service book stacks up. At the zippier end, the GTI DSG takes the spotlight: 16 listings from R419,900 up to nearly R700k, and it’s what the Polo should have been from the start if you ask a diehard. The real separation between Polo and its rivals isn’t just the spec sheet. On paper at least, it’s the interior finish and that DSG’s city manners – the Starlet and Swift just don’t feel as civilised inside or as relaxed in the crawl from Fourways to Braamfontein. For the budget-conscious, there’s still a lifeline in those 1.4 Trendline GP-era cars from as far back as 2005, starting at R148,990. If you pack smart, there’s a Polo for nearly every wallet, and that’s the point.