What you get when buying the cheapest VW in South Africa

The most affordable VW currently on sale in South Africa is the Polo Vivo 1.4 Trendline which has a starting price of R243,600 that is accompanied by a 3-year/120,000km warranty.

The long-running Vivo has quickly become one of the most popular cars in the country following its launch in 2010 and is locally produced exclusively for our market at the automaker’s Kariega Plant along with its sibling, the Polo.

The hatch is a staple of the South African road scene with over 20,000 units sold in 2022 alone, and we had a look exactly at what it offers that has buyers hooked.

What you get

The German manufacturer has fitted its entry-level car with a 1.4-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine which delivers a power output of 55kW and 130Nm.

On the reasonably-priced Vivo, this powertrain is married to a five-speed manual transmission which sends power to the front wheels.

When all is said and done, the city car will manage a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 12.8 seconds and continue onwards to a top speed of 171km/h, while still being capable of achieving a relatively-low average fuel consumption of 5.7l/100km.

Inside the wallet-friendly Vivo, prospective owners can expect manual air conditioning, a Bluetooth sound system with four speakers, a leatherette gearstick, and cloth upholstery with a blocky pattern.

The instrument cluster, unlike many other modern hatches with digital displays, then takes the form of more traditional analogue dials with a small screen in between to show the driver things like trip data, consumption, and a clock.

Also standard are steel wheels measuring 14 inches with plastic covers, driver and passenger airbags, ABS with electronic brake force distribution, and a boot with 280 litres of cargo space – which can be enlarged to 952 litres by folding the rear seats down should drivers need to carry larger items.

As optional extras, buyers can further specify front and rear floor mats for R650, a tyre pressure monitor packaged with electronic stability control for R2,800, and 15-inch Estrada alloy wheels for R6,600.