REVIEW | '24 VW Polo Vivo Life Tiptronic is basic but sturdy

At the beginning of the year at the inaugural Volkswagen Group Africa indaba in Kariega, Eastern Cape, there were many questions raised by media in attendance.

Among them was the glaring matter of the Chinese product onslaught – and how the Eastern brands' mix of competitive pricing and high specification would impact the German firm's sales supremacy in Mzansi. Japanese brand Suzuki has also been seen, during the course of the past 18 months, to be nipping at the heels of Volkswagen in its consistent second spot on the new vehicle sales charts.

Volkswagen company representatives acknowledged the rivalry, but stood by the view that local customers continue to see value in offerings such as the Polo Vivo and Polo, which are both locally built, developed for unique SA conditions and backed by a manufacturer with a long-standing presence.

Whether most consumers will view it this way in the years ahead is up for debate. The Chinese are coming to market with bold designs, highly digitised cabins and prices that undercut established players.

When Volkswagen released the updated Vivo a few months ago, we needed a magnifying glass to spot the changes. They included a subtle redesign for the front bumper, new alloy templates, a font change for the rear Vivo script, a new infotainment screen and the standardisation of four airbags from the middle-grade models upwards. We asked the brand: will this be enough to stave off fierce rivalry? Again, it responded with the value line.

You probably get it though, especially if you are the kind of consumer who is not easily wowed by striking designs, highly digitised cabins, as well as pricing and warranties that seem to good to be true.

If you are partial to tried-and-tested offerings, from brands like Volkswagen which are ingrained in the local fabric, then you may not care that the updated Mk2 Vivo is hardly different to the version introduced in 2018. And you might not find its pricing unpalatable, particularly given the strong resale value that can likely be expected come trade-in time.

Last week Volkswagen offered up its Vivo to test, sending the automatic derivative of the 1.6 Life model. This is the middle-tier version, but it is quite basic by most accounts. And though it wields a six-speed automatic – the car is “manual” in many other ways: manual side mirror adjustment, wind-down windows at the rear and a physical handbrake lever.

You also have to turn your head around and look behind you when reversing, in the absence of parking sensors or a camera. Wild business in 2024. Even the headlamps are of the yellow-hued halogen variety, while the seats are clad in hard-wearing cloth. All very rudimentary.

But as it is the Life model, you get four airbags, a multifunction steering wheel and pretty 15-inch Ubomi alloys. Thankfully, electronic stability control, hill start assist and remote central locking are standard across the range. As is the fitment of a nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Although it has been designed with the typical Volkswagen corporate identity, it has an aftermarket look and feel. In fairness, the screen width and clarity is superior than the Composition Media reserved for top-tier Vivo models previously.

Now even though the Vivo is quite a basic thing on the inside, there are many positives to be said around build quality. From the soft-touch dashboard, to the way physical switchgear operates, even the way its doors close with a heavy thud, this is one solid compact car. That impression of sturdiness translates faithfully on the road, too, with a sure-footedness and stability at freeway speeds that even cars with larger dimensions could not match. The driving textures are exactly what you would expect from a Volkswagen, in a traditional sense.

If you are buying a B-segment car with an automatic transmission, it is most likely out of necessity – allowing you to overlook the dynamic trade-offs. Yes, the two-pedal Vivo is not as peppy or responsive as the equivalent manual with the same 1.6-litre unit. But it gets the job done reasonably well.

Output from the four-cylinder petrol is 77kW/153Nm and the six-speed Tiptronic smooth when finessed, but when you stab the pedal and it drops down a cog or two, brace for the strained engine note as that tachometer needle climbs. It proved to be an agreeable daily companion with a more relaxed driving style adopted, easy in traffic and content on the freeway sitting in the middle lane at 110km/h.

But one is baffled by why Volkswagen's instrument cluster readout shows consumption in km/l rather than l/100km. Over 700km of mixed driving, our car indicated an average of 15.8km/l (6.3l/100km). Which is really good.

This engine and transmission pairing is also one that is likely to serve without hassle long after the warranty has expired. A normally aspirated motor and torque-converter automatic (no dual-clutch complexity) generally makes for a durable combination.

The Vivo 1.6 Life Tiptronic goes for R320,200 before options, carrying a three-year/120,000km vehicle warranty and a separate five-year/150,000km warranty for the engine. Service and maintenance plans are optional extras.

It may not be at the cutting edge of innovation, but the made-in-Kariega Polo Vivo remains a good bet – one that will pander to your sense of patriotism.