2019 Volkswagen Polo review

I LIKE three-cylinder cars – for many reasons, including efficiency, sound and nostalgia.

I first drove three-potters in the mid-to-late 1950s with a succession of those high-performing DKW 3-6 Sonderklasse two-strokes; about 40 years later I had a couple of Daihatsu Charades and now the joy has been relived with the Volkswagen Polo TSI.

Polos come in quite a range, among them a hot GTI, but today we’re in the Trendline model, the most affordable of the clan, starting  at $17,990 for the five-speed manual. But we opted for the $20,490 dual-clutch auto to better cope with the ever-increasing traffic snarl.

It’s a cleanly-styled, attractive five-door hatchlet and it comes with everything that matters: aircon, cloth seats, a fine leather-rimmed steering wheel, keyless entry, central locking,  cruise control, reversing camera and daytime running lights.

No matter. It runs fine, does everything expected of a city car and if you don’t look too closely you’ll never notice those fake ‘alloys’ and it will still have the appearance of a car $10K above its price.

The interior treatment has a minimalist touch with a two-tone dash, and the steering wheel is of the sporty flat-bottomed variety.

Instrumentation is pretty good and easy to read and the big surprise os how much room it has.

The new Polo has gained 78mm over  its predecessor in length and 69mm in width, so it can actually accommodate a couple of Mac-fed adults in the back, or three kids.

Driver and front seat passenger, or navigator, depending on what the Polo’s being subjected to, get good seating with lots of shoulder and headroom, there’s a real handbrake (hooray), a couple of USB jacks and cup holders, a cubby and big door pockets.

Open the hatch and there’s again more space than you’d have imagined: 351 litres, which more than triples to 1125 litres if you fold the rear seats.

The engine is a delight: a turbocharged 1.0litre three-pot, as used in the Up that chortles up 70kW and 175Nm, the latter from 2000rpm.

Driver and front seat passenger, or navigator, depending on what the Polo’s being subjected to, get good seating with lots of shoulder and headroom, there’s a real handbrake (hooray), a couple of USB jacks and cup holders, a cubby and big door pockets.

Open the hatch and there’s again more space than you’d have imagined: 351 litres, which more than triples to 1125 litres if you fold the rear seats.

The engine is a delight: a turbocharged 1.0litre three-pot, as used in the Up that chortles up 70kW and 175Nm, the latter from 2000rpm.

The suspension is typically Euro-firm, but still gives a comfortable ride, and the steering is light and accurate, great for parking and equally happy in faster traffic.

Also impressive is the sound isolation, which makes for a civilised interior, devoid of excessive road noise.

Safety-wise, the South African-built car has six airbags,  AEB with pedestrian detection, a fatigue-warning system and a tyre-pressure monitor, plus hill start assist, ESP and traction control.

The Polo comes with a three-year/unlimited km warranty, which is a bit strange given that a Kia Picanto offers seven years and many other brands are on five-year warranties.

Verdict: One of those cars you immediately feel at home in. It’s well built, well priced, spacious, peppy, far from base – and if you like a nice thrummy sound, don’t bother with the radio.