REVIEW | Polo Vivo GT offers style and real driving substance

Volkswagen has for decades been a leader in Mzansi new passenger vehicle sales. Go as far back as you want. The brand has been cooking on the charts since the days of the Beetle, original Golf, Citi Golf and in more recent times, the Polo and Polo Vivo.

How will the brand reinvent the essence of its Polo Vivo for a more demanding generation of buyers? We know the market is migrating to crossovers and sport-utility vehicles, with the classic hatchback waning in appeal. Could the successor to the Polo Vivo be a stripped-down, repurposed T-Cross perhaps?

Volkswagen launched the second-generation Vivo to the market in 2018, based on the fifth-generation Polo. Though it was premised on the idea of deleted specification, the product did not seem to skimp on the quality and refinement we associated with the regular Polo.

And South African consumers loved it. They still do, if you consider that the performance of Volkswagen and its second-place position overall is held up largely by the Polo Vivo. But how long this will be sustained remains to be seen.

When it was released in 2018, rivalry was less fierce. Chinese brands such as Haval were still gaining traction. Chery had yet to make its comeback. And we were all laughing at Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC); with its D20 that looked like the Mercedes-Benz B-Class you ordered from Shein.

In 2018 you would have paid R179,900 for the basic 1.4 Trendline, R221,900 for a 1.6 Comfortline Tiptronic or R245,000 for the turbocharged GT, a real little firecracker with pluck and character reminiscent of the Mk1 Golf GTi. Now in 2023 the basic Polo Vivo 1.4 Trendline has a starting price of R252,500 and a GT will cost you R341,800. You get a three-year/45,000km warranty, but the service and maintenance plans are optional.

That price puts you into the realm of B-segment crossovers and sport-utility vehicles such as the Suzuki Fronx and Vitara Brezza, Toyota Urban Cruiser or turbocharged offerings such as the Nissan Magnite and Chery Tiggo 4 Pro. For that kind of money you can even get into a decent sedan, such as the Corolla Quest, Fiat Tipo or booted version of the Polo.

But maybe you are looking at this decision in a different way. Maybe you want the Vivo GT because of its status as an attainable, sporting hatchback with street credibility. Your first step before getting into a Polo GTi and eventually a Golf R.

From that viewpoint, the Vivo GT is an enticing prospect. Earlier this year Volkswagen rolled out a mild refresh for the model, the extent of which comprises a new colour option: wild cherry red metallic.

OK, there were other tweaks — embroidered mats plus grey stitching on the handbrake and gear lever. Whereas the cloth insert and stitch colours for the upholstery was blue, it is red in the new model. As before, you get seats with more support than those offered on the standard Vivo, plus aluminium-look pedals. It still rides on 17-inch Mirabeau wheels, rocking a 15mm suspension drop, side skirts, rear spoiler and a chromed tailpipe.

Getting behind the wheel was a reminder of how solid the Vivo feels in comparison to certain peers. You feel snug inside the cabin, with doors that are heavy, making a thud as they close. The dashboard has that lovely soft-touch, squishy feel associated with premium German cars. Overall, this is a sturdy little thing.

And it has strong calves. The boosted 1.0l three-cylinder is strong, producing 81kW and 200Nm, with a growly note. It is such a lively performer, giving a person the sense that its speedometer needle could easily run off the clock — on a long road away from public conditions. Top speed is claimed to be 196km/h. Volkswagen does not offer a quoted 0-100km/h sprint time.

Shift action through the six-speed manual is direct, clutch pedal travel is short, the brakes are surprisingly sharp in deployment and can handle a good stomping. What you have in the GT is a nimble, playful hatchback that induces a huge grin every time.

My biggest criticism is related to the general concerns of owning a car that sells in such high volumes. You park it and you wonder if you might come back to missing headlights — or a car that has disappeared altogether.