Here's a car not sold in North America so I may as well give you a short review.
Most people know VW have made a Polo for years but this model variation is just sold in a few markets: NZ, South Africa, Germany and India, to name ones I know about, but oddly not in Australia or the UK. The only significant differences are that the Cross Polo is lifted 15mm over stock, has plastic lower body protection, more rugged seats and is fitted with roof rails. The Cross Polo is only manufactured in South Africa.
The current Polo model range sold in the UK has nearly a dozen variations of small diesel and gasoline engines, but down here we only get two of the gasoline versions - probably because a fuel tax quirk means they are cheaper to run than diesel. This model has the 1.2 liter turbo direct injection with 109 hp, a brand new engine design for VW in 2014. As with the previous design, the intercooler is liquid-cooled and integrated with the intake manifold.
With the 7-speed dry-clutch DSG, economy is rated at 40 mpg (US) urban and 49 highway with mid-range octane fuel. 0 to 62 mph is 9.8 sec. The cost of this car in NZ is right in-between the manual and CVT base models of the Toyota Corolla, and $2k under the entry-level Golf.
This is a small car but it fits me just fine at 5'-10" and 175 lbs. The front seats have side bolsters that fold around your back and the material is a rugged fabric. One comfort feature I like is that there is room on both sides of the pedals for your feet to rest while on cruise control, and your legs remain parallel and at the same angle - good if your knees are sensitive to being twisted like mine are. Many cars I looked at failed to have this basic requirement. The center armrest is adjustable for height and doesn't squeak or bend when you lean on it.
The engine and DSG are virtually silent - gear changes are only obvious via the tach and gear indicator. The engine torque curve is electronically-regulated to be flat from 1400 to 4000 rpm. Cruising at 60 mph the tach reads 2000 rpm. Driving around town the engine has surprising low-end torque and the DSG keeps it in the higher gears unless you opt for "sport" mode. In normal city driving, it's in 4th gear by the time you finish crossing the intersection. On the open road it mainly sticks to 6th and 7th unless you punch it.
Maintenance-wise there is a surprise - there is only one major item, the normal engine oil change at 10,000 miles or 1 year. The DSG and engine cam belt have no scheduled maintenance. Engine oil is specified as a 5w30 long-life, such as Castrol Edge Professional, a variation of Edge I haven't seen on the shelves here. The metal-can oil filter is underneath behind a splash panel, a bit un-German-like IMO.
It's got all the usual bells and whistles - iPhone integration, etc, and stuff I don't care about like automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers. I do like that the engine oil temperature can be selected for display and that sits around 212 F (100 C.)
The only feature I'm not that taken by are the 40-profile tires on 17" rims. I would have been happy with 15s as our roads have a rough chip-seal texture and these tires are noisy.
Most people know VW have made a Polo for years but this model variation is just sold in a few markets: NZ, South Africa, Germany and India, to name ones I know about, but oddly not in Australia or the UK. The only significant differences are that the Cross Polo is lifted 15mm over stock, has plastic lower body protection, more rugged seats and is fitted with roof rails. The Cross Polo is only manufactured in South Africa.
The current Polo model range sold in the UK has nearly a dozen variations of small diesel and gasoline engines, but down here we only get two of the gasoline versions - probably because a fuel tax quirk means they are cheaper to run than diesel. This model has the 1.2 liter turbo direct injection with 109 hp, a brand new engine design for VW in 2014. As with the previous design, the intercooler is liquid-cooled and integrated with the intake manifold.
With the 7-speed dry-clutch DSG, economy is rated at 40 mpg (US) urban and 49 highway with mid-range octane fuel. 0 to 62 mph is 9.8 sec. The cost of this car in NZ is right in-between the manual and CVT base models of the Toyota Corolla, and $2k under the entry-level Golf.
This is a small car but it fits me just fine at 5'-10" and 175 lbs. The front seats have side bolsters that fold around your back and the material is a rugged fabric. One comfort feature I like is that there is room on both sides of the pedals for your feet to rest while on cruise control, and your legs remain parallel and at the same angle - good if your knees are sensitive to being twisted like mine are. Many cars I looked at failed to have this basic requirement. The center armrest is adjustable for height and doesn't squeak or bend when you lean on it.
The engine and DSG are virtually silent - gear changes are only obvious via the tach and gear indicator. The engine torque curve is electronically-regulated to be flat from 1400 to 4000 rpm. Cruising at 60 mph the tach reads 2000 rpm. Driving around town the engine has surprising low-end torque and the DSG keeps it in the higher gears unless you opt for "sport" mode. In normal city driving, it's in 4th gear by the time you finish crossing the intersection. On the open road it mainly sticks to 6th and 7th unless you punch it.
Maintenance-wise there is a surprise - there is only one major item, the normal engine oil change at 10,000 miles or 1 year. The DSG and engine cam belt have no scheduled maintenance. Engine oil is specified as a 5w30 long-life, such as Castrol Edge Professional, a variation of Edge I haven't seen on the shelves here. The metal-can oil filter is underneath behind a splash panel, a bit un-German-like IMO.
It's got all the usual bells and whistles - iPhone integration, etc, and stuff I don't care about like automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers. I do like that the engine oil temperature can be selected for display and that sits around 212 F (100 C.)
The only feature I'm not that taken by are the 40-profile tires on 17" rims. I would have been happy with 15s as our roads have a rough chip-seal texture and these tires are noisy.
