Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Review: Cents and Sensibility

What we like:

Pliant ride

Golf-like looks

use of soft materials and high quality switch gear inside

fuel sipping nature

DSG gearbox

affordable price

What we dislike:

Engine lacks torque

no 1.2 turbo model till end next year

A Jazz is bigger and much more practical inside

Despite its low price, the Polo isn’t exactly stingy on standard kit or safety.The Euro NCAP five-star Polo comes with a plethora of airbags, ABS with EBD, ESP, ASR, all-round electric windows, heated side mirrors, 15-inch alloys, factory fitted CD radio and so on as standard.

At under $70k for a stylish German compact hatchback, the Polo is a really tempting buy to say the least. You’d be better off with a Honda Jazz if ferrying rear passengers is part of your daily chore as the Polo is short on space at the rear. The Polo suits the bill for everything else though, offering big car ride and refinement, handsome looks inside and out, safety and just about sufficient performance. For those who want more performance from their Polos, there’ll be the 1.2 TSI turbocharged version and possibly a 1.4 twincharged GTI next year. In many ways, the Polo is like its Golf big brother albeit more affordable, smaller and slower

Credits: Story and photos by Raymond Lai