By: Jason Woosey
While the Polo hatchback was freshened up more than a year ago, its sedan sibling continued unchanged as if in limbo.
That changes now however, although rather than a simple cut and paste of the five-door's upgrades, the four-door gets a new look of its own. Bigger news though, is that it hasn't inherited the new range of turbopetrol engines, although there is at least some compensation for that in the form of lower prices.
Think of the Polo sedan as now having become very comfortable in its role as the sensible sibling in the family.
Visually, the front end has been redesigned with new headlights and a larger grille while both the front and back bumpers have been restyled. What's more, the Trendline models now have body coloured side mirrors and door handles, while Comfortline models are set apart by alloy wheels. New metallic colour options come in the form of Night Blue, Carbon Steel, Titanium Beige and Toffee Brown.
The interior has been spruced up with fresh seat trims, a flat-bottomed steering wheel and new audio systems, although no cabin pictures have been released as yet.
DOWNSIZED DIESEL
The only news on the engine front is that the previous 1.6-litre TDI engine has been replaced by a 1.5-litre unit, with identical outputs of 77kW and 250Nm.
Unlike the latest Polo hatch, which is offered with 1.2-litre turbopetrol engines, the sedan soldiers on with its pair of normally aspirated petrol engines, in the form of a 63kW/132Nm 1.4 and 77kW/155Nm 1.6. Yet perhaps this is something that the rental and fleet buyers, which no doubt make up a sizeable portion of the four-door's sales, will find reassuring.
As mentioned, Volkswagen has also sweetened the pricing deal. The entry-level 1.4 Trendline costs just R189 900, versus the R196 400 its predecessor commanded and the R201 900 price tag of the cheapest 1.2 TSI hatch. Other models receive an even bigger price snip, with the 1.6 Trendline, for instance, dropping from R219 700 to R204 900. All models also come with a three-year/45 000km service plan.
The lower prices don't appear to have come at the cost of features, with all models packing air conditioning, an audio system, remote central locking, electric windows, dual front airbags and ABS brakes. Comfortline versions add an upgraded sound system with Bluetooth, electric mirrors, leather multi-function steering wheel and cruise control.
PRICES
1.4 63kW Trendline - R189 900
1.4 63kW Comfortline - R207 900
1.6 77kW Trendline - R204 900
1.6 77kW Comfortline - R219 900
1.6 77kW Comfortline AT - R234 900
1.5 77kW TDI Comfortline - R247 200