f you’ve paid attention to social media lately, it’s possible that you might have formed a negative opinion about Volkswagen Polo drivers, unless you are one – in which case, you would have jumped to the defence.
Having seen some of the videos doing their rounds, you might think that a certain right of passage for Polo buyers might be to smash their new car through the showroom window or, failing that, to crash down the embankment just outside the dealer.
There was even a recent survey which concluded that Polo drivers were the most likely to be involved in fatal crashes, although I think that’s a bit unfair considering that there are a lot more Polos on the roads than other car models, especially when you add together the sales figures for Polo and Polo Vivo.
Look, I’m not here to judge. But, in the interests of good old-fashioned investigative journalism, I recently spent a week with the newly-facelifted Volkswagen Polo Life 1.0 TSI to see for myself if getting behind the wheel would suddenly turn me into a crazed lunatic.
The model I drove was one of the humbler variants, maybe not in terms of spec as it was the mid-range Life grade, but because it had the 70kW version of Volkswagen’s 1.0-litre TSI petrol engine, paired with a five-speed manual gearbox.
And yes, its power output might sound on the humble side but given that it’s turbocharged, the engine produces an impressive 175Nm of torque at just 2 000rpm and there’s virtual altitude immunity too. As a result, the 70kW Volkswagen Polo TSI feels surprisingly brisk in urban traffic and it can also hold its own on the highway, although steeper hills with a heavy load of passengers might require a gear-down.
Source: IOL
In other news – Bahumi opens up on how her father, Somizi and Mohale’s marriage affected her
South African media personality Somizi Mhlongo’s “baby mama” actress Palesa Madisakwane weighed in on how she felt about his marriage to Mohale Motaung, via an episode of his reality show which aired on Showmax on Wednesday 4 May.
On the other hand, his daughter Bahumi had a few words to let out her chest. Learn more
