Polo 1.4 Base Hatch (55kw)

Tsepz_GP

Tsepz_GP

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Hi guys

So I am looking into getting one of these, I have had my dads old 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 for about 3years now, but I started working (in Sept) and paying my own petrol and at 18-19.5l/100km fuel consumption for a daily driver between Fourways and Milpark, it just makes no sense, I was spending around R3800 on petrol a month, so makes sense to just get me a nice little and economical car until I can afford a nicer car in about a year's time.

I am looking at a 2011 Polo Vivo Base Hatch with 60000km on the clock, it's got alloy wheels, ABS, CD/MP3 player, AirCon and ABS.

Does anyone here own one of these? Is the engine nice and punchy? Best believe I am not looking for GTI performance at all, just want to know if it will feel sluggish at all around town? And how is fuel economy?

Thanks a lot!
 
I think any NA 1.4l engine at the reef will feel sluggish, I'd rather push for a bigger displacement engine (1.6?) as the fuel economy won't be a big difference because you won't be straining a larger engine with more kW as much as a smaller one.

For a lot less than R3800 a month you could get a nice demo car that will suit your needs just well. Just watch out for the pricing when it comes to insurance as it can get pricey. Try and go through a broker as they can usually negotiate a good rate for you.

Good luck
 
Honestly, get the 63 kW model. Better performance and similar (if not better) economy. If you don't mind getting something a bit older, say 2008/9, the best VW would be a Polo 9N (the Polo the Vivo was based on) 1.4.
 
Don't buy a citi golf in a old polo body , so many better cars out there!

Rather go for I10 or I20 even.
 
Still getting 6l/100 km in my Figo four years later. The gearbox sucks balls tho.
 
Thanks a lot guys! I don't plan on keeping it more than 12months, just until I finish my 6 month internship, which I am 3 months into, but I want to save up until late 2015 and then get something truly awesome.
 
Test drive it.

All your questions with be answered better than any forum ever could.
 
I drove the 55kw and there is a lot worse out there. It's quiet a bit more refined than the Tazz or Velociti for example.
 
Tsepz_011 said:
Thanks a lot guys! I don't plan on keeping it more than 12months, just until I finish my 6 month internship, which I am 3 months into, but I want to save up until late 2015 and then get something truly awesome.
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If you end up keeping it for a short while, look for a car that you won't lose too much on when you inevitably trade it in. VW's do seem to keep their value really well, not so much the lesser brands. As an example, for the price I paid for my 2011 Hyundai i30 1.6 I could have gotten maybe a Golf 5 circa 2005 or 2006 with similar mileage, so remember this when signing.
 
Can't really go wrong with a Polo. They are well made, decently put together and have an above average resale value. If you are going to be selling your car shortly after purchasing it, the Polo is probably your best bet.
 
Enigma_ said:
Can't really go wrong with a Polo. They are well made, decently put together and have an above average resale value. If you are going to be selling your car shortly after purchasing it, the Polo is probably your best bet.
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^^^ This plus you are going to love the consumption after the Jeep! :D
 
dj_jyno said:
Honestly, get the 63 kW model. Better performance and similar (if not better) economy. If you don't mind getting something a bit older, say 2008/9, the best VW would be a Polo 9N (the Polo the Vivo was based on) 1.4.
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The Vivo is in some ways better eg. cause of the lower mileage and it has a chain instead of a costly cam belt lol.
 
Thanks a lot guys, I am going to test drive it sometime this week,using a Hyundai Accent 1.6 Hatch this week, decent car, but it tends to feel a little unstable on the highway, it only has 6000km on it, feels very new, brakes are super sharp, but there is this uneasy feeling when driving it, I am not getting the sort of solid ride I have felt in similar VWs for example.

EDIT:

Btw guys, I have been doing some reading, it seems the 1.4 55kw uses the same motor as the 63kw 1.4, same power as the 1.6, it seems the difference is how the ECU is setup, so I am guessing if I feel the 1.4 55kw is a little underpowered I could get a small tune? Anybody know for sure if this is possible?
 
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Underpowered, not as economical as you'd think, massive hijack risk. No thanks.

Once you have factored instalments, insurance and petrol you'll likely be at well over R3800.

Keep the Jeep until you can afford something decent.
 
Brawler said:
Underpowered, not as economical as you'd think, massive hijack risk. No thanks.

Once you have factored instalments, insurance and petrol you'll likely be at well over R3800.

Keep the Jeep until you can afford something decent.
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R3800pm is just the petrol on the Jeep, there is also the insurance, and then service that can hit R7000 depending on what needs servicing and replacing, trust me, it makes no sense to keep it at all, the transmission is already giving problems, the guys at CCVS themselves who fix it also said it is a rather uneconomical car to use daily, at +330000km more and more things begin to require attention.

But I am looking at other options other than Polo Vivo, such as the Ford Figo, Toyota Yaris and even Fiesta. Will see what I like most by the end of this week, but I really like the 'refinement' of the VWs.
 
Tsepz_011 said:
Btw guys, I have been doing some reading, it seems the 1.4 55kw uses the same motor as the 63kw 1.4, same power as the 1.6, it seems the difference is how the ECU is setup, so I am guessing if I feel the 1.4 55kw is a little underpowered I could get a small tune? Anybody know for sure if this is possible?
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Can almost guarantee you that is BS.

An engine is a pump. It allows air to flow in, compresses it, burns it, then expels the exhaust. People seem to think engine management is magic. It is a computer that measures how much air is coming in, puts the right amount of fuel in an sparks at the right time.

The engine management has to put EXACTLY the right amount of fuel and spark at EXACTLY the right time. If it doesn't you get all kinds of bad things, engine shudders, runs too hot, detonation (fuel exploding instead of burning which burns a hole in the engine).

There is no way to artificially limit an engine's output with engine management without doing damage to it.

The "chip" and "tune" you hear about on GTIs is because the engine has a turbo. Turbo's compress air before it goes into the engine. The "tune" basically allows the turbo to compress the air more (it is more complicated than that, but just think of it like that).

Point is, your car doesn't have a turbo. Unless you can magically change the laws of physics to get more air to your engine, you are stuck at 50 odd kW.

My last parting advice would be to test drive cars from Ford, VW, Kia and Hyundai. They all make good cars and you want to try them all before you buy.
 
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