Volkswagen’s refreshed Polo does a lot of things right, but it comes at a price that sets it apart from some of the key competition.
2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI Life
The Volkswagen Polo has just received its midlife update, which brings some big changes to specification levels and pricing for the brand’s smallest offering. This generation of Volkswagen Polo dates back to 2017, and is now forced to compete internally with the recently released duo of small SUVs, the T-Roc and T-Cross.
Pricing has shot up quite significantly with this update. While there isn’t a direct model to compare to pre-facelift, this Polo 85TSI Life (which is the cheapest option with an automatic transmission) is comfortably $5000 more than previously.
However, there is a bit of additional kit and technology to help offset that big price rise: automatic LED headlights and LED tail-lights, an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster, 8.0-inch infotainment display, wireless charging pad, automatic wipers, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, illuminated vanity mirrors, front and rear parking sensors, and a handful of new safety technology.
Regardless, the Polo now sits a fair distance away from some key rivals in terms of pricing. Toyota’s Yaris is a pricey little number these days as well, but options like the Suzuki Swift, Mazda 2 and Kia Rio are all able to comfortably undercut Volkswagen’s refreshed Polo.
Can it back up the big pricing with a big experience? Let’s find out behind the wheel of a proudly purple Polo. The hue is called Vibrant Violet, but the car quickly earned the named Grimace in the office. My kids, on the other hand, were more excited. “Purple car!” they would always shout.
How much does the 2022 Volkswagen Polo cost in Australia?
While there is a cheaper variant of Polo available with a de-tuned motor and manual transmission, this Polo 85TSI Life is the cheapest variant with only two pedals in the driver’s footwell. It’s priced from $28,250 before on-road costs, with the $1700 Vision & Technology Package pushing that price into the 30-something barrier.
The options list leaves the Polo with a strange mix of specifications. Decent infotainment and a nice digital instrument cluster jar awkwardly against turn-key start and a lack of keyless entry. There are flash LED headlights and a wireless charging pad but manual climate controls.
Specifically talking about the updated Polo, Volkswagen’s website says “Nothing is more important to Volkswagen than ensuring driver and passengers arrive at their destination safely”. However, the brand has chosen to not include blind-spot monitoring and blind-spot collision avoidance in this specification level. Considering the price of the Polo and its competitive set, this is a notable omission.
| Key details | 2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI Life |
| Price | $28,250 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Vibrant Violet ($600) |
| Options | Vision & Technology Package – $1700 — Six speakers — Adaptive cruise control (ACC) — Composition Media audio system — Digital Cockpit Pro — Discover Media 8.0-inch navigation system with gesture control — Front Assist with City Emergency Brake (CityEB) function (for ACC) — Pedestrian and cyclist monitoring — Travel Assist and lane-keeping system Lane Assist — Voice control — Wireless App-Connect — Wireless phone charging |
| Price as tested | $30,550 plus on-road costs |
| Drive-away price | $34,792 (NSW) |
| Rivals | Mazda 2 | Toyota Yaris | Kia Rio |
How much space does the Volkswagen Polo have inside?
This updated Polo is slightly longer than previously, and sits on a longer wheelbase as well. This increase in size yields a cabin that is a good size for the segment. Build quality and choice of materials both feel good as well, and it packs a good punch of space and comfort for the relative size of the vehicle.
We loaded our little purple number up for an impromptu weekend road trip through Central-West New South Wales. It’s not exactly a home-ground advantage for the little Volkswagen, which is more at home nipping through the urban confines, but it was a good opportunity to load up the boot with as much gear as we could humanly fit.
Important touch (and view) points are well taken care of inside the Polo – the steering wheel, parts of the dashboard, shifter and infotainment look and feel of very high quality. Below the waterline of eyesight, it becomes a little more basic with hard plastics and manual air-conditioning. But does it matter?
We definitely felt the kids kick the seat-backs up front – a good indication that there isn’t a huge amount of legroom on offer overall. However, the amount of space on offer is good for the segment. Legroom and foot room are good when the kids’ seats are out, and there are ISOFIX points for when you need them.
Two cupholders live between the two front occupants, the centre console is a small (but still useable) size, and the non-flocked door cards can fit additional drinks and accoutrements.
The manually adjustable seats in this Polo felt very good, with good levels of adjustment (including lumbar support) for comfortable driving. Higher-grade Polos do get different-grade seats but keep the same manual adjustment.
And when you’ve got no choice but to make your gear fit, then you can squeeze an impressive amount of stuff into the 351L boot of the Polo. The amount of space in the back becomes good for a small car, and doesn’t feel much smaller than a Golf or Hyundai i30, for example.
| 2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI Life | |
| Seats | Five |
| Boot volume | 351L seats up 1125L seats folded |
| Length | 4080mm |
| Width | 1751mm |
| Height | 1450mm |
| Wheelbase | 2564mm |
Does the 2022 Volkswagen Polo have Apple CarPlay?
The optional Vision & Technology Package on this Polo doesn’t increase the size of the infotainment display (8.0 inches), but the system changes to one that is more modern-looking and better specced. On top of things like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, digital radio and Bluetooth, this upgraded system gains wireless phone connectivity and some additional voice and gesture controls.
It’s a good system overall, which proved to be easy to use and fast to connect. Having a wireless charging pad means you can go cable-free with your phone connection, although I noted that my phone did get quite hot when doing this. I’m not sure if that is problematic or not.
It’s good to see AM radio stay in this Polo; something that not all Volkswagens have the benefit of. And we think it’s an important thing to keep.
Is the 2022 Volkswagen Polo a safe car?
A five-star ANCAP safety rating – freshly scored in 2022 – puts the Volkswagen Polo in very good stead against its competitors. It’s the only small car to get a 2022 rating so far, which is no mean feat because a top score is getting harder and harder against the increasingly stringent testing requirements.
Adult occupant protection is quite impressive with a 94 per cent score, while child occupants sit a little lower at 80 per cent. Safety assistance technology and vulnerable road users (pedestrian safety) score at 70 per cent each.
| 2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI Life | |
| ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2022) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
What safety technology does the new Volkswagen Polo have?
Six airbags are joined by a new front-centre airbag for 2022, making for seven in total and playing an important part in the Polo reaching a five-star safety rating. There’s also autonomous emergency braking (with cyclist detection), lane-departure warning, low-speed manoeuvre braking and driver fatigue warning.
Opting for the $1700 option pack gets you adaptive cruise control (on top of the standard cruise-control system) and Travel Assist, which is a semi-autonomous driving mode.
However, blind-spot monitoring and so-called Side Assist (blind-spot collision avoidance) are not available. Only this is kept for the top-spec Polo GTI.
How much does the Volkswagen Polo cost to maintain?
Servicing the little Polo works out to be quite expensive in comparison to others. $1541 for three years works out to be $513 per year, while five years is more at $580 per year. Most of the competitive vehicles in this segment offer a capped-price servicing schedule (either pre-paid or post-paid) that is cheaper.
Comprehensive insurance comes in at $1036.40 per year based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. As always, insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
| At a glance | 2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI Life |
| Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1541 (3 years) $2903 (5 years) |
Is the Volkswagen Polo fuel-efficient?
That thrumming three-cylinder power plant requires premium fuel, but is a reasonably efficient operator. After a week of mixed town, highway and country driving, we saw an overall average of 6.4 litres per hundred kilometres.
This is just one litre (but 22 per cent) higher than the claim of 5.4L/100km. It’s worth noting that for large parts of my time with the car, I was cruising hilly country roads with the family on board and a loaded boot, and wasn’t driving for economy.
Also, the Euro 6-compliant Polo requires premium fuel. No 91RON or E10 is allowed here, but it does adhere to more strict European emissions rules that other competitors don’t need to worry about so much.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 5.4L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 6.4L/100km |
| Fuel type | 95-octane premium unleaded |
| Fuel tank size | 40L |
What is the Volkswagen Polo like to drive?
After a week of firing around the suburbs and regional towns of New South Wales in this Polo, I found myself really liking it. It’s difficult to put your finger on one reason why that is the case, but the combination of many smaller details – and how they all come together for a cohesive overall package – is key to the appeal.
The 999 cubic-centimetre, three-cylinder engine is a willing little thing, whose nature and outputs suit this car overall. I don’t see why you would need a lot more of this, as even loaded up with kids and gear and pumping through country roads, it felt good enough and up to the job.
And like many three-bangers, it’s a charming little motor.
Key to its performance is not the 85kW at 5500rpm, but more the 200Nm of torque available in a wide band of revs (2000–3500rpm). This means it can surge forward happily more often than not, even dispatching off some hill climbs with competent form.
The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission does a good job managing the available power and torque, while also minimising fuel consumption by choosing as high a gear as possible. Sometimes doing this wrecks any sense of composure in other vehicles, as the gearbox forgets whether it is Arthur or Martha, but this little jigger gets away with it nicely.
There are no driving modes to choose from, but you never feel like you need them. Bumping the shifter down once does engage a sports mode through the gearbox, which works well to help hold a lower ratio and give a more responsive drive.
Stop-start technology and a dual-clutch transmission can be frustrating in traffic, however. Sometimes the timing is perfectly imperfect and can cause an annoying wait before a sudden lurch forward. If you’re attempting to punch into a small gap in traffic – where the margin for error is small – this delayed start can be frustrating.
Otherwise, the dual-clutch gearbox is quite good. Once you are on the move, it shifts crisply and the low-speed nature of the gearbox is decent.
The overall ride quality is really good and difficult to fault overall. It’s involving to drive and responsive, but isn’t overly eager either. Bumps and imperfections are well absorbed, but road surfaces are communicated nicely at the same time. The 15-inch wheels are wrapped in 185/65R15 rubber that offers a practical and helpful amount of cosseting sidewall.
| Key details | 2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI Life |
| Engine | 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol |
| Power | 85kW @ 5500rpm |
| Torque | 200Nm @ 2000–3500rpm |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 73.0kW/t |
| Weight (tare) | 1165kg |
| Spare tyre type | Temporary |
| Tow rating | 1000kg braked 600kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 10.6m |
Should I buy a Volkswagen Polo?
There’s no doubt that this refreshed Volkswagen Polo charges a noticeable premium over others in the segment, and much more than the pre-facelifted model. It does offer a premium experience in some senses, however, in terms of the way that the Polo drives, looks and feels. This is especially the case if you throw more money in and tick the available option package.
There is an inherent sense of quality about the vehicle, and a cohesive nature about how it all comes together. The 85kW powertrain is competent and enjoyable, and the combination of ride quality and driver engagement makes behind the steering wheel a happy place to be. The specification levels are mostly good, but also have some strange points like no keyless entry or push-button start.
Safety is strong as well, despite the fact that blind-spot monitoring (and collision avoidance) has been omitted from the 2022 Polo. And the amount of overall space on offer is good as well.
So while it comes at a price, the Polo does deliver in many respects. Those keen to drive the value-for-money quotient harder will be keen to look elsewhere, and will likely end up with a vehicle that originates from Korea, Japan or China instead. But this little German will suit the tastes and desires of other buyers quite nicely.
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