February 23, 2005
This made-in-China small sedan falls short of the first-class quality normally guaranteed by the badge, writes Terry Martin
Verdict
Volkswagen Polo Classic sedanComment: Chinese-built four-door is well packaged and offers a stronger (1.6-litre) engine than the hatch version, but restricted to a manual transmission. There is some cause for concern over build quality, but the chassis is sound. Side show . . . four airbags fitted standard. Price: $23,990 Warranty: 3 years/100,000km Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder Power/Torque: 74kW/140Nm Transmission: Front-drive, five-speed manual only Seats/Weight: Five/1167-1190kg (unladen) Fuel tank/type: 45 litres/premium unleaded Litres/100km: 7.9 combined 0-100km/h: 10.9 seconds Turning circle: 10.6m Airbags/ABS: Four/Yes
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But, we wondered, should we be concerned? Other Volksies and cars from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and even Porsche sold in Australia are hammered together outside German borders.
Benz and BMW source certain car lines from the United States and South Africa, for instance. The Audi TT hails from Hungary, and batches of Porsche Boxsters set sail from Finland. Yes, Finland.
Meanwhile, the Polo hatchback and Golf are built in South Africa, the Beetle in Mexico, the Kombi in Poland and the Touareg in the Slovak Republic. As well as being interesting trivia, this denotes a trend certain to continue as Europe's largest car-maker combats falling profits, fierce international competition and high labour costs on its home soil.
Providing the car looks, feels, behaves and holds together like one made in Germany, Volkswagen AG would have us believe we shouldn't be at all concerned that it came from China, where it costs less to build but comes with a Continental, rather than Asian, retail price.
But then we got our hands on the $23,990 Polo Classic.
First, the clicking noise emanating from behind the instrument panel when the electric windows and mirrors were used struck us as being out of character for the VW brand.
Then we noticed the el cheapo steering stalks, received a rude shock when the dash-mounted cupholder barked at us, heard an awful whine when we lowered the front passenger's window, and were driven round the bend when a rattle in the right-hand B-pillar a few centimetres from the driver's ear settled in for the duration of our test drive.
Before long, the plastic trim encircling the left-rear interior door button also began to vault from its position whenever the doors were unlocked.
Volkswagen insists all cars from China meet international standards, and indeed most of the problems we encountered could be isolated to the one vehicle. But they create doubt, considering this is the first vehicle Volkswagen has exported from the Shanghai plant and that the German-built Polo hatchback this writer road-tested back in 2000 felt as solid as a rock.
The term "trial run" used at the Polo Classic's launch starts to resonate, which is unfortunate because in some other areas the sedan excels.
The driving position is outstanding, for example, thanks to steering wheel reach and rake movement, full-seat height adjustment, excellent seat travel and comfortable and supportive seat cushioning.
The instruments, which turn blue at night, are well presented and the centre dash stack houses tactile temperature dials and a high-mounted (eight-speaker) stereo unit.
The latter could do with bigger buttons and/or satellite controls on the steering wheel, and there are other minor irritations in the cabin such as a non-lockable and undersized glovebox.
Yet there is also excellent attention to detail: a little sun-blocker between the main visors, illuminated cosmetic mirrors, useful door grabhandles, a driver's footrest and numerous storage solutions including two under-seat drawers and a shelf running across the length of the dashboard.
Four airbags and air-conditioning are also fitted standard. None of these items is an automatic inclusion in the light-car class.
Being 28cm longer than the hatchback, the Polo sedan is much more functional in the rear seat and boot area.
Tall adults will find the rear compartment tight but there is sufficient room in all directions for smaller bodies, and some welcome amenities a centre armrest, three multiple-position headrests, three lap-sash seatbelts (the centre belt retracting into the seatback) and well-located child seat anchor points.
Cargo room is much more generous than in the hatchback (its length can be extended via the 60/40 foldable seatback and base), and a full-size spare wheel and storage area are underneath the floor. Non-intrusive struts are used on the bootlid.
There is a significant drawback with the car in that no automatic transmission is available, leaving a less-than-slick five-speed manual the sole bedfellow with the smooth, honest 1.6-litre 16-valve engine.
By no means an authoritative engine for this class, it is nonetheless a stronger, more flexible unit than the hatchback's asthmatic 1.4, offering similar fuel consumption with no more than an extra 165kg in vehicle kerb weight, and no real need for the driver to wring its neck. Running on the required PULP, we averaged 8.5 litres per 100km on test.
The all-wheel disc brakes offer fair resistance against fade, and ABS with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) is fitted standard.
Using the same chassis as the hatch, the sedan demonstrates high levels of refinement on the road, the steering is accurate and not inclined to kickback mid-corner, the ride is firm, controlled and absorbent, and the handling is, on the whole, secure.
More "Made in China" cars will come to Australia, with Ford's forthcoming, all-new Focus sedan seen as one of the next candidates. (The current model comes from Spain.)
While we don't doubt each auto giant's commitment to first-class manufacturing in China, after this initial drive we are still to see the results.