What more can be said about the Volkswagen Polo that isn’t already known? It’s one of the best-selling nameplates in South Africa, goes toe-to-toe with the Toyota Hilux in terms of monthly sales, and more than 2 000 units find new homes with monthly regularity.
As a bookmark, the automaker’s Kariega plant has manufactured over 30 000 Polo’s in the first quarter of 2022.
The price of the Polo’s, and brand-new vehicles in general, have risen tremendously over the decades due to factors like rising inflation and government taxes. There once was a time in automotive eutopia when you could buy a brand-new, fully-specced (fifth-generation) Golf GTI for less than R300 000. Those were great times.
Of course, you can still do that now in the pre-owned market, but it will have covered a fair amount of mileage, and previous owners have definitely given it a proper throttling - no pun intended.
Speaking of fully-specced models, the Polo R-Line is the derivative just below the GTI in the range, priced from R445 500, while the Polo range starts from R329 300. When you start adding optional extras, that is where things can get a bit pricey.
Extra, Extra
According to VWSA, the panoramic sunroof is the most popular optional feature in their model range - especially in the Golf and Polo GTI models. Additionally, in the T-Cross and T-Roc models, Park Assist with the rear-view camera is the most popular. It’s clear that customers don’t mind spending that little bit extra for creature comforts.
As a bookmark, the automaker’s Kariega plant has manufactured over 30 000 Polo’s in the first quarter of 2022.
The price of the Polo’s, and brand-new vehicles in general, have risen tremendously over the decades due to factors like rising inflation and government taxes. There once was a time in automotive eutopia when you could buy a brand-new, fully-specced (fifth-generation) Golf GTI for less than R300 000. Those were great times.
Of course, you can still do that now in the pre-owned market, but it will have covered a fair amount of mileage, and previous owners have definitely given it a proper throttling - no pun intended.
Speaking of fully-specced models, the Polo R-Line is the derivative just below the GTI in the range, priced from R445 500, while the Polo range starts from R329 300. When you start adding optional extras, that is where things can get a bit pricey.
Extra, Extra
According to VWSA, the panoramic sunroof is the most popular optional feature in their model range - especially in the Golf and Polo GTI models. Additionally, in the T-Cross and T-Roc models, Park Assist with the rear-view camera is the most popular. It’s clear that customers don’t mind spending that little bit extra for creature comforts.
Volkswagen, just like a bunch of other automakers, offer a wide scope of optional extras, giving customers the room to further customise their wheels how they would like. All these added extras add to the overall value of the car, so if and when the time comes to trade in or sell, it will warrant a higher price. These optional extras also push up the monthly instalment – depending on the options (and their price) chosen.
Using Volkswagen’s nifty online configurator, this is what you’ll expect to pay for a fully-specced Volkswagen Polo in R-Line trim:
Options and pricing breakdown
Radio "Discover Media - R11 300
"Beats", six-speaker sound system - R10 300
Tilting and sliding panoramic sunroof - R14 900
Smoker's package - R450
17-inch "Bergamo" alloy wheels - R4 900
Comfort Park Package - R16 000
IQ. LIGHT - LED matrix headlights - R15 900
Safety Package DSG - R13 100
Total (just extras): R86 850
Total cost price (including extras): R532 350
Estimated monthly repayment: R10 021
Based on the above, a customer that specs his/her R-Line out with everything offered is better off buying the GTI (priced from R514 500). Keep in mind, the GTI already comes with standard features like IQ. Light LED Matrix Headlights and 17-inch alloy wheels – both of which you’ll have to pay extra on the R-Line. Not to mention, it's also faster, so it makes sense to just get the GTI.
That being said, not everyone wants the performance that comes with the GTI, so the R-Line or one of its ‘lesser’ trim levels with the option of adding extras make more sense.
Now that you’ve got the knowledge, it’s time to shop! Head to gumtree.co.za or your Gumtree app (click for Apple & Android), and don’t forget to use your location settings to find local property information close to home.
