2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI Life Review

Writing about cars in the light class lately feels like a bit of a copy and paste job. Recent refreshes have brought a range of new features, but have pushed prices up and sales have fallen as the number of competitors increasingly becomes slimmer. Volkswagen’s smallest offering in Australia, the Polo, follows this formula down to a tee. The current generation has been around since 2017, but received a big facelift last year adding more features and extra cost. Is the 2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI Life a good purchase?

The Polo also represents the trend of cars gradually creeping up in size with each new generation, and is now nearly as big as cars in the next segment up (in size) were 15 years ago. A great example is in the similar dimensions of the Mk5 Golf to the 2022 Polo. Given Golf-sized cars have also ballooned size wise, the Polo is almost in its own category sitting halfway between the light and small segments. In light of the larger dimensions and more equipment, do the price hikes make more sense?

Price & Equipment: 7/10

The standard (non-GTI) Polo range starts at $25,250 (around $29,500 drive away depending on location) and tops out at $34,700 for a fully-optioned Style (around $39,500 drive away depending on location). Our test car was the 2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI Life variant equipped with premium paint and the optional Sound and Vision Package – bringing the price to $30,550 RRP (around $35,000 drive away). 

Standard equipment for the 2022 Polo 85TSI Life includes 15-inch alloy wheels, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with AM, FM and digital radio, a six-speaker sound system, automatic bi-LED headlights with LED daytime running lights, heated and auto-folding mirrors, eight-way manually adjustable front seats, air-conditioning, cruise control, paddle shifters, four USB-C charging ports, a wireless phone charger, a leather steering wheel, gear shifter and handbrake, auto wipers, an auto-dimming rear mirror, and automatic electric windows. 

The Polo has a five-star ANCAP rating, awarded in 2022 and includes the following safety features: seven airbags (dual front, centre, dual front side and curtain airbags for front and rear), driver fatigue monitoring, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, rear auto braking, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera with dynamic lines and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

The sole option available for the Polo 85TSI Life is $1,700 Sound and Vision Package, which includes adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, lane trace assist, a larger digital driver’s display, satellite navigation and wireless smartphone mirroring. The colour range for the Polo includes the single no-cost offering of ‘Pure White’ and the premium colours ‘Reef Blue’, ‘Reflex Silver’, ‘Smokey Grey’, ‘Deep Black’ and our test car’s ‘Vibrant Violet’, which are all a $600 additional cost.

The Polo doesn’t really have many direct competitors due to its size, which straddles two segments. The Polo is larger than cars such as the Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris and Kia Rio, but smaller than cars such as the Skoda Scala, Toyota Corolla and Mazda 3. As examples of both the light and small categories, we selected the Toyota Yaris and the Mazda 3 as points of comparison. 

The smaller Toyota Yaris ZR is priced at $30,200 plus on-road costs (around $34,000 drive away, depending on location) and compared to the Polo Life, has larger 16-inch alloys, climate control, a driver’s knee airbag, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, intersection turn assistance, keyless entry and start, an electronic parking brake with auto hold and automatic high beam. The Polo counters with a larger infotainment screen, heated side mirrors, an extra two ways of adjustment for the driver’s seat and four ways for the front passenger, an additional three USB charging points, a wireless phone charger, a fully-digital instrument cluster, an auto-dimming rear mirror, driver fatigue monitoring, rear auto braking, front and rear parking sensors, a dynamic reversing camera display, a full sized spare tyre and tyre pressure monitoring.  

To go in another direction, the more substantial Mazda 3 Evolve automatic with the ‘Vision Technology’ option retails for $31,090 plus on-road costs (around $35,500 drive-away, depending on location). While the Polo does have some additional equipment over the Mazda 3: LED daytime running lights (halogens in the Mazda), a rear foglight, heated side mirrors, driver and passenger lumbar support, an additional 2 USB ports, a wireless phone charger, a fully digital instrument cluster and wireless CarPlay, the Mazda counters with a significant amount of kit over the Polo, including larger 18-inch alloys, a larger infotainment screen, dual-zone climate control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert with braking, road sign recognition, keyless start, rear air vents, an electric parking brake with auto hold and auto high beam. 

The standard equipment on our test Polo is acceptable, but we do think that there is some additional equipment that should be standard at this price point: keyless entry and start, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, an electric parking brake, auto high beam, climate control and road sign recognition would make the price more justifiable. 

In terms of the value proposition, the price is undeniably high, however this is hardly something we can single out Volkswagen for as most comparable cars are also expensive. That being said, we feel the Polo is too expensive with its current equipment list, especially when you compare it to the Mazda 3 Evolve – a mere $242 extra gets you a bigger car with more bells and whistles. 

Performance & Economy: 9/10

The Polo Life sports a turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, which in the 85TSI guise we tested it in, develops 85kW of power and 200Nm of torque. The 85TSI Life is available solely with a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission – Volkswagen’s for a dual-clutch automatic transmission. Those who want a manual transmission will have to opt for the Life 70TSI model, which unfortunately has lower outputs. 

The engine is a cracker to drive – it really is full of character. On paper, 85kW might suggest an underpowered driving experience, but the punchy 200Nm torque well and truly makes up for it. Around town, the Polo has more than enough grunt to zip around and get up to speed. Even on the highway, the engine feels relatively at ease and for most of the time takes overtaking in its stride. More demanding overtaking can be done with adequate planning. 

While the 85TSI has an engaging note, refinement is fantastic – it rarely betrays that it is a three cylinder unit. It’s only when warming up and on harder acceleration that the driver is really made aware of the uneven cylinder count. Kudos to Volkswagen for managing to create an engine which balances putting a smile on your face, while also remaining refined – just one of the areas where the Polo really punches above its size. 

Volkswagen’s seven speed DSG is one of the better implementations of a DCT transmission. That being said, at lower speeds there is the usual slipping feeling and jerkiness – especially with more spirited driving. Conservative acceleration is the key to keeping the transmission as smooth as possible – a hard ask when the engine is just asking to be revved! The result is that taking off from standstill or negotiating around the city at low speeds (where the Polo should be most at home) becomes an unrefined experience.

The lack of refinement mainly disappears towards the upper range of the second ratio. At speed, the transmission shifts quickly and sharply, never hunting around or getting confused about what ratio is needed. The seven ratios suit the engine well and at higher speeds, do a good job of keeping it in the optimal torque band. Drivers who want a bit more control can use the paddle shifters to manually change between the seven gears. 

Over a week of mixed highway and suburban traffic, our Polo averaged 6.3l/100kms – higher than the official figure of 5.4l/100kms, but still impressive. The smaller Toyota Yaris petrol achieved 6l/100kms during our testing, the Mazda 2 managed 6.9l/100km and the Kia Rio used 9.5l/100km. Given the Polo is bigger than these cars, this figure is impressive. With the 40-litre fuel tank, the Polo should be able to achieve a driving range of around 630km based on this consumption. It needs minimum 95RON premium unleaded fuel.  

Ride & Handling: 9/10

Getting behind the wheel of the Polo Life reveals that the steering is well tuned, feeling well connected and direct – light enough to make tight city streets and parking sports easy to manoeuvre into, but heavy enough to feel natural. In everyday driving the Polo feels solid and competent, but show it a corner and while you might feel a bit of body roll, it stays fairly planted to the road, allowing the driver to have a bit of fun and take advantage of the perky engine. 

The ride leans towards the firmer side, but remains comfortable, helped we’re sure by the 15 inch wheels. Suppression of the sort imperfections Australian roads regularly throw at our cars is good – while not everything is completely soaked up, the experience is top notch for a light car. Noise insulation is very good, with the driver being isolated from coarse road surfaces and wind buffeting. 

Taking the Polo out on the highway reveals that the ride and handling tune continues to hold up well, making the Polo a car which is more than capable of being a comfortable road trip car. The way that the Polo handles dispels any notion of it being a ‘built to cost’ light car, and is reminiscent of a Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla or even its big brother, the Golf – an impressive achievement for a car of this size. 

Interior & Practicality: 8/10

Inside, the cabin of the 2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI Life would is best described as mature. It’s pleasantly modern enough with a fairly traditional layout giving a premium – albeit slightly conservative – character. The dashboard features an interesting textured plastic pattern, and brushed metal look trim pieces combined with piano black around the infotainment and instrument cluster help to to raise the ambience. 

The mid section and top of the dash are covered in soft touch materials, however elsewhere most materials are hard scratchy plastic. These hard surfaces do feel solid, but definitely detract from the premium feeling of the cabin. We’d like to see some higher quality materials for the asking price. Still, the fabric centre armrest combined with the leather covered steering wheel, gear shifter and handbrake do ensure that most of the common touch-points are soft to the touch.

The fabric covered front seats feature an impressive eight ways of manual adjustment, including lumbar for both the driver and passenger. However despite the range of adjustment, there was something off about the shape of the seats that we couldn’t quite put out finger on, making finding a completely comfortable position a little difficult, though this could be down to personal preference. We were however impressed by the sliding armrest which offered great comfort and also the fantastic all round visibility, especially the large glass hatch which provides excellent rear vision. 

Having a fairly simple dashboard layout meant that the Polo was extremely easy to operate. All equipment was logically laid out and easy to get a hang of. A particular highlight was the large 10.25 inch completely digital instrument cluster. The screen itself features a high resolution making all graphics look crisp, with excellent brightness. Unlike many other digital clusters we’ve tested, the Volkswagen’s implementation is particularly customisable allowing the driver to have a great deal choice over what data they want presented to them, which is exactly how we think a digital cluster should be. 

Infotainment in the Polo is through an 8.0-inch touchscreen, which sits in a more traditional spot lower in the dash. The display is excellent, again with a high resolution and refresh rate which makes all interactions with the screen fluid and natural. Wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto handle phone mirroring and the screen also offers bluetooth and USB inputs, DAB/FM/AM radio and satellite navigation. The reversing camera is good quality, though we experienced a few wireless CarPlay issues.

Storage in the Polo is adequate, with a handy tray to store a phone under the A/C controls, a medium sized glovebox, a centre console box (a rarity in the light car class), large pockets in the doors for both rows with cupholders, plus an additional two centre cupholders in the front. 

The second row of the Polo is quite impressive. Two adults will comfortably fit with reasonable (for class) foot and leg room. The centre seat can fit an adult, though things are tight with three across the back. In terms of rear seat amenities, there are two USB-C charging ports and both door and rear seat pockets, but nothing else. 

Opening up the boot of the Polo Life reveals a substantial capacity of 351-litres, which is fantastic compared to the 270L Yaris and 250L Mazda 2, let alone the 295L Mazda 3 and 217L Corolla. Folding down the rear seats increases the volume to a substantial 1,125L. We were also pleased to find a full sized spare wheel sitting under the boot floor, something we think is important given our pothole ridden roads, while there are also a few hooks for storage and a dual-level boot floor. 

Service & Warranty: 7/10

The 2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI Life has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is the same as the Toyota Yaris and Mazda 3. However, Toyota extends the coverage for the drivetrain in the Yaris to seven years if servicing has been carried out as per the logbook. The Polo comes with 12 months of roadside assistance – better than the Toyota Yaris which has none included, but bested by the five years that Mazda gives the 3. 

Service intervals for the 2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI are once yearly/every 15,000km – whichever comes first – and that’s matched by the Toyota Yaris and it betters the 10,000km/12 month intervals of the Mazda 3. In terms of pricing, the Polo will cost an expensive $2,903 to service over the first five years/75,000kms which means an average of $580.60 for the first five services. A five-year service pack is also available for $2,200 ($440 per service), which we would definitely choose.

The Mazda 3 will cost $1,732 to service across the first five years/60,000kms (though buyers who drive more than 10,000km a year will end up paying more) and the Toyota Yaris will cost a low $1,025 for the equivalent five years/75,000kms as the Polo.

2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI Life Review DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.0/10

After our week with the 2022 Volkswagen Polo 85TSI Life, we came away very impressed at how grown up it felt. Volkswagen has achieved dynamic package which defies the Polos classification as a ‘light car’ – though we would argue that it is now a ‘light-and-a-half’ car. This halfway size category proved to be a sweet spot – big enough to be practical, small enough to feel nimble and be practical for the city. 

What takes the shine off the Polo slightly though, is its value equation. It’s expensive and doesn’t feature enough equipment at its current price point – a Mazda 3 Evolve asks just $242 and has more equipment, has a bigger engine and is a bigger and better finished car. Still, the Polo Life is more than worth a look for light and small car buyers, especially those who might find the Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Corolla and Mazda 3 have grown too big over the years. Get past the pricing and it’s an extremely likeable car.