The Suzuki Swift has picked up where the VW Polo and Vivo left off. There, I said it! While Volkswagen and the rest of the car world tear each other to pieces for any morsel of the premium markets, Suzuki is left smiling all the way to the budget bank…
Citi
Lineage: Volkswagen Citi Golf
It’s a well-known fact that Volkswagen of South Africa built a modernized version of the original Golf (“Mark 1”) right up to the point where it couldn’t cope with safety and emissions standards. The Citi Golf lived from 1984 to 2009 as a youthful and affordable mode of transport in southern Africa. NamWheels gives you some details:
Padtoets: 2018 Volkswagen Polo Vivo Trendline 1.4 (55kW)
Vivo bereik nuwe hoogtes
Vir die afgelope sewe jaar is Volkswagen die leier met hul intreevlak motor, die Polo Vivo. Sedert die Vivo die laaste 2009 Citi Golf oorgeneem het, het die vervaardiger sowat 193 343 eenhede verkoop en hulle is nie van plan om daar te stop nie. Inteendeel, Volkswagen is van plan om nog meer te verkoop as ooit van tevore. Die vraag is egter: Sal hulle hierin slaag?
Tested: Volkswagen Polo GTi DSG
The everyday talents
There are always reasons someone buys a car. These can range from the basic need to connect the first two letters of the alphabet to the more sensible desire for a safe, reliable and efficient mode of transport. Then there are the purely hedonistic purchases – entertaining cars like the new Volkswagen Polo GTi.
Top 5: Sound Systems
Today we are counting down the list of thee most impressive sound systems we’ve ever heard in a car. Please note that this excludes any aftermarket SPL monster installs because our friend Jonas with his speaker-drenched Citi Golf Designa would knock everyone off this page and make you deaf.
Tested: Toyota Auris XR CVT
The honest change
Many years ago there was a hatchback Toyota called Conquest, a name that was a purely South African invention for the five-door Corolla shape. This gave birth to the cheapie offspring Tazz which could only watch VW’s Golf and other premium hatchbacks drive off into the sunset.
Tested: 2012 Volkswagen CC V6
The sleek attempt
Time for a quick course in German. Volk means Nation and Wagen means Vehicle; more or less. Combine the two with the obligatory “s” in between and you get Nation’s Vehicle or, if you like, People’s Car. Despite a faint whiff of socialism, that’s what Volkswagen stands for – the nation’s vehicle.
Tested: 2011 Volkswagen Polo Vivo GT
The local mix
Previous, current and prospective Citi Golf owners should pay extra attention today as I’ve just tested the modern equivalent of their favourite urban runabout. That’s right; if you had/have/want that nippy little number from three decades ago, there’s now a fresher alternative.
Tested: 2011 Jaguar XJ 5.0
The fat cat
Just like my previous and virgin test of a Jaguar, our new test vehicle left me slightly confused and stumped. The Jaguar XJ has been lauded with praise and welcomed by the automotive world but I wasn’t sure about the extra dose of cool and that huge, elongated bum.
Launched: Honda Ballade
A favourite returns
Many cars have left their mark on the South African market, some more than others, and few as successfully as the original Honda Ballade. The unique local name for what was essentially a Civic disappeared long before its antiquated, price-busting Citi and Tazz competitors did.