Volkswagen Polo VS Kia Picanto
Volkswagen Polo
Likes
- Refinement
- Safety
- Space efficiency
Dislikes
- Needs premium unleaded
- No adjustable rear vents
- No rear centre armrest
Kia Picanto
Likes
- Affordable
- Available as a manual!
- Deceptively well equipped
Dislikes
- Minimal interior upgrades for 2024
- Feeling its age
- Fuel consumption is so-so
Summary
Volkswagen Polo
The sixth-generation Volkswagen Polo arrived in Australia in 2018, and four years down the track it’s time for an update.
The line-up has been trimmed from four to three grades, and in a conscious decision to better align the car with what Polo buyers are typically opting for, standard specification is up along with cost-of-entry.
Some of the headline upgrades are cosmetic tweaks front and rear, as well as new digital instrumentation, wireless charging, AEB, and LED headlights on all models.
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We’ll get into the details shortly, but to clarify, this review will deal with the entry-level Life and more highly specified Style model, with the GTI hot hatch covered in a separate review.
Volkswagen Australia invited us to the car’s local launch drive which took in a combination of city, suburban, B-road, highway and freeway running. So we were able to get a solid first taste of how the refreshed small hatch measures up in a slowly shrinking, but still hotly contested city car market.
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 1.0L turbo |
| Fuel Type | Premium Unleaded Petrol |
| Fuel Efficiency | 5.4L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Kia Picanto
If you're feeling the cost of living sting, there's a good chance you've scaled back your ambitions for your next new car. You may have even looked at some of Australia's most affordable brand-new vehicles and the Kia Picanto is one of them.
It's one of the few brand-new options left with a before-on-roads starting price of under $20,000 and it's one of the few non-performance models left which can still be chosen as a manual.
It's one thing to be affordable, though, and quite another to be good value - so does the freshly updated 2024 Picanto have what it takes to stack up against more expensive options? Let's take a look.
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| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 1.2L |
| Fuel Type | — |
| Fuel Efficiency | 5L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Verdict
Volkswagen Polo8/10
The Polo has always been a desirable, high-quality, small car option. Effectively moving it to a more premium positioning by aligning its specification with what the market has been buying is a bold move. But this mid-life upgrade has given the Polo the extra safety tech and digital sophistication it needs to substantiate the shift.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.
Kia Picanto7/10
Australians are moving into ever-larger vehicles when really we should be embracing the small car now more than ever. It's great Kia is still here, with its Picanto showing what can be offered in such a compact form-factor.
While it's not as affordable as it once was, it looks like it won't be long before Kia is the last torchbearer of sub-$20k starter cars. Even so, this is a great choice for buyers on strict budgets.
Design
Volkswagen Polo7/10
It’ll take a sharp eye to spot the external differences between this upgraded Polo and its predecessor.
The car’s compact, tightly wrapped body and finely chiselled lines are unchanged, the only differences being reshaped (body-coloured) bumpers front and rear, a new headlight signature, with LED units now standard across the range, and remodelled LED tail-lights.
And after dark car-spotters should look out for the Style’s standard ‘IQ.LIGHT’ LED matrix headlights adding a continuous LED strip across the nose.
Inside things have shifted further, most notably in the entry-level Life, which now boasts the sleek digital instrument display, previously reserved for higher grades, as well as a neatly integrated 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen above the centre stack.
The rest of the interior is relatively understated in typical VW style (no pun intended), the neatly sculpted seats trimmed with a mix of textured and smooth cloth on both models.
Kia Picanto
You wouldn't know it in Australia, where our collective tastes are orienting toward larger and larger vehicles, but city cars are experiencing something of a golden age overseas.
Cars like the Nissan Sakura, Honda N One, and Hyundai Casper join a long list of others which are design leaders in the city-car segment, and this is why the Picanto needs to look sharper than ever to compete.
Particularly in the GT-Line form we tested for this review, the 2024 car has adopted a dramatic facelift which complies to Kia's incoming and much more science-fiction look, complete with an extremely angular design and frowny LED light fittings.
Around the rear, there's a reworked set of tail-lights with a contemporary strip which almost reaches the whole way across the boot lid, and the new alloy wheels round out the whole aesthetic.
Given this, it's a little disappointing to see how few elements have changed on the interior. From the inside, this Picanto feels basically the same as the pre-update version.
I like the D-shaped steering wheel the GT now gets, and the multimedia screen is great for such a small and affordable car, but all the other switchgear, including the steering wheel is from previous-generation Kia products, and not the shiny new design-led stuff which appears in cars like the Sportage, Sorento, or Niro.
Also, while it's feature-laden all things considered, the interior plastics are mainly the harsh, hollow, scratchy kind. The new digital instrument cluster isn't one big screen, instead it's constructed of a few basic sectors which aren't customisable outside of the background colour. At least the central portion shows some useful information.
Practicality
Volkswagen Polo9/10
Volkswagen has developed the Polo over six generations (the first appearing in 1975) and its packaging and space-efficiency game has been honed to a fine point.
This car measures just under 4.1 metres end-to-end, yet the wheelbase is close to 2.6m, which isn’t a million miles away from the Golf. Well, actually, it’s 72mm shorter, but still pretty impressive.
And it shows in terms of interior space. The driver and front passenger have plenty of breathing room, and the rear is remarkable.
At 183cm, sitting behind the driver’s seat set to my position, I enjoyed ample legroom, and more than enough headroom.
Width is another story, because while two grown-ups will be fine in the back, there isn’t enough space for three to sit in comfort for any length of time. You need to be realistic about what to expect from a city-sized car.
Storage options in the front include a small lidded box between the seats (which doubles as an adjustable armrest), two cupholders and various oddments spaces in the centre console, as well as the wireless charging bay in front of the gearshift.
There are also pockets in the doors with room for (medium) bottles, a decent glove box, a shallow drawer under the passenger seat, and an overhead drop-down tray for glasses.
Map pockets on the front seat backrests, and small bins in the doors add extra practicality, but there’s no fold-down centre armrest or individual ventilation control for rear seaters.
For connectivity and power, there are two USB-C ports in the front, plus another two in the rear, as well as a 12-volt socket in the front centre console.
Boot space is 351 litres (VDA) with the 60/40 split-folding rear seats upright, which is impressive for a car of this size, that number growing to 1125L with them folded down. You can also change the floor level when you’re making a call between maximum volume and ease of loading.
Tie down anchors are handy for strapping loose loads, while shopping bag hooks help keep smaller bundles under control. And all this efficiency is even more impressive given the spare is a 15-inch steel rim.
Kia Picanto
Feeling a little old or not, the Picanto has a clever interior which makes the most of its limited dimensions.
There are huge bottle holders in the front doors, a further two with little flip-out sectors which sit below the air-con controls. These holders can be folded away to turn this space into a tray for the storage of large objects. There's even a centre armrest console box, but it's tiny.
On the topic of air-conditioning controls, these are, refreshingly, physical dials, which are increasingly going missing as manufacturers move such functions to touchscreens. The Picanto keeps things manual though, even including a volume and tuning knob for the touchscreen, with physical shortcut buttons adorning the bottom section of the frame.
Physical controls is something Hyundai Group has committed to, and it's not until you use a vehicle without them you realise how essential they can be.
Despite its tiny footprint, there's also plenty of room in the cabin for an adult my size (I'm 182cm tall). I felt as though there was massive airspace between my head and the roof, as the Picanto's seats let you sit nice and low to the ground, and while it's limited in its width, it feels like I had enough room and adjustability for my legs.
Only one area brought me discomfort and it was the elbow-rest in the door. Sounds silly, but while the GT-Line has a little synthetic leather strip here, for some reason it has no padding, so it's seemingly for aesthetic purposes only and is still an uncomfortable place to rest your elbow on longer journeys.
It sounds unlikely, but I fit behind my own driving position in the back seat, with my knees almost up against the back of the front seat. Thankfully, the seat backings are softly-clad so even if you were slightly taller than me it might be ok.
Again, headroom is sufficient, and the seats are reasonably comfortable in the outer two positions. There are no amenities in the back seat. Rear passengers don't get air vents, door pockets, or a drop-down armrest in the centre position. There is only a small pocket on the back of the passenger seat. Can't say it would be the best space for longer journeys, but it fits adults for short city trips.
The boot measures 255 litres. It's small enough it may rule the Picanto out for some family buyers who need to wrestle with a pram or some such. The boot is large enough to fit either the largest CarsGuide luggage case on its own, or the two smaller ones, but absolutely not all three. It may surprise you to learn there is enough room under the floor for a space-saver spare wheel.
Price and features
Volkswagen Polo8/10
Let’s rip the Band-Aid off and get to the bottom of a more than 30 per cent base price increase before we go any further.
Yep, you read that correctly. Previously, a Trendline 70TSI manual gained you Polo club membership for $19,290, before on-road costs. Now, the entry-grade Polo Life, with exactly the same powertrain underneath it, will set you back $25,250.
So, what gives? Instead of getting down and dirty with the likes of the Kia Rio, Mazda2, and Suzuki Baleno, maybe even the poshest MG3, the Polo’s aiming up at its Audi A1 cousin and the Toyota Yaris, the latter undergoing a similar upscaling evolution in 2021.
The answer is standard equipment, and more of it. Volkswagen believes the days of a ‘price leader’ Polo are behind it. That is, pique a buyer’s interest with a keenly priced but relatively sparse base model, and they inevitably move up to a higher grade once engaged in the process.
No, the new Polo cuts right to the chase, specified more in line with the cars ultimately ending up in consumers driveways.
As mentioned, the Polo range now kicks off with the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo-petrol Life in manual for $25,250, and auto at $28,250, before on-road costs.
The gap between five-speed manual and seven-speed auto versions is slightly larger this time around ($3000 vs $2500) because the auto now boasts a more powerful (85kW/200Nm) version of the turbo triple than the manual (70kW/175Nm).
On top of the active and passive safety tech detailed in the Safety section (and it’s a pretty big story), the Life picks up new standard features including, LED headlights and tail-lights, 15-inch alloy wheels, the ‘Digital Cockpit’ configurable digital instrument display, front and rear parking sensors, ‘Manoeuvre Braking’ (low-speed rear AEB), wireless phone charging, electrically-folding exterior mirrors, auto headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. That’s the $5960 difference between prior and current Polo entry models in a nutshell.
As well, the Life boasts leather trim on the steering wheel, gearshift and handbrake lever, an 8.0-inch media touchscreen, six-speaker audio, rain-sensing wipers, LED tail-lights and DRLs, and more.
Opt for the auto-only Style ($31,250) and you’ll pick up front fog lights (with static cornering function), ‘Matrix’ LED headlights, ‘Premium’ LED tail-lights (with dynamic indicators), ‘Dynamic Light Assist’ (auto low to main beam switch with light profile adjusted to avoid dazzling cars ahead or oncoming), 16-inch alloys, dual-zone climate-control air con, front and rear carpet mats, ‘Digital Cockpit Pro’ (incorporating nav and phone functions), ambient interior lighting, and sports front seats.
A sharp package in the Polo’s brave new world of $25-$35K small car competition.
Two option packs are available, starting with the ‘Vision & Tech Package’ for the Life (auto only - $1700), incorporating ‘Discover’ nav in the 8.0-inch media set-up, Digital Cockpit Pro, voice control, wireless app connect, ‘Travel Assist’ (Level 2 semi-autonomous driving) and adaptive cruise control.
A ‘Sound & Tech Package’ is available for the Style ($1900) delivering ‘Discover’ nav in the 8.0-inch media set-up, voice control, wireless app connect, keyless entry and start, and a Beats branded premium audio system (digital eight-channel amp, 300 watts).
A Panoramic glass sunroof ($1500) is available for the Style, and metallic paint adds $600 for both models.
Kia Picanto
Every dollar counts here, which is why it is disappointing to see the Picanto continue to claw up the price-scale for this update, but it's not in a major way, and it's still one of few options left in this price-bracket at all.
In fact, it is the only option aside from the MG3 Core, which can be had in automatic form at $19,990 drive-away and even then this car is set to be replaced later this year with a bigger and more expensive new-generation, so the Picanto may well be the last bastion of sub-$20k affordability in Australia.
Now keep in mind, these are before-on-road costs, so it's likely if you can have any Picanto under $20k by the time you get it on the road, it's probably going to be the base model Sport Manual, which starts from $17,890.
From there, you can add an automatic gearbox, pushing it to $19,490, or you can upgrade to the GT-Line which is the car we have for this review, which costs from $19,690 for the manual as-tested, or $21,290 for the automatic.
A small spread of relatively affordable prices in this market then, but what's in the box? As it happens, more than you might expect.
Standard stuff in 2024 has increased on the base Sport grade to include 14-inch alloy wheels (in place of the previous steel wheels with hubcaps), as well as a leatherbound steering wheel and shifter (up from the previous plastic-clad ones), and a 4.2-inch digital instrument cluster replaces the analogue dials.
Meanwhile, the GT-Line scores a D-shaped steering wheel and new 16-inch alloy wheel designs, and the updated and more aggressive face is highlighted by LED light clusters. In addition, the GT-Line scores USB-C outlets on the inside, synthetic leather seat trim, and both grades maintain the 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity.
Feels like a lot more car than it appears from the inside, especially since it comes with most of today's expected active safety tech, too, which its main rivals, the MG3 and Suzuki Ignis, have never been able to claim.
Under the bonnet
Volkswagen Polo7/10
The Polo is powered by Volkswagen’s 1.0-litre (EA211) three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, driving the front wheels through either a five-speed manual gearbox (yep, five-speed) or seven-speed dual-clutch auto in the Life, or auto only in the Style.
Important to note the all-alloy triple is tuned to produce 70kW/175Nm in the Life manual, those numbers jumping to 85kW/200Nm in the Life auto and Style.
No matter the output, maximum torque is available from 2000-3500rpm, with peak power arriving from 5000-5500rpm.
Kia Picanto
This is another area where the Picanto is feeling in need of a little innovation. It has the same very dated 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as the previous car, producing a sufficient but not exciting 62kW/122Nm.
It drives the front wheels via an equally old four-speed automatic transmission, or as tested, a five-speed manual transmission.
It's better with the manual if you can drive one, and a bit of a win for first time or young buyers who will still have the option to learn to drive one, so points there.
Efficiency
Volkswagen Polo8/10
If VW’s aim in turning the wick down on the manual Polo is improved fuel-efficiency it’s a dubious move with both versions of the 1.0L three-cylinder engine returning an official fuel economy figure of 5.4L/100km on the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle.
And the environment is ultimately the (not so big) loser, the 70kW manual producing 124g/km of CO2, while the 85kW auto trims that to 123g/km.
Minimum fuel recommendation is 95 RON premium unleaded, although you’ll need just 40 litres of it to brim the tank. Using the official consumption figure that translates to a range of 740km.
Kia Picanto
An older engine and transmission combination makes for a less than impressive fuel consumption figure in today's market, but then the Picanto is a very light car, so it has lower fuel consumption than most of its contemporaries regardless.
The official fuel consumption on the combined-cycle test of the five-speed manual we tested is 5.4L/100km, and in our week of what I would consider fairly combined usage our GT-Line drank 6.0L/100km. Not great when you consider a much larger hybrid Corolla can use less fuel, but pretty close to the claim nonetheless.
The Picanto has a 35-litre fuel tank – enabling a theoretical driving range of 648km – and happily drinks base-grade 91RON unleaded fuel.
Driving
Volkswagen Polo8/10
The Polo’s launch drive program covered around 150km of city, suburban and freeway running from inner Sydney, through twisting B-roads to the city’s south, and sprawling semi-rural areas further west.
We sampled the Life and Style, both in 85kW seven-speed auto form, and first impressions are dominated by how refined this little car feels in terms of ride quality and noise suppression.
Typically throaty three-cylinder engine and exhaust noise is there under load, but it’s relatively low-key. And even on coarse secondary roads the Polo remains quiet and composed.
Zero to 100km/h comes up in around 10.5 seconds, which isn’t going to rewrite the class record books, but with seven ratios to play with the engine stays in its 2000-3500rpm sweet spot most of the time.
There’s more than enough pulling power for safe highway overtaking, and cruising at 100-110km/h is easy. You don’t have to mash the accelerator to maintain a comfortable pace.
Suspension is strut front, torsion beam rear, and if you’re inclined towards a cheeky fang through your favourite set of corners, the Polo is heaps of fun. At a fraction over 1.1 tonnes it’s light but feels planted and stable on twisty sections.
The steering’s nicely weighted and road feel is good, plus the front seats are supportive and comfortable over long stints behind the wheel.
Not surprisingly, parking is stress-free thanks to the Polo’s compact dimensions and good visibility.
Braking is progressive and reassuringly firm, but, although we didn’t drive the Life manual at launch, be aware its back brakes are drums, a ‘technology’ largely unknown beyond base utes in 2022.
Nothing wrong with an efficient drum set-up on a light-weight car, but let’s just say it’ll be interesting to drive that variant and see how it pulls up under pressure.
Under the heading of random thoughts, the combination of on-screen touch controls, and physical dials for the multi-media system is welcome. And the connection for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is wired or wireless which is handy for those who prefer the surety of a wired connection or the flexibility of one less cable in their life.
Kia Picanto
You've got low power, a pretty low-tech engine and transmission, but this little Kia is still great fun to drive.
For a start, you can have it as a manual that lets you wring the best out of the little engine, which is easygoing but lacklustre with the four-speed auto.
To be clear, it's not a great manual - usually when you get a brand new manual in 2024 it's one of those fancy performance ones with nice damping and notchy gates, but as simple as it is, it also gives the car a raw mechanical nature which keeps it engaging to drive. There are real consequences for choosing the wrong gear and it takes a touch of skill to get used to, a lost art of the all-encompassing drive which is a welcome change of pace compared to a lot of cars today.
The Picanto also has keen steering helping the organic feel, and it has a firm ride, too, which makes it surprisingly sporty in the corners, but it's lightweight nature and firm suspension gave it a crashy and bouncy feel on some of the inconsistent Sydney streets I exposed it to.
It's also a bit noisy in the cabin, both in terms of engine noise (you have to rev the thing to get it going) and tyre roar on anything but the finest tarmac. This issue increases with your speed, and reminds you of its city-car intention when you're on the freeway.
Still, the city is where it's best suited to, and it's a joy to easily dart down alleyways which take a degree of caution in the usual mid-size SUVs you see around the place, and the fact you can park it anywhere can be a real blessing.
The visibility is great, too, which means multi-lane situations aren't a nightmare, and the full suite of manual adjustment for the stereo and air conditioning are super easy to use when you're on the go (who has time to adjust a touchscreen when you have a manual transmission to worry about?)
In conclusion then, the Picanto isn't to be underestimated. This is a spritely fun little thing which makes the most of its limited hardware, but it truly is best suited for the confines of a city, and gets less impressive as you get it out on the open road.
Safety
Volkswagen Polo9/10
With a maximum five-star ANCAP score already in the bag for the Polo from a 2018 assessment, the path of least resistance for VW would have been to rest on its laurels. But to its credit the German giant resubmitted this updated version for testing against stricter 2022 criteria.
That’s largely because it’s squeezed in several key active safety features under the umbrella of ‘IQ.Drive’, with all Polos now featuring, AEB (with cyclist and pedestrian detection), lane-keeping assist (with lane departure warning), ‘Multi-Collision Brake’ (automatically slows the car after a collision, reducing the chance of a secondary impact), driver fatigue detection, front and rear parking distance sensors, rear AEB (low-speed), a reversing camera (with static and dynamic guidelines), cruise control (with speed limiter and distance warning display), tyre pressure monitoring, and more.
‘Park Assist’ (perpendicular and parallel) and active cruise and are standard on the Style, with the latter optionally available on the Life auto as part of the Vision & Tech package.
If, despite all that, a crash is unavoidable there are seven airbags on-board - driver and front passenger (front and side), front centre (to minimise head clash injuries) and full-length side curtain.
There are three top tether points across the rear seat for child seats and/or baby capsules, with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions.
Kia Picanto
The other great thing about this Picanto is its surprisingly thorough suite of active safety items. It gets auto emergency braking, lane-keep assist and lane departure warning, as well as blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
Again, its limited array of rivals like the MG3 and Suzuki Ignis can't compare.
The Picanto has an array of six airbags (dual front, side, and curtain), although it is not currently rated by ANCAP.
Ownership
Volkswagen Polo8/10
Volkswagen Australia covers the Polo with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is now the volume market standard.
The paint is warranted for three years/unlimited kilometres, “Through Corrosion” is covered for 12 years/unlimited kilometres, and 12 months roadside assistance is included.
Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, with prices over the first five years for the Life manual (70kW) ranging from a low of $413 to a high of $929, the average per service coming out at $560, bumping up to $580 for the Life auto and Style (85kW).
Capped price servicing is available, however, over five- and three-year plans. Paying up-front for five years results in a $664 saving over pay-as-you-go for the Life manual, and $716 for the Life auto and Style.
A compelling side benefit is the ability to fold servicing costs into the vehicle’s financing at the time of purchase, and the plan is transferable if you decide to sell the car before the five or three years is up.
Kia Picanto
Kia's stand-out seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty isn't as stand-out as it once was, but is still the standard to beat for this segment, and is especially impressive considering the up-front cost of the Picanto.
You also get seven years of roadside assist included and a seven-year capped-price servicing program.
Over those seven years the price averages out to $438 annually, which is not as cheap as it could be, especially considering many Toyotas cost about $250 a year to keep on the road for their (shorter) warranty period.
The Picanto needs to visit a workshop once every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.