√2022 Volkswagen Polo price and specs: Cost and features hiked, as sub-$20,000 segment ditched

The price of the cheapest Volkswagen Polo city car will soon rise just past $25,000 before on-road costs in Australia, an increase of more than 30 per cent.

2022 Volkswagen Polo pricing and specifications
Standard equipment boosted, with LED lights, digital dash standard
Significant price rises; base model nearly $30,000 on the road
Exterior styling update and new safety tech added with facelift
Priced from $25,250 before on-road costs

Above and throughout: European and UK models pictured.

Volkswagen has become the latest new-car brand to ditch the sub-$20,000 market in Australia, increasing the price of the cheapest 2022 Volkswagen Polo city car by nearly $6000 – to $25,250 before on-road costs, or close to $30,000 drive-away.

Due in showrooms in May, the facelifted Polo city car range comprises three variants, Life, Style and GTI – priced between $25,250 and $38,750 before on-road costs, up $5960 when comparing base models, or $5860 when comparing GTI variants.

Volkswagen Australia says the price rises are offset by a longer list of standard equipment for 2022.

The entry-level Life variant now offers features previously not fitted as standard to the mid-spec Comfortline in 2021. The spec change means the previous base model has effectively been deleted.

Volkswagen Australia says more expensive Polo variants have customarily been the best sellers.

“Just as the Golf 110TSI range is equipped and priced to reflect the fact that it has always done the majority of its business well above the entry point, Polo customers have typically selected heavily optioned variants,” said Volkswagen Australia’s Michal Szaniecki. “We’ve moved the Polo still further from the sticker-driven rat race .”

Whereas the outgoing $19,290 Polo Trendline manual was equipped with steel wheels, halogen headlights and analogue instruments, the new Life variant gains 15-inch alloys, automatic LED headlights and an 8.0-inch digital instrument display, plus wireless phone charging, front and rear parking sensors and LED tail-lights.

While autonomous emergency braking and lane-keep assist are still standard on the base model – as per the outgoing Trendline – buyers still need to pay $1700 for adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert – and only with an automatic transmission.

These features are standard on the more expensive Style and GTI – a departure from the option pack offered in 2021.

Lane-keep assist is now standard – whereas it was previously unavailable – along with a new-for-2022 front- centre airbag, which recently pushed the the 2022 Polo a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating overseas under the latest 2022 test protocols, compared to the 2017 rating previously advertised, under more lenient criteria.

The facelift ushers in a mild body restyling for 2022, with a new front end with an LED light strip, wider tail-lights and new wheel designs – plus new semi-autonomous driving technology, which can steer, brake and centre the Polo within its lane on freeways.

Other newly-standard features on the Style and GTI include matrix LED headlights, a 10.25-inch digital instrument display, and on the GTI, 18-inch wheels.

The new headlights, instrument cluster and wheels mean the GTI hot hatch can now match its Ford Fiesta ST and Hyundai i20 N rivals on standard equipment – but it has come at a cost, as prices are up $5860 to $38,750 before on-road costs – $6260 more than an i20 N, though the Polo retains an automatic gearbox as standard.

Under the bonnet, the Life and Style grades carry over a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine from 2021. It develops 70kW/175Nm in the entry-level Life manual – with a five-speed manual transmission – while the Life and Style automatics offer 85kW/200Nm and seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions.

The 85kW engine is no longer available with a six-speed manual transmission; and whereas the cheapest Polo automatic in the outgoing range employed the lesser 70kW/175Nm engine tune, both Life and Style autos gain the full 85kW/200Nm configuration.

The GTI retains its 147kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder – eschewing the 152kW/350Nm tune available overseas – driving the front wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox for a 6.5-second 0-100km/h time.

Boot space has also increased in the GTI – and models with the Beats sound system – from 305 litres to the 351 litres of the rest of the range.

Each variant offers its own option package, while the Style and GTI variants can be optioned with a panoramic sunroof – previously exclusive to the GTI’s Luxury Package. Metallic paint costs $600 on the Life and Style, while premium metallic hues cost $300 on the GTI.

Volkswagen’s departure from the sub-$20,000 market leaves four brands remaining: Fiat (with the ageing 500 micro car), Kia, Suzuki and Chinese budget brand MG. It follows price rises of more than $9000 to the Toyota Yaris in late 2020, from its long-time low of $15,990 drive-away, to the mid-$20,000s.

2022 Volkswagen Polo Australian pricing

Polo 70TSI Life manual – $25,250 (up $5960 over Trendline)
Polo 85TSI Life DSG auto – $28,250 (up $6460 over Trendline, $4860 over Comfortline)
Polo 85TSI Style DSG auto – $31,250 (up $7860 over Comfortline, $5560 over Style)
Polo GTI DSG auto – $38,750 (up $5860)

Note: All prices above exclude on-road costs.

2022 Volkswagen Polo Life standard features:

70kW/175Nm (manual) or 85kW/200Nm (DSG automatic) 1.0-litre turbo three-cylinder
Automatic LED headlights (new vs all 2021 variants)
LED tail-lights (new vs Trendline)
15-inch alloy wheels (new vs Trendline)
8.0-inch Digital Cockpit instrument display (new vs all 2021 variants)
8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto and digital radio (new)
Wireless smartphone charging (new vs Trendline, Comfortline)
Leather-wrapped steering wheel
Comfort cloth upholstery
Air conditioning
Front-seat lumbar adjustment (manual adjustment)
Rain-sensing wipers (new vs Trendline)
Auto-dimming rear-view mirror (new vs Trendline)
Illuminated front vanity mirrors (new vs Trendline)
Front centre armrest
Seven airbags (including new-for-2022 front-centre airbag)
Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and new-for-2022 cyclist detection
Lane-keep assist (new feature for 2022)
Front and rear parking sensors (new vs all 2021 variants)
Rear-view camera
Manual cruise control

Life models with the DSG automatic can be optioned with a $1700 Vision and Tech Package, which includes:

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Satellite navigation
10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
Voice control
Adaptive cruise control
Travel Assist
Blind-spot monitoring
Rear cross-traffic alert

2022 Volkswagen Polo Style adds (over Life):

16-inch alloy wheels
Matrix LED headlights with adaptive high beam (new for 2022)
Premium LED tail-lights with dynamic indicators (new design)
10.25-inch digital instrument cluster (new vs Comfortline, previously on Style grade)
Dual-zone climate control (new vs Comfortline, previously on Style grade)
Adaptive cruise control
Travel Assist semi-autonomous driving capabilities
Blind-spot monitoring
Rear cross-traffic alert
Semi-automatic reverse parking
Illuminated LED grille strip
Front fog lights
Ambient interior lighting
Comfort sports front seats