Volkswagen

VW’s twin version of the Ford T6.1 Ranger. With very slight differences.

The core mechanical engineering and powertrain architecture are the same. But there are some differences.

Externally, you can’t get the handy box-step option on an Amarok. Those steps at the rear outer corners of the Ranger loadbed, which make stepping into- and out of a Ranger’s loadbed much safer.

Driving experience is excellent, as is the case with Ranger. But why would you buy an Amarok over Ranger? VW’s has a (slightly) larger national dealership network, which makes a difference when you need servicing or emergency assistance, in the middle of nowhere.

PanAmerica is probably the ‘best buy’ Amarok, with its smaller wheels and factory-fitted all-terrain tyres.

Amarok sells in much smaller numbers than Ranger, so if you value the rarity value of that, it has appeal. And as a consequence of being a much smaller seller, the theft and hijacking risk is lower, too.

Has ironically become a niche vehicle in South Africa because the full-size hatchback market has shrunk so much.

Clever people who see through the crossover hype, buy these. Lower centre of gravity than any crossover, which gives it better stability when doing collision-avoidance steering at high speed.

Engineered to exceptional standards, Making Golf incredibly quiet and refined at highway cruising speeds.

Turbocharged 1.4 engines aren’t terribly powerful at only 110kW but deliver decent performance at Highveld altitudes.

Welcome drivetrain change to 8-speed Tiptronic automatic transmissions. These Tiptronics are more traditionally configured automatics, and should be less of a long-term maintenance risk than the legacy 7-speed DSGs they replaced.  

Cabin materials and digital interfaces aren’t class-leading. R-Line versions add sports suspension and big wheels, which are pointless on South African roads.

Golf Life+ trim on 16” wheels is what smart buyers should choose. But on a spec-for-spec comparison, Golf remains very expensive.

GTI performance models are excellent driver’s cars. And always demand. Making them reasonably depreciation-proof.

Expensive German compact hatchback. Built on what is possibly the world's best compact car platform, and truly a compact car that feels substantial at highway speeds.

Suzuki’s Swift offers much better value, but the Polo is a better highway cruiser for inter-provincial travel. With more powerful engines, which matter, especially on the Highveld.

Polo’s 1-litre turbocharged engines are always on boost and heavy on fuel. The higher-trim 1.0 TSIs with 85kW are much better at overtaking slower truck traffic and conquering long, steep gradients. Even the milder 70kW Polos are more powerful than Suzuki’s Swift 1.2, rated at only 60kW.

But for all its performance, Polo is also wildly more expensive than Swift, especially if you start box-ticking options on the order form. You want a 1.0 70kW Life, nothing more.

Not cheap to insure, but VW’s vast dealer network is valuable for servicing and maintenance convenience.

The older version of VW’s current global Polo. South Africa’s most popular hatchback, because it offers good residuals and access to VW’s huge dealership network.

Cabin architecture feels dated despite the touchscreen infotainment upgrade. The footrest is essentially useless if you wear anything larger than a size 40 sneaker, which is something to be aware of if you do a lot of multi-hour driving.

The rear seats don’t fold in a 60/40 split (unlike more modern vehicles). This limits the Vivo’s ultimate hatchback practicality if you need to move bigger, bulkier things. Or if you like overpacking for a road trip.

More engine options than any of its rivals. And that matters to buyers who do a lot of highway driving.

VW’s 77kW 1.6-litre engine is what you want. It give the Polo Vivo a performance edge over the similarly priced Swift 1.2s, which only have 60kW. But the Suzuki’s are a much newer design and better cars in every other aspect.

Locally built in huge numbers, so there’s a deep inventory of parts and support for these. But they are also prime targets for theft, and insurance premiums reflect this reality.

Best buy? The 1.6 77kW Life manual.

Crossover version of the Polo with slightly more luggage space. And enough ground clearance for dirt roads.

Too many hard plastics in the cabin, for a German brand. Unlike more expensive VW crossovers and SUVs, T-Cross still has lot of physical buttons and offers a better UX experience.

Only engine is the 1.0 turbopetrol. It makes decent power at 85kW, delivers reasonable fuel economy and is also perfectly matched with the DSG gearbox.

Like a Polo, the T-Cross feels like a bigger car with deep engineering integrity at highway speeds. When traveling long distances. One of the best compact crossovers for long distance driving, with excellent overtaking throttle response and high-speed stability.

R-Line versions with their low profile tyres don’t make sense on SA roads. Very expensive compared to rivals on a spec-for-spec basis.

Best buy is the Life trim 1.0 TSI DSG, but you even need to pay extra for a reversing camera on that – a feature that is standard on many vehicles that are half the T-Cross’s price…

Trendy version of the T-Cross that’s longer. But less capable on dirt roads because of the lower ride height.

Same 1.0 turbopetrol engine as T-Cross, delivering reasonable performance and economy, even at highveld altitudes. Like all VWs built on the Polo platform, it’s an excellent long-distance cruiser – for a compact car.

Difficult to choose above T-Cross. It’s bigger but not that much roomier inside. With only 1% more luggage space (really, it’s 1%).

Taigo has less dirt road ability than T-Cross, with only 158mm of ground clearance compared to T-Cross’s 185mm.

Standard spec on Taigo is sparse. Options rapidly compound price and reduce value.

T-Cross is more sensible. Or a Korean diesel crossover. Lots of high-value Chinese options available at the price, too.

Slightly larger version of the Tiguan. With 7-seats. Offering more practicality than Rav4. And a much better overall driving experience than Fortuner.

Cabin materials feel below the price point. Haptic ventilation/audio controls are frustrating to use. But 800-litre luggage capacity is enormous, with the third-row seats folded away.

Competent long-distance highway cruiser for large families. And much less of a bother driving in town than an oversized bakkie-based SUV. Don’t do much dirt road driving? Then Tayron is a smart alternative to Fortuner.

Pricing is steep and options plentiful. Annoyingly, the Tayron doesn’t offer VW’s 2.0-litre diesel engine, which is available in 5-seater Tiguans.

Tayron’s 1.4 TSI turbopetrol is a decent engine, but 110kW and 250Nm aren’t generous outputs for a fully loaded 7-seater. When you need to overtake at highway speeds.

Like all VWs, the R-Line version makes very little real-world sense, and the mid-grade Life is a better buy.

SUV version of the excellent Golf platform – but with diesel engine options. Something none of its feature-rich Chinese rivals offer.

Extensive options rapidly inflate prices. Tiguan’s cabin doesn’t feature the level of material quality you’d expect from a legacy German brand. VW’s notorious haptic ergonomics are annoying and an example of illogical UX.

Clever sliding second-row seats offer a huge luggage capacity of 652 litres, making Tiguan terrifically practical when you need all that packing capacity for a vacation road trip.

R-Line versions don’t make sense on coarse local roads, with their 19-inch wheels and low-profile tyres.

The 2.0 TDI 4Motion Life is an excellent blend of performance, economy, and sensible spec. Especially its 17-inch wheels and larger volume tyres, which deliver much better ride quality.

Not cheap, especially on a spec-for-spec comparison with rivals. But if you do a lot of long-distance driving, that deep German mechanical engineering makes a difference. And it shows, with Tiguan’s high-speed stability and low noise levels.

All the luxury and all-terrain ability of the best German SUVs. Without making you a target for theft or hijacking.

Touareg is the smart stealth-wealth luxury SUV. Also, one of the best luxury all-terrain touring vehicles you can buy.

You get Q7/Cayenne engineering without any of the social-image or hijack-targeting issues. And you get access to VW’s huge service network.

Unlike other VW premium models, Touareg still has a sensible balance of physical and haptic controls. Build quality is excellent and the driving experience is tremendous.

Touareg’s 3.0 V6 TDI is one of the best turbodiesel engines of all time, and in combination with the greatest automatic gearbox in history - the ZF8 - the driving experience is tremendous. Seamless overtaking acceleration at high speeds, thanks to 600Nm, and that amazingly smooth yet responsive ZF 8-speed transmission.

Avoid the more expensive R-Line trims. They ruin the amazing Touareg's ride quality with silly wheel sizes and low-profile tyres. Elegance trim with optional air-suspension and standard wheels works out cheaper, and is a much better real-world driving experience.

Get one while you can, as this is the final generation of the best vehicle VW makes, before it retires in 2026.