Issue 002 Volkswagen Fox 1.2 Road Test

‹ In town and on the open road

‹ Big on space, small on price

Fox 1.2: a cut-price Polo alternative?

‹ 1.2-litre 54bhp Urban Fox

Not so small wonder

02 | Volkswagen Fox 1.2 Road Test

february 2010 | polodriver.com

For a car that is approaching its fifth birthday and is relatively

inexpensive, catching sight of a Volkswagen Fox on the road can

be something of a rare occasion. But, as the new fifth‑generation

Polo has moved Volkswagen’s evergreen supermini further upmarket, the

company’s smaller offering may be more relevant than ever. Promising

the solid build and quality buyers have come to expect from the German

marque, but for a cheaper price, does the Fox offer big brother Polo’s

virtues in a smaller package? A few months ago PoloDriver tested a 1.2

model over 1000 miles to find out if Volkswagen’s city car is a cut‑price

Polo alternative.

The first thing that strikes you is how large the Fox is. Replacing the

Lupo in 2005, the Fox is built in Volkswagen’s sites in Argentina and Brazil

and is quite a star in its home market. On the other side of the globe,

three further body styles enhance its functional appeal (see ‘Foxy!’ panel

on page 4), and although Europe solely gets the three‑door variant,

that doesn’t mean its short on space. Much larger than the European‑

designed Lupo and not much smaller than the outgoing Polo (current

when we tested the car), the Fox’s tall and narrow silhouette give it an

appearance of a shrunken MPV, or a smaller version of Volkswagen’s

own Golf Plus.

Two trim levels

Available in two trim levels ‑ Fox and Urban Fox ‑ with 1.2‑litre 54bhp or

74bhp petrol engines (continental buyers can also choose a 1.4 69bhp

TDI), ‘our’ car was a 1.2 Urban Fox, coupling the most basic engine with

the plushest trim level. Coming in at £8180 on the road, the range starts

at £7460, rising to an entry‑level Polo‑pushing £9095 for the top‑spec

Urban Fox 1.4. The Urban Fox looks more attractive than the more

basic‑spec model, due to its colour‑coded bumpers and mirrors, and

specced in yellow ‘Sunshine’ paint, it exerts a cheeky character, at odds

with its functional (some would say dour) styling. Other extra goodies

over its less well-equipped brother include easy entry front seats, front

electric windows, manual rear vent windows, remote central locking and

sliding rear bench seat with split-folding backrest.

Being a Volkswagen UK press car, OY58 RZX also came with a few

choice factory-fitted extras. ‘Parana’ 14-inch alloy wheels with 185/60-

section tyres lent the car more visual appeal and while a thoughtful safety

feature, we did question the need for the £490 ESP system on a 54bhp

car. But, it all adds up to an impressive package. Yes, there are small

signs that the little Brazilian car isn’t hewn from quite the same German

stock as its other European family members, but overall it feels like a

fully-fledged Volkswagen. The global Fox marketing slogan is ‘Really

Volkswagen’ and buyers must agree, borne out by the fact that VW has

sold over 27,000 examples of the car since its UK introduction in 2006.

The Fox offers almost as much space as a Series 4 (2002-2009)

Polo, but for around £2000 less than the current Polo. But is it really a

case of almost as much car for a cheaper price? A family holiday in the

picturesque North York Moors driving over 1000 miles in a week, taking

in A and B roads, motorways and plenty of town driving would be the

ultimate test. We also hoped to find out if the Fox would be practical

enough to be run as your main vehicle for townies with no children, and

if there was some character begging to be set free underneath all that

functional practicality. As you’ll discover later, we needn’t have worried.

Commodious

The first thing OY58 RZX had to do was to fit in out luggage for the

week. Just as the size of the car surprises you when you first see it, the

space inside is equally bewildering. With a wheelbase just 5mm shy of

the new Polo’s (2465mm vs 2470mm), there’s more than ample room in

the commodious interior. Taller than both the outgoing and new Polos

and with a length not far off either of them, the Fox is, with its doors

open to their full extents, almost as wide as it is long. Those big doors

make loading the not so little car easy. With a 50/50 symmetrically-split

rear seat – which on Urban Fox models, slides forward and backwards

depending on your load – piling stuff into Volkswagen’s smallest car is

a doddle. We dare say the easy-entry front seats helped, their memory

functions more than making up for the lack of two rear doors. The

260-litre luggage compartment is sizeable for a car of this type, although

we will admit to using the back seat, which when folded down gives

1016 litres of space, easy rivalling that of a small van.

Moving around to the front of the cabin, there’s plenty of storage

space there, too. With deep door pockets shaped to hold drinks bottles,

cup holders in the centre console, front under-seat trays, a full-width

‘shelf’ on top of the roll-top dashboard, a shallow compartment on the

uppermost section of the centre console, map pockets on the front sear

backs and pockets in the rear panels, Volkswagen has certainly thought

out storage solutions for most Fox owners’ needs. Our only criticism is

that the rear seat is shaped for two people rather than three, with the

centre most part being replaced with two further cup holders.

Light and bright

While the Fox feels like a ‘proper’ Volkswagen, there’s no getting away

from its built-to-a-price Brazilian roots. Some of the interior plastics

aren’t as plush as in the Polo or Golf, and the tailgate sounds a little tinny

when compared to other models in the range, but if we’re honest, these

are niggles, and shouldn’t put you off a Fox as a potential purchase. The

‘Coloured Stripes’ upholstery adds to the overall impression of a bright

and light interior, its yellow, blue, cerise and orange pinstripes adding a

sense of fun to the otherwise soberly-styled, functional surroundings.

Model Volkswagen Fox 1.2 Urban/1.4 Urban

Displacement (cc) 1198/1390

Power output 54bhp @ 4750rpm/74bhp @ 5000rpm

Maximum torque 80lb ft @ 3000rpm/92lb ft @ 2750

Cylinders 3/4

Valves per cylinder 2/4

Transmission Front-wheel drive, five-speed manual

Top speed (mph) 92/104

0-62mph (seconds) 17.5/13.0

Braking system Servo-assisted, diagonally split circuit with ABS,

ventilated discs (front), self-adjusting drums (rear)

Running gear Independent with McPherson struts and coil

springs (front axle), torsion beam with trailing arms (rear axle)

Steering Electro-hydraulic power-assisted rack and pinion

Wheels 6J x 14 steel

Tyres 185/60 R14

Unladen weight (kg) 978/1018

Dimensions (l, w, h mm) 3828, 1660, 1544

Wheelbase (mm) 2465

Official CO2 emission (g/km) 144/159

Price (£, February 2010) 8180.00/9095.00

Options fitted to test car 6J x 14 ‘Parana’ alloy wheels (£620),

ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) (£490), ‘Sunshine’ paint

(£200), alarm system (£156 at time of test)

Technical specification

Volkswagen Fox 1.2 Road Test | 03

polodriver.com | february 2010

Story | rich Gooding Photography | rich Gooding and Volkswagen UK Press Office

Urban warrior: (clockwise from below): the city car Fox is Volkswagen’s contender in the town tiddler class andis an Europeanised version of a model which originated in Brazil. Like the Lupo before it, it sits on a shortenedPolo platform; 1.2-litre, 54bhp engine also shared withthe last-generation Polo; generous-sized interior features colourful upholstery; class-best boot holds 216 litres

The Urban Fox looks more attractive than its

basic-spec brother, thanks in part, to its colour-coded

bumpers and mirrors.

‘

‘

04 | Volkswagen Fox 1.2 Road Test

february 2010 | polodriver.com

Multiple personalities (clockwise from top left): five-door perfect for increased practicality; rugged CrossFox for stylish city dwellers; GTI looks from official VW accessories; New Fox on sale now in Brazil; Suran/ SpaceFox ‘MPV’ ideal for small families

Foxy! Sporty, rugged and practical: thesexy (and not so sexy) global Fox familyThe European Volkswagen Fox is just one of a family of Fox variant on

sale largely in South American markets, which of course is where the

basic car originates from. Even the name is traditional, being both the

badge of a 1980s base-model Volkswagen sold in the US, and also a

special edition basic variant of the pre-facelift Series 2 Polo, on sale in

Europe from 1984 to 1990. In addition to the three-door, a five-door is

also offered and is joined by the CrossFox, a raised-height, two-wheel

drive SUV-style model based on the same formula as European Cross

models such as the CrossPolo (Dune in the UK). There’s also the

Sunrise, a raised-height, plastic-wheelarched halfway house between

the two, and the Suran/SpaceFox, a five-door Fox estate or mini-MPV.

Most versions are powered by 1.0-litre 73bhp and 1.6-litre 98bhp/

103bhp petrol or 1.9 SDI 64bhp diesel engines. Volkswagen sees the

need for no GTI version, although European buyers can raid the official

accessories brochure and make a firecracking Fox in looks, if not in

power. Finally, in the car’s spiritual home of Brazil, the Fox has been

given a new Polo-inspired facelift to become the Novo Fox. Taking on

the headlamp, grille, rear light and wheel style of the new fifth-generation

Polo has really transformed the car; it could almost be mistaken for

its little brother. There’s even a new and much more luxurious-looking

dashboard and interior, too. PoloDriver knows of either no set date or

even if the Polo-lite post-facelifted model will be sold in Europe or the UK.

Sunny character

Primarily built for economy and the bump and grind of urban streets, it

would be foolish to think the Fox is going to worry any warm hatches. With

54bhp, performance from the 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine can best be

described as leisurely with 62mph coming up in 17.5 seconds. But, the

three-pot motor is an engaging one, it’s thrum giving the car a sometimes

vocal voice and suiting the car’s sunny character. The 1198cc unit gives

80lb ft of torque and 144g/km of CO2, and compares well with the more

powerful 1.4 unit also offered. With 20bhp more, the larger-capacity motor

only gains 12lb ft of torque and is 15g/km dirtier. Both are in the lowest

possible insurance group of 1E, and while we didn’t have one eye on

economy, both should return upwards of 40mpg on the combined cycle.

Tried, tested and traditional

Just as Volkswagen’s urban warrior isn’t going to pick on the big boys

when it comes to speed, nor is it going to pull any knockout punches

when it comes to handling. Relying on VW’s tried, tested and traditional

semi-independent rear axle and strut-type front suspension, handling is

more on the comfort rather than sporting side. That’s not to say it’s not

enjoyable. Nippy with light steering and almost comical levels of body roll

due to the soft but compliant springs and dampers, the Fox is undoubtedly

more at home cutting through the urban thrust than it is storming down a

twisty B road. As you would expect, understeers is always not far away,

not helped by the lack of feel through the electro-hydraulic steering.

Refinement’s good, though, with only marginal suspension noise filtering

into the cabin and the 1.2-litre Fox can hold its own at motorway speeds.

The slick gearchange from the five-speed ‘box also helps easy progress.

Intelligent urban transport

Overall, OY58 RZX dispatched all our routes in the North York Moors

with very little effort, from the slow wooded tracks of the Dalby Forest

and the city outskirts of York, to the town landscapes of Scarborough

and Whitby. And we’ll be honest, we didn’t expect to be wowed by the Fox

as much as we were. We’d heard too many reports of non-sturdy build,

bland styling, a functional personality and an unengaging drive. But we

were very pleasantly surprised.

By the end of our 1200 miles with OY58 RZX, we were complete Fox

converts. Volkswagen’s not so small city car is capable of most of the jobs

a larger Polo can do and seems almost as comprehensively equipped. It

has as much character as it has interior space (though our car’s yellow

paint undoubtedly helped) and it must be one of the most intelligent

choices of urban transport. This particular one has now departed the press

fleet, sold to a new owner through Volkswagen’s retailer network, who we

hope enjoys it as much as we did. If you’re on the look-out for quality urban

transport, choose a bright colour, buy a Fox and be amazed. We were.

Open road: while the Fox is best-suited to the urban cut and thrust, it doesn’t disgrace itself on A and B roads out of the city landscape. While not the most involving, the car is still good fun, surprisingly peppy and frugal to boot

The tiny town tiddlers: fierce competition in theFox’s class, the city car

sector, includes rivals such as the Ford Ka, Citroën C1 and Toyota

Aygo. It also does battle with the Peugeot 107

seen here. Bright colours not always compulsory