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Volkswagen Polo vs Ford Focus

What's the difference?

VS
Volkswagen Polo
Volkswagen Polo

$21,990 - $34,888

2022 price

Ford Focus
Ford Focus

$19,990 - $42,888

2021 price

Summary

2022 Volkswagen Polo
2021 Ford Focus
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Turbo 4, 2.0L

Turbo 3, 1.5L
Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded Petrol

Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
6.5L/100km (combined)

6.4L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Solid service pricing
  • No rear centre armrest
  • No adjustable rear air vents

  • Optional advanced safety
  • Better tyres would be nice
  • Too many optional colours
2022 Volkswagen Polo Summary

The hot hatch wars, an on-going automotive conflict, fired up when Volkswagen lobbed a massive, Golf GTI-shaped salvo into an unsuspecting global car market in the middle of 1976.

Peugeot may have run a bold out-flanking manoeuvre with deployment of the 205GTi from the mid-1980s, and other skirmishes broke out soon after with the likes of Suzuki’s Swift GTi, but so far the German maker has retained majority ownership of those three little letters that mean so much.

Fast forward to 1995 and application of the GTI tag spread to the compact VW Polo, which close to three decades later brings us to the current, sixth-generation version.

It arrived in Australia in 2018, and four years down the track it’s time for an update, with subtle cosmetic tweaks and a significant safety upgrade included.

Volkswagen Australia invited us to the car’s local launch including a varied drive program, topped off with a hot-lap track session, to get a first taste of how it shapes up.

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2021 Ford Focus Summary

Ford's small hatch, the Focus, is criminally under-bought in Australia. The latest model is  one of the best hatchbacks on the road and when you chuck in the decent price, impressive equipment and absurdly powerful engine for its size, it's a winner.

But you lot? You don't buy it in nearly the kinds of numbers it deserves. Partly because there isn't a bait-and-upsell boggo model to lure you in, partly because it's got a badge that is not exciting Australians any more and partly because it's not a compact SUV.

Or is(n't) it? Because alongside the ST-Line warm hatch is the identically priced and therefore technically a co-entry level model; the Focus Active. Slightly higher, with plastic cladding, drive modes and a conspicuous L on the transmission shifter, it's a little bit SUV, right?

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Deep dive comparison

2022 Volkswagen Polo 2021 Ford Focus

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