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VW Fox, that VW you know absolutely nothing about. VW Fox is the most anonymous car in recent German history. But is it also a decent car?

 That depends. And with that, I can go home.

Launched as a sequel to the VW Lupo but with Golf V Plus tendencies, the VW Fox was a rather odd-looking car and not very practical either. This shows in sales, that the VW Fox is far from being the most popular car on the country’s roads. It looks just like the kind of car designed in a coffee break, by people who don’t care about cars but had to come up with a replacement for the VW Lupo.

Why would you buy a Fox in 2022?

Because it’s a very, very cheap car. The fact that a lot of people didn’t like the VW Fox and the fact that it’s not the most practical or aesthetically pleasing car and didn’t have the best interior (it was more Skoda than VW, but do you really care?) makes a 2008 VW Fox cost less than a 2002 VW Golf IV. If you want a practical city car and don’t mind the fact that it only has two doors (aka “no friends or relatives”), it’s tough to beat the VW Fox at that price range. Plus the engines are taken from the VW dump so you won’t have any worries on the parts or reliability side. You still have to get past that look that you either like or don’t.

Plus, many people don’t understand that the VW Fox is more of a rival to the Toyota Yaris or Renault Clio, cars that it beats badly on price. If you’re interested in the car and not the looks, it’s hard to beat the VW Fox as a city car. This is very strange for VW, where you’re usually interested in the logo and not the car.

VW Fox Engines

Petrol

• 1.2 MPI of 54 horsepower – The standard engine stolen from the VW Polo 9n, only it comes in an 8v version. Far too anaemic even for VW Fox and with an appetite for oil, I don’t particularly recommend this engine. Be careful with the coils packs too, as with any naturally aspirated petrol.


• 1.4 MPI of 75 horsepower – Also stolen from the Fabia and Polo, this engine syncs perfectly with Fox’s city pace. In fact, it syncs better than a printer that breaks down just when you need it to. As for reliability, you only have to worry about the timing belt which needs changing every 4 years or 60,000 km.

Diesel

1.4 TDI of 70 horsepower – A legendary diesel that lets the facts speak even louder than the 3-cyl diesel noise. However, I doubt there are any people who would take a Fox out for a long drive on a regular basis to make the diesel worth it.

VW Fox General Issues

• As with the Fabia, the window wiper breaks more often than you’d like. Whether it’s the motor or wiper, you’ll have to get used to it without the wiper. In other words, we’re moving on, because before was better.


• All engines have camshaft issues, specifically the camshaft sensor. Basically, a sensor will give you a headache as expensive as 10 pounds.


• You only have a 5-speed manual gearbox, but you still have to be careful how you use it and how often you change the oil which is usually brownish in colour because nobody bothered to change it.

VW Fox Verdict

VW Fox is the official “cheap and cheerful” car. If you can get past the looks of the vehicle and the quality of the interior materials, then you have the cheapest newer VW since 2005. Plus it comes with common VW technology of decent reliability. It’s not a fancy car, but it’s very good in everyday life. I was expecting at first to laugh at this car, to pound it like a deaf man pounds the drums. But appearances are deceiving, and for that – hats off to the VW Fox.

What engine do I recommend? As I said above, I don’t see anyone adventurous enough to go long-distance trips often in a Fox. So that leaves the 1.4 MPI 75 horsepower petrol as the sole recommendation.