.

This is the last of its kind. A limited-edition example of a genuine real-world classic. Exclusive enough that by the time you read this they’ll probably all be sold. And yet, at a price which matches the heritage. A real people’s exclusive.

No, I’m not being paid to write VW PR gumpf, but I’ve been driving the Mk1 all week now and it actually manages to live up to the hype. And it should make hardcore South African petrolheads sad to see it go.

The thing is, yes it has no ABS, airbags, ESP, power steering, or even aircon (really the biggest shame of the lot). Instead it cuts straight to the essence of the car. There are four attractive wheels, a tin box for sitting in, another wheel for steering the whole lot and then three pedals and a stick for deciding how fast you want it all to go.

And to this basic home recipe is added some deeply tantalising spice for the Mk1. Part-leather seats, complete with red stitching just like in an old CTI. There’s central locking, even if it is of the dinosaur variety, each door whirring loudly into its locked position a good four seconds after the original command  to do so is sent. A chunky three-spoke leather wheel with solitary airbag (take that safety moaners!). Even sporty aluminium pedals, and an aluminium-look bezel on the dials themselves.

My kids were probably most delighted, having never seen anything like them before, at the manual-winding windows, but there is still more quite exciting stuff to this limited edition. There’s a grumbly, rough, old-school 1.6-litre injected motor up front, propelling a chassis sitting 10mm lower than “regular” Citi models. A pair of fruity (if dainty) tailpipes which rasp aggressively at every opportunity. And then there’s the exterior.

It’s subtle to be sure. You’d never notice the ride-height drop without a very trained eye, but the blue-to-black paintjob and the distinctive chrome/silver flashes are unmistakable. That is if you haven’t already spotted the little silver Citi silhouette on the fenders and hatch lid itself.

Which, sadly, means you’re never going to have people sauntering up to you in parking lots and going “Hey, is that a Mk1 then?” Most are likely to think some youngster with a can of silver spraypaint but halfway decent taste has sorted it out on his own. Which is sad, because you’d really like to respond to these imaginary onlookers in-the-know “Yes, it is, and it really is that brilliant.”

Girls aren’t going to appreciate it too much either. The lack of power-steering, compared to the finger-twirling steering wheels of today’s city-car, makes for shockingly heavyweight parking manoeuvres for such a little car, while the absence of aircon in place of a basic fan/heater arrangement will likely make this dark tin box a pretty close environment in our SA summer. Then there are the brakes. About an inch and a half of completely dead travel at the top of the pedal action does not inspire confidence if yours in any way wavers.

No, this is a lads car. It stinks when you start it up in the morning, and the engine clatters noisily and unevenly when cold. The gearbox takes some warming of its oils before it gets exactly smooth either. Sadly, the brakes don’t ever “come to temperature”, so to speak. And then you need some beefy forearms to muscle it out onto the road so that you can set about working it all up to temp.

Once you have though, it is such a sweet little car. It hammers home the fact that beneath all of this, is the chassis which gave birth to the hot hatch genre. A design a few decades old perhaps, but an example which is brand-new and fighting fit. If this were thirty years ago, you’d have been the king of the road in one of these.

The four-pot motor is constantly gnashing its teeth, and offers up plenty of useable muscle all the way through its rev range. Yes, it sounds rather thrashed a lot of the time, but that’s part of the charm really. And the chassis isn’t in any way filtered, diluted, or restrained. Just the interface between the raw, primal forces being exerted on the vehicle by the drive, to the driver. A direct, hard line.

It is just a huge amount of fun. Yes, it absolutely feels the dinosaur it is, but it’s a lovable one. Like the ones from kid’s cartoons more than the one from Spielberg’s murdered movie series.

And the “new” looks even mean that you glance admiringly back over your shoulder when you do park and walk away, even if no-one else really does. It’s a special feeling which a numbered plaque on the dash reminds you of every moment you’re inside it. And there is quite literally no other car on the market for R120K that even comes close to giving you that. None.

That price allows the indomitable Citi to exit, stage left, as gracefully as it arrived. The Mk1 epitomises the entire model range, basic ingredients, huge heart, massive fun, for not a lot of money. VW could have gotten greedy with these last 1000 models, deigning them to be for collectors only, but instead have priced them to sell to the people who made this dinosaur so great for so long. It’s a triumph. And a tribute. On wheels.

We will also probably never see it’s like again. Cheap cars are now emaciated, jokey, Pikachu cars with sewing-machine engines and chassis’ of jelly. Neither heart, nor soul. Mere innocuous transport. Nowadays you’ve got to pay more handsomely for any fun or charm whatsoever.

But sadly, our loss doesn’t mean it isn’t time for the Citi to leave us. It is unquestionably a car of yesterday. But like say a Nissan 1400 bakkie, it’s a true people’s hero. Affordable, adorable, reliable, dependable, and utterly loveable to enthusiasts everywhere.

And the Mk1, the last of a great line, ends the production with a flourish.

Russell Bennett

Liked

Character. In spades.

Fruity exhaust note.

Subtle silver/chrome bling

Disliked

The end of an era

All the safety moaners who had a hand in killing it.

Drive Vitals : Citi Mk I

Engine Four-cylinder petrol

Induction Natural

Capacity 1595cc

Power 74 kW @ 5400rpm

Torque 140 Nm @ 4400rpm

Kerb weight 858 kg

Driven wheels Front

0-100km/h 9.7 Seconds

Price R113 500

[View with PicLens]

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VWSA's answer to the Citi void

VWSA have finally launched their replacement for the Citi, although it isn’t a Citi replacement apparently. And the secret which VWSA have been trying to keep is a, well it’s a Polo. VW have done their old trick of rebranding a now older generation platform, which is no problem considering the success of this particular platform.

VW are out of the A00 segment, which you can loosely describe as all the sub-100k cars made of cardboard, a segment the VW dominated with their Citi, because that wasn’t made out of cardboard but actually drive nicely. The Vivo is positioned in the A0 segment, with the cheapest model, a 2-door hatch with a 55kW 1.4L petrol engine coming in at R101 500. Prices range all the way up to R150 800 for a 1.6L 77kW 4-door sedan, yes the Vivo comes with a boot if you are so inclined. All in all there are three engine options, the two already mentioned and another 1.4L, but that one produces 63kW and is probably the best one. We drove the new Vivo in PE at the launch, and were reasonably impressed. It is aggressively priced considering the build quality and performance of the Vivo. There is also a 3 year/120 000km warranty as standard with 5 year/60 000km maintenance and a similar service plan as options available. For the bottom end of the A0 segment then, I would say that the Vivo could quickly become a segment leader, it is just a well rounded package.

VWSA have glued a new badge onto the Polo

The full launch drive will be in the next issue of Drive, but for now I will say that the Vivo is a refined and handsome enough design, in a sort of understated manner. The new VW design language is vaguely there but unfortunately doesn’t really shine through, the new Polo is the better looking car. The performance is sprightly, with the 1.4L and 1.6L motors being actually quite closely matched. The manual gearbox does have a somewhat sticky clutch but the cogs still slot in easily, combined with a comfortable ride, VW have a potential winner on their hands. The steering is light, not ideal at higher speeds where the front wheels don’t feel all that sure, but for the slow speed city driving for which the Vivo is presumably intended the handling is commendable.

The Vivo then is a valiant effort by VWSA to replace the venerable Citi, and for the modern world I’d say it works. Unfortunately the Vivo has nowhere near as much character as the Citi, and I wouldn’t expect a 30 year run either, but for here and now it does what everyone has been asking for. It has modern safety features, power steering and you can spec air-con if you want. And for that you have to pay more money, which is disappointing but ultimately unavoidable.

There are new headlight surrounds on the Vivo

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The Last 1

In fact, the last models rolled off the line back in August already, but the company has waited until now to reveal this fact. I guess they wanted a suitable in-house mourning period or something.

Now no matter what you think of this little car, it is several things. An icon. A legend. An incredible, ongoing sales success. In July of this year, there were still over 1600 takers for this old-tech, safety-light Golf in the local market. More than half-a-million units have found happy homes in that looooooong manufacturing period, which incidentally is more than 200 000 more than the Beetle managed, with just three extra years of production over this rear-engined global benchmark.

I must say I always enjoyed the A1 Golf, from scorchers like the CTi to the humblest, most stripped-out and cheapest-price options. It’s a genuinely, properly sorted little chassis and you can always find some fun in it wherever you happen to be going. With the beefier motors it morphs into the definition of the Pocket Rocket. Interiors and dashboards have evolved a long way over the years as well from the upright, square, and supremely plasticky originals.

The MK I and it's forefathers

VW SA isn’t letting it pass with a whisper, either. Check out www.goodbyeciti.co.za to track the National Farewell Tour or add your own fond memories of this model to “The Cloud”. If you have to have the ultimate incarnation now before new models are gone forever, the company has also made a final special edition. Only 1000 City MK Is have been built, two are staying with VW in museums in Germany and here at home, and the third-last one off the line has been put up on auction at www.bidorbuy.co.za. The auction process still has a week to run so log-in and get bidding now.

It really does look quite special. Available only in dark shades and perfectly offset by chrome GT-stripes along the flanks, chunky 15″ alloys, a lowered ride height and a smattering of unique special-edition badges, the MK I looks set to become a real collector’s item, although it’s actually being sold at a reasonable price. There’s a 74kW 1.6-litre engine under the hood, and a classy part-leather interior with that updated dash I mentioned earlier lifting the ambience beautifully.

So why after all this time kill off your most budget-oriented model at a time when budget cars are the core of your sales efforts? VW SA claim poor economies of scale have finally done the A1 in – they can’t afford to continue a production line which produces only 25 000 units a year, and which shares no platform components with any other model line currently in production. Which is fair enough. I think they’re going to miss those sales though, when their stockpile does dry up early in 2010…

So from us here at Drive, farewell old friend. You always were and always will be a good little car – I’d still have one over competing cheapies from China, even over market-leaders Corsa and the like, if buying in that price range. The old warrior did astonishingly well all things consider, and can bow out with head held high and fond remembrances across our somehow less-colourful land.

Still great