Volkswagen Santana Overview

Slotted as one of the 10 best-selling vehicles in China, the Santana is an admirable subcompact sedan that replaces the Polo nameplate in the Philippines. It dates back to 1984, when Volkswagen releases a notchback saloon (three-box car) that was based on the second-generation Passat. Since then, it had various namepates depending on the region it was in. However, in Asia and Latin America, it is very much well-received as the Santana.

Unlike the Polo, the Santana looks a lot similar like its compact counterpart, Jetta. The bumper, as well as the headlights and chrome-accented grille are almost as close as with the compact sedan. Volkswagen's launch of the Santana is aimed directly to rival well-established subcompact sedans in the country, namely the Honda City and the Toyota Vios.

The cabin offers this simple yet Volkswagen-class feel. There's a height adjustment feature for the driver's seat, stylosh 3-spoke steering wheel, adjustable steering column, as well as a pollen filter on the air-condition system.

Power-wise, the Santana is powered by a 1.4 Multi Point Fuel Injection Gasoline Engine that's mated to a 5-speed manual transmission, which transmits power to the front axle. The mill gives the car 89 hp and 132 Nm of torque.