Volkswagen Fox

Our verdict

The Volkswagen Fox is crappily finished for a VW, and less fun to drive than many of its baby-car rivals. Amazingly badly equipped, so don’t believe the low price. Not foxy at all then.

Comfort

The space in a Fox is impressive, partly because it's built in Brazil where it functions as a family car. So it's taller and wider inside than most cars in the class. But it's noisy.

Performance

The engines are tuned for pull at low revs, so they initially feel lively. Stretch them though and you find they don't have much in reserve. In fact the 1.2 has nothing in reserve - this is a 55bhp engine struggling against a 980kg car.

Cool

The Fox isn't cool in the way a 500 or Panda or Aygo is. Not cheeky, not impish, not stylish, not even novel.

Quality

If you were expecting a miniaturised Polo you'll be disappointed. The Fox's dash is hard and slabby, and the garish stripey seats won't distract you.

Handling

It feels reassuring if you're pottering, but has absolutely no enthusiasm for being given a caning. And the nicer baby cars love a good thrashing.

Practicality

Top models have a sliding rear seat, and it's a fundamentally roomy tot. But it's only a three-door.

Running costs

Yup, it's cheap thanks to low prices, low insurance, and fairly low servicing costs. But fuel costs and CO2 tax are unimpressive for the class.