Category: City Cars 
Price Range: £7,110 to £8,665
Impressively roomy cabin, large boot space, excellent functionality, good engines, fun to drive, unpretentious and utilitarian.
Cheap-feeling and dated cabin, staid styling, lack of character, no central rear seat, probably still not affordable enough to be a real budget 'world car'.
It's a Volkswagen, no doubt about that, even if it feels like a Volkswagen from a decade or so ago and is a long way from being a genre-definer. Good basic transport and a decent drive nonetheless.
The Fox achieved a four-star result in the EuroNCAP crash tests, which is impressive given its size. As with all new cars sold in Europe now, it has ABS anti-lock brakes as standard, along with driver and passenger airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounting points, front seatbelt pre-tensioners and four height-adjustable headrests. Side airbags, ESP stability control, traction control and an electronic differential lock will be optional.
The Fox, a relative lightweight, isn't as sophisticated and well-equipped to deal with a crash as, say, the four-star Renault Clio, but it is essentially solid and built around a relatively modern, if not state-of-the-art, structure. It doesn't feel as substantial as some newly-launched superminis, but compares favourably to city cars and superminis of a similar price; much of a muchness with the Fiat Panda, we'd say, and its assured handling, wide track and lower centre of gravity make it feel (perceptively) stable and secure.
Security kit will include an immobiliser (alarm optional), and Volkswagen generally makes cars with good locks and theft-proofing.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volkswagen Fox
wrote on 16 11 2006