Kgm Musso vs Volkswagen Polo

What's the difference?

The KGM Musso Advance is a large 4WD ute offering a decent amount of appeal for the price and it makes a lot of sense in XLV form.

It’s generally nice to drive, it’s comfortable and capable for a ute and – as with the Rexton – the Musso is another clear sign that KGM continues to improve its vehicles, albeit incrementally in some cases, in terms of quality and functionality.

The Polo GTI faces tough competition in the form of Hyundai’s recently arrived, very good, and well-equipped i20 N, as well as Ford’s sleek and super-capable Fiesta ST. But as mentioned at the start, VW occupies the hot-hatch high ground with the GTI badge, and this upgraded Polo is loaded with features, dynamically outstanding and on the leading edge in terms of safety. Time will tell if the higher price, higher spec strategy is the right one, but there’s no doubting this updated Polo GTI is a compelling package.  

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

The Musso is based on its SUV stablemate, the Rexton. It’s a body-on-frame 4WD ute, available only as a dual-cab, and its appearance is inoffensively pleasant.

Styling changes to the Advance include a black grille, black 18-inch alloy wheels, HID headlights (on short and XLV grades), and rear privacy tint.

It also has a black leather-look interior with black leather-look seats.

The Musso’s interior offers plenty of space for the driver and passengers and is neat and well laid out.

Build quality and fit and finish are impressive with a mix of durable plastic and soft-touch surfaces throughout including a leather steering wheel and leather-look seats in the Advance.

Not exactly a massive change to the exterior of the Polo GTI with this mid-life refresh, but sharp-eyed car spotters will notice a new front bumper treatment including a revised lower grille, defined by a body-coloured border and flanked by LED driving lights.

The headlights have also been reshaped to mark the arrival of standard matrix LED beams, with the signature horizontal red keyline moves from the centre to the bottom edge of the upper grille. A continuous LED strip across the nose stands the car apart after dark.

Previously part of the GTI’s ‘Luxury Pack’, the ‘Faro’ design 18-inch alloys fill the wheel arches nicely, and overall the car’s compact, tightly wrapped body and finely chiselled lines are familiar.

At the back, the LED tail-light clusters have been extended laterally into the hatch door, but the car’s fundamental shape is unchanged. 

Inside the dash layout is the same, although the centre of the sports steering wheel has been massaged into a more organic shape with the airbag/horn now an oval rather than a circle.

The rest of the interior is relatively understated in typical VW fashion, the neatly sculpted sports seats trimmed with traditional ‘Clark’ tartan cloth on the cushion and backrest centres. And ‘Kings Red’ inlays in the dash, centre console and front door trims, are a reminder of the car’s heritage and sporty intent.

There is the expected array of storage spots (glove box, door pockets etc), cupholders (two to the rear of the auto shifter) and charge points (two USB-C ports and a 12-volt plug point for driver and front passenger).

The seats are comfortable and supportive and, in general, KGM has maximised space in the cabin, yielding plenty of shoulder and legroom for driver and passengers.

The 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system works reasonably well although you do have to cycle through numerous menus and sub-menus to change some settings and I did have to try several times to pair my phone to it, so overall functionality is clunky.

Rear-seat passengers have access to directional air vents, but there are smart-device charge points.

The tub size is as follows: 1600mm long in the XLV (1300mm in the standard Musso), 1570mm wide (1100mm between wheel-arches) and 570mm deep. The tub has a plastic tub liner and four tie-down points.

For a direct comparison of dimensions: the standard Musso is 5095mm long with a 3100mm wheelbase while the XLV is 5405mm with a 3210mm wheelbase; the standard Musso is 1950mm wide and 1870mm high (the XLV is 1885mm). For reference, the Ford Ranger XLT dual-cab ute is 5406mm long (including rear bumper and tow bar receiver) with a 3270mm wheelbase.

The difference in dimensions between a standard Musso and the XLV version also means a difference in off-road angles so approach is 22.8° / 25° (XLV), departure is 23.4° / 20° (XLV) and rampover is 23° / 20° (XLV).

Minimum ground clearance is 215mm in a standard Musso and 220mm in the XLV, so the Musso XLV does stand taller off the ground than its regular stablemate.

Kerb weight is listed as 2090kg for the standard Musso and 2100kg for the XLV. Turning circle is 11.8m for the standard Musso and 12.2m for the XLV.

At just under 4.1 metres long the Polo GTI is a decidedly compact hot hatch, but thanks in no small part to a relatively lengthy (2.6m) wheelbase, interior space is impressive.

The driver and front passenger have plenty of breathing room, and the rear is remarkable. At 183cm, sitting behind the driver’s seat set to my position, I enjoyed ample legroom, and more than enough headroom.

Width is another story, because while two adults will be fine in the back, there isn’t enough space for three to sit in comfort for any length of time. 

Storage options in the front include a small lidded box between the seats (which doubles as an adjustable armrest), two cupholders and various oddments spaces in the centre console, as well as the wireless charging bay in front of the gearshift. 

There are also pockets in the doors with room for (medium) bottles, a decent glove box, a shallow drawer under the passenger seat, and an overhead drop-down tray for glasses.

Map pockets on the front seat backrests, and small bins in the doors add extra practicality, but there’s no fold-down centre armrest or individual ventilation control for rear seaters. 

For connectivity and power, there are two USB-C ports in the front, plus another two in the rear, as well as a 12-volt socket in the front centre console.

Boot space is a healthy 305 litres (VDA) with the 60/40 split-folding rear seats upright, that number growing to 1079L with them folded down. 

Tie down anchors are handy for strapping loose loads, while shopping bag hooks help keep smaller bundles under control. And be aware, the spare is a space-saver.

Headline news is the Polo GTI’s before on-road costs price has gone up by close to 18 per cent, from $32,890 to $38,750. 

Why? More standard equipment; some new things and other previously optional features now included in the base price.

The aim is to bring the car into line with the specification the majority of customers are ordering, because Volkswagen believes the days of a ‘price leader’ Polo GTI are behind it. That is, pique a buyer’s interest with a keenly priced but relatively sparse base model, and they invariably add options once engaged in the process.

So, the Polo GTI has put a price gap on its two key competitors, the Ford Fiesta ST ($32,290) and Hyundai i20N ($32,990), but it’s now loaded with a whole lot of fruit for the money.

The new bits are ‘Matrix’ LED headlights, a centre airbag, and 18-inch alloy rims (up from 17s), while the elements moved from the options list to the standard equipment column are assistance features bundled under the ‘IQ.Drive’ umbrella including, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, front parking sensors (joining those in the rear), ‘Park Assist’, adaptive cruise control, and auto-folding exterior mirrors.

Also included in the GTI’s base price are the ‘IQ.Light’ matrix LED headlights, ‘Dynamic Light Assist’ (auto low to main beam switch with light profile adjusted to avoid dazzling cars ahead or oncoming), ‘Premium’ LED tail-lights (with dynamic indicators), metallic paint ($600 on the Polo Life and Style), LED driving lights, dual-zone climate-control, front and rear carpet mats, ‘Digital Cockpit Pro’ (incorporating nav and phone functions), ambient interior lighting, wireless device charging, and sports front seats.

Then you can add ‘Discover’ nav in the 8.0-inch media touchscreen set-up, auto headlights, rain-sensing wipers, ‘Manoeuvre Braking’ (low-speed rear AEB), an auto-dimming rearview mirror, leather trim on the sports steering wheel, gearshift and handbrake lever, and six-speaker audio.

A ‘Sound & Tech Package’ is available for the GTI ($1500) incorporating a 9.2-inch multimedia screen, and a Beats branded premium audio system (digital eight-channel amp, 300 watts).

A Panoramic glass sunroof ($1500) is also offered, and premium metallic paint adds $300.

The KGM Musso Advance with the XLV Pack has a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine – producing 133kW at 4000rpm and 420Nm from at 1600-2600rpm – it gets an extra 20Nm over the shorter version's 400Nm from 1400 to 2800rpm.

It has a six-speed automatic transmission, part-time 4x4 with high and low range, and an auto-locking rear differential.

This is a sluggish combination producing a generally lacklustre performance and the powertrain is not particularly efficient but, having said that, the Aisin auto is a reliable, well-proven transmission and the Musso ultimately does reasonably well with what it has.

The 4WD mechanicals and driver-assist tech actually work better in this package than they do in the Musso’s stablemate, the Rexton.

The Polo GTI is powered by a version of Volkswagen’s 2.0-litre (EA888) four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, driving the front wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch auto transmission.

The iron block/alloy head unit uses direct- and port-injection, variable valve lift on the intake side, and variable valve timing on the intake and exhaust sides to produce maximum torque of 320Nm from 1450 to 4390rpm, at which point peak power of 147kW takes over from 4390-6000rpm.

Official fuel consumption for the Musso Advance with the XLV treatment is 9.0L/100km.

On this test, I recorded 11L/100km, but on the test I spent a chunk of time in 4WD high and low range.

The Musso has a 75-litre fuel tank, so going by my on test fuel-consumption figures, from a full tank, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 681km.

But it is worth noting that I didn't have a lot of weight on board during this test – it was just me and the vehicle recovery gear – and you will have a lot more weight on board: your family or your mates, pets, camping gear, surfboards, kayaks, the whole kit and caboodle.

VW’s official fuel economy figure for the Polo GTI on the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 6.5L/100km, the 2.0-litre turbo four emitting 150g/km of CO2 in the process. Not bad for hot-hatch with this kind of performance. 

Minimum fuel requirement is 95 RON premium unleaded and you’ll need 40 litres of it to fill the tank. Using the official consumption figure that translates to a range of 615km.

On-road, the longer-wheelbase Musso is composed and comfortable with well-subdued NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) levels adding to an impressive overall sense of low-key refinement.

The engine and auto work reasonably well together, but as mentioned earlier this is a sluggish unit and it takes some urging to get it going. Pronounced lag from stand-still can be disconcerting, especially when you need plenty of zip to punch you into the traffic flow.

This ute’s suspension – double-wishbone, coil springs and stabiliser bar at the front, multi-link with coil springs at the rear – is firm, mostly controlled, but the Musso becomes jittery on irregular surfaces, such as lumpy back-roads bitumen and mildly corrugated dirt tracks.

One noteworthy annoyance: the Musso does not have adaptive cruise control.

Despite that, the Musso is actually quite reasonable for general driving duties.

As a 4WD, the Musso actually performs pretty well. It is a long wheelbase ute, so you have to drive it with consideration because you have to take into account its shallow off-road angles – approach, departure and ramp over – and it has quite a large overhang of tub behind the rear axle.

It has an auto locking rear diff, which is clunky in operation and I’d prefer a switchable diff-lock, which you could select whenever you want to, but otherwise it's effective in a workman-like kind of fashion.

Steering is not too shabby, it has a nice weight to it in all situations, whether you are on the bitumen or a dirt track. Turning circle on this long-wheelbase ute is 12.2m, but it feels nimble to steer around on the tracks.

The Musso has part-time four-wheel drive and high and low range 4WD gearing. It doesn't have a lot of power and torque in terms of the contemporary dual-cab ute market, but it does fine with what it does have; 420Nm in the XLV Musso gives it that little bit of extra punch over the standard Musso (400Nm) and that torque is available across a decent spread of revs.

If you intend to use your Musso as an off-road adventure vehicle or a weekend holiday machine, then it's handy to know that it's unbraked towing capacity is 750kg and its braked towing capacity is 3500kg and that's on par with the dual-cab ute market.

In terms of tyres, it’s the same story here as with most standard 4WDs – the Musso’s Nexen NPriz RH7 (255/60R18 108H) are not well-suited to anything other than light off-roading. The easy fix? Replace those tyres with some decent all-terrain tyres.

Payload is a listed 880kg (790kg in the standard Advance), GVM is 2980kg and GCM is 6480kg.

The Polo launch drive program covered around 150km of city, suburban and freeway running from inner Sydney, through twisting B-roads to the city’s south, and sprawling semi-rural areas further west, topped off with a closed track session at the Luddenham Raceway.

Weighing in at a fraction over 1.3 tonnes, with 147kW/320Nm sent to the front wheels, the Polo GTI is capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in 6.8 seconds, which is satisfyingly quick.

And the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine’s dyno sheet must be a thing of beauty with maximum torque available from from 1450 to 4390rpm, and peak power picking things up at precisely the end of that plateau, remaining on tap all the way to 6000rpm.

So, mid-range punch is always there, and the six-speed ‘DSG’ dual-clutch auto delivers rapid, precise shifts, with wheel-mounted paddles dialling up the fun factor when you want to shift ratios yourself.

Combined engine and exhaust noise is agreeably rorty without tipping over the annoyance threshold, although the high-performance 215/40 Continental ContiSportContact rubber transfers a fair amount of rumble on coarser surfaces.  

The base suspension set-up is strut front/torsion beam rear, with the standard ‘Sport Select’ system built around switchable dampers, offering the choice of ‘Normal’ and ‘Sport’ modes. 

Normal is nicely composed with comfy compliance over longer undulations as well as higher frequency bumps and dips. But if the red mist descends and you’re ready for some fun the (noticeably firmer) Sport setting buttons everything down that bit more. 

As well as the damping, throttle response is faster, the DSG picks up the pace as does the steering. Even the exhaust is enhanced, although it’s via the synthetic ‘Sound Actuator.’ Boo!

Balanced and predictable in quick cornering, the Polo GTI’s electro-mechanically assisted steering is precise and beautifully weighted, with great road feel. And the car’s ‘Extended Differential Lock’ uses the traction control and braking systems to minimise wheel spin, maximise traction, and help limit understeer.

On top of all that, the carefully sculpted sports seats deliver secure location without compromising comfort, and the grippy sports wheel feels great.

Braking is by ventilated discs at the front with solid rotors at the rear, and even under the pressure of a flat-out track session (moderated with the help of some admirably patient tame racing drivers) they remained progressive and firm.

In more civilised surroundings the Polo’s size and excellent all-around vision (not to mention a clear reversing camera) make it a cinch to park. The combination of on-screen touch controls, and physical dials for the multimedia system is welcome. And the connection for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is wired or wireless which is handy for those who prefer the surety of a wired connection or the flexibility of one less cable in their life.

The current Polo scored a maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it launched in 2018, and it must have been tempting for VW to save more than a few euros by side-stepping active and passive safety upgrades in this refresh.

But, bravo, it didn’t, the German giant re-submitting this updated version for assessment against more challenging 2022 criteria.

The GTI is loaded with a raft of crash-avoidance tech under the umbrella of ‘IQ.Drive’, including AEB (with cyclist and pedestrian detection), lane-keeping assist (with lane departure warning), ‘Multi-Collision Brake’ (automatically slows the car after a collision, reducing the chance of a secondary impact), driver fatigue detection, ‘Park Assist’ (perpendicular and parallel), front and rear parking distance sensors, rear AEB (low-speed), a reversing camera (with static and dynamic guidelines), adaptive cruise control (with speed limiter and distance warning display), and tyre pressure monitoring.

If, despite all that, a crash is unavoidable there are seven airbags on-board - driver and front passenger (front and side), front centre, and full-length side curtain.

A front centre airbag is the solution many manufacturers are using to meet ANCAP’s recently introduced, tougher criteria around head clash injuries. 

There are three top tether points across the rear seat for child seats and/or baby capsules, with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions.

The MY26 Musso range is covered by a seven-year/unlimited kilometre new-vehicle warranty, and five years of roadside assistance.

A service is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs soonest with cost per service either $418 or $522.

Note, KGM considers off-roading as an example of a “severe driving condition” and so your Musso may require more frequent servicing.

KGM Australia has more than 50 dealerships across the country with a decent spread across metro and regional areas. Rextons can be serviced at those dealers or at approved workshops.

Volkswagen Australia covers the Polo GTI with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is now the volume market standard.

The paint is warranted for three years/unlimited kilometres, “Through Corrosion” is covered for 12 years/unlimited kilometres, and 12 months roadside assistance is included.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, with prices over the first five years ranging from a low of $455 to a high of $1498, the average per service coming out at $701, which is a pretty solid number.

Capped price servicing is available, however, over five- and three-year plans. Paying up-front for five years results in a $765 saving over pay-as-you-go.

A nice side benefit is the ability to fold servicing costs into the vehicle’s financing at the time of purchase, and the plan is transferable if you decide to sell the car before the five or three years is up.