That pair of 501 Levi jeans that you’ve worn for a decade has faded so much that it makes Nicole Kidman appear warm and inviting. Your Nokia’s 1.3 megapixel camera just isn’t cutting it anymore when you’re snapping away at your bored colleagues on a lethargic Friday afternoon. Your All Stars can only survive so much club-hopping and stomping around Canal Walk before the sole wears away and the white band at the side detaches itself from the material of the shoe… a deeply depressing affair that many of us have no doubt encounted.
Pretty much everything has a life cycle, and so too do cars. The Audi A3 you see today will be replaced by a new model next year. The much-loved, current model VW Polo has been around since 2002 and will be replaced imminently.
These life cycles last as little as 5 or so years for more common models and up to 10 or more for more classic, exclusive models such as the new Beetle (funny that we still call it the “new” Beetle when it has been around for so long).
How then, has the Volkswagen Citi-Golf managed to stick around for almost 30 years? How many things can you think of that were designed 30 years ago that still hold appeal today?
The evolution of an icon
Frankly, I’m relieved that the Citi has passed on. Constantly changing trends, advances in technology and a far greater emphasis on safety means that this blocky hatch has for too long been way overpriced compared to what’s available out there.
Sure, the Citi still has character aplenty and is nippy and fun to abuse over a series of bends. It is also inexpensive and easy to maintain. These factors, as well as VW’s never-ending improvements to the range and several really brilliant marketing campaigns over the years all account for the model’s continued success.
But I am a believer in modern design and technological prowess. If you’re willing to be seen in a Kia, then a Picanto kills the Citi in almost all aspects. It looks great and the indicator lenses don’t look as though they’ve been screwed on in somebody’s garage.
The Picanto’s doors are actually thicker than a page, in stark contrast to the Citi. It is also far safer and will very likely save you an extra limb or two in the chance of an accident (the latest Citi-Golf’s were fitted with a driver airbag, fairly useless when the rest of the car will come crumbling down around you).
More importantly, the Picanto doesn’t encourage grossly offensive modifications in the form of oversized spoilers, wheels so large that the tires mate regularly with the bodywork, suspension so low that you can’t live in an area with speed bumps and filters / exhaust systems so noisy that they, well, make you look like an idiot.
The Citi Mk 1
Despite all that, I won’t deny that the Citi is an integral, if flawed, component of South African motoring culture. Many keep going for years and years. Labels such as Chico, Citi Life, VeloCiti and the famous, 1.8-litre CTi from the 90’s will never be forgotten. People fall in love with these cars in the same way those that bought an E30 325iS BMW do.
One can’t attach a price to such emotion and nostalgia. So if you’re lucky enough to have purchased one of the final 1000 Citi-Golf’s dubbed the “Mk 1”, know that you’re driving an irreplaceable, iconic piece of motoring history.
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