This big black barge is a Volkswagen Santana Vista 1.8, the last of the Brazilian Volkswagens in China. The Santana Vista was the successor of the Santana 3000, which in turn was the successor of the Santana 2000.
The Santana 2000, finally, was based on the Brazilian Santana (Volkswagen do Brasil) but it had a longer wheelbase for more space in the back. All the ‘Chinese-Brazilian’ Santana’s were made in China by the Shanghai-Volkswagen joint venture.
The Santana Vista arrived in 2008 and was manufactured until 2012. It was a very popular car among families, business, and for taxi drivers, although the latter usually bough ultra basic taxi variants. Our black car that I saw in Beijing is a high end top spec variant, with extra glossy paint, classy wheels, and…
… a full leather interior. The dashboard was totally new for the Vista, and it almost looked modern. See for example how nicely the radio is integrated in the center stack.
Lots of space for the legs in the back.
The Santana Vista was available with three four-cylinder petrol engines: a 1.6 with 95 hp and 150 Nm, a 1.8 with 101 hp and 155 Nm, and a 2.0 with 108 hp and 166 Nm. There was just one gearbox for all: a five speed manual. Our black Beijing car has the 1.8 under the bonnet.
Size: 4867/1700/1450, and wheelbase is 2656.
Price in 2010 ranged from 90.800 yuan to 114.800 yuan. The 1.8 started at 99.800. Yes, you could have this classic Volkswagen sedan for less than a hundred grand!
Odd looking lights are factory standard.
Strangely, Volkswagen has never fully replaced the so successful Santana line. The new 2012 Santana is a much smaller car, and aimed solely at first-car buyers.
The word Vista in Italics, and in another font than Santana.
The Shanghai-Volkswagen badge.
Happily, there are still quite some of these Vista’s on the road, but it is getting less, as new environmental rules make it harder to keep ‘m running, and as everybody who has the cash trades up to an SUV.
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