Volkswagen Polo Facelift caught without disguise

The launch of the facelifted Volkswagen Polo hatchback seems just around the corner, what with an uncamouflaged version of the car spotted at Pune. The car spotted featured a twin tone, orange-white paint job, a design detail previously unseen in the India-spec Polo. Paint job apart, the Polo Facelift gets a host of design changes on the outside.

A revised front bumper and air dam, a tweaked grille and new headlamps are the major changes upfront. The daytime running LEDs – found on the international-spec Polo Facelift – seem absent on the Indian version and so is the case with the wing mirrors with integrated turn indicators. At the rear, the car will see a mild tweak to the bumper and revised tail lamps. The alloy wheels adopt a new design.

On the inside, the car will gain a new steering wheel and mild tweaks to the finishing of the center console. In terms of features, the Polo Facelift isn’t expected to gain anything significant. Changes under the hood will be more exciting though. The 1.2 liter-3 cylinder TDI turbo diesel engine is likely to be replaced by a new 1.5 liter-4 cylinder motor, a downsized version of the 1.6 TDI unit.

The new 1.5 liter engine will be available in 89 Bhp and 103 Bhp states of tune, on the regular and GT TDI versions of the Polo respectively. The 1.2 liter MPI naturally aspirated and TSI turbocharged petrol engines will continue on the petrol variants of the hatchback. A five speed manual gearbox is likely to be standard on the 1.2 liter MPI and TDI engines while the 1.2 TSI motor will continue to make do with a 7 speed dual clutch DSG automatic gearbox.

The diesel engined Polo with the 1.2 TDI engine, feels under-powered and sounds boomy at higher rpms, when compared to other B+ segment hatchbacks such as the Maruti Suzuki Swift and the Hyundai i20. By adding a more powerful 1.5 liter TDI diesel engine, in two states of tune, Volkswagen India aims to make the Polo more attractive, to both regular buyers and those looking for a high performance diesel hatchback.

Like the facelifted Polo, the Vento will also adopt the 1.5 liter TDI turbo diesel engine, which will replace the 1.6 liter motor offered currently. Along with the new diesel motor, the Vento TDI is expected to gain a DSG dual clutch automatic gearbox. This gearbox could eventually filter down to the Polo GT TDI given the fact that the hatchback’s new engine will put it in a lower tax bracket, thereby allowing Volkswagen to add more features to the car at a price point that is similar to that of the outgoing GT 1.6 TDI model.