2014 Volkswagen Polo spotted with minimal camouflage

A barely camouflaged test mule of the facelifted Volkswagen Polo has been spotted testing in India. The new Polo can be easily mistaken for the current model, but the new orange paint scheme and masking on its hood gave it away. The 2014 Volkswagen Polo was globally unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and is on sale in many European markets since March, this year. It has been speculated that the car will be launched in India around July. 

 

The new Polo carries over the same overall body structure, though the front has been mildly redesigned to set it apart from the current car. It gets a new front fascia with an aggressive bumper, a new housing for the fog lamps and a new grille with three chrome slats. The car also gets redesigned headlamp units with silver detailing and while the test mule wasn’t fitted with LED headlamps, it might be offered as an optional extra on the top-spec variants. The rear houses a redesigned bumper and tail lamp assembly. It also gets new alloy wheels.

 

The interiors of the car have also been revamped along the lines of the European model. Inside, you can find a new steering wheel with repositioned controls and a reworked dashboard with matte silver accents on the centre console. Though the car won’t get the European model’s instrument car, it will be equipped with the company’s latest infotainment system.

 

The petrol versions of the new Polo will continue to employ the three-pot 1.2-litre for the regular and four-pot 1.2 TSI turbo-petrol for the GT TSI variants. The 1.2-litre TDI diesel however, will be ditched in favour of a new 1.5-litre unit, which is expected to power both the regular and the GT TDI variants. While the current engines are sourced from Germany, the new 1.5-litre unit will be locally manufactured at the Volkswagen’s plant in Chakan, which should help keep the costs in check. 

 

This facelift will help keep the Polo line-up fresh till a new car based on the Volkswagen group’s MQB platform is launched. While quality and refinement has always been Volkswagen car’s forte, their prices positions them at the higher end of the segment. Despite the increase in local sourcing, we expect the facelift to be priced marginally higher than the current variants. The new Polo will rival other premium hatchbacks like the Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai i20, Fiat Punto and the upcoming Tata Bolt.