A facelift for VW’s Polo brings a new engine and with it, bigger tax savings. Will that be enough to revive its sales in Singapore?

FRANKFURT, GERMANY — Remember how much flak Apple got for releasing an iPhone 5S that looked pretty much exactly the same as the iPhone 5? Looking at the facelifted Polo, it’s just as well that Volkswagen isn’t in the smartphone business, then. I mean, can you tell what’s new?

Let’s see, there’s a revised front end, by which I mean new headlamps (including an LED version that VW says can produce whiter, more natural-looking light than HID bulbs) and a redesigned front bumper.

The lower air intake is apparently larger, and if your Polo has foglamps fitted like our test car did, there’s a line of chrome to link them, for the purpose of making the car look wider.

Over at the aft end, the Polo gets restyled taillights. There’s also a new bumper with a trapezoidal shape pressed into it and a bigger cutout for the number plate, both of which are also meant to make the Polo look like it has a broader patoot.

Oh, and the new bumpers add 2mm to the little VW’s length.

That’s pretty much it on the outside, but as with the iPhone, it’s what’s inside that counts.

The 90bhp 1.2 TSI that is currently on sale here will be replaced by… a 90bhp 1.2 TSI. OK, that doesn’t sound like much difference, but the facelifted car’s engine is actually new, with a 16-valve head (versus an 8-valve one now) that brings some minor improvement to the Polo’s performance.

In seven-speed DSG form, the Polo 1.2 now hits 100km/h in 10.8 seconds (0.1 seconds quicker) and maxes out at 184km/h (just 2km/h faster). Fair enough, you’re not going to notice either of those, but the new engine (along with the addition of automatic start-stop) brings fuel consumption down by 11.3 percent to 4.7L/100km, enough for a $15,000 CEVS rebate—five grand more than before.

Mind you, while the tax man shakes his fist at the new engine, it’s not likely that you’ll be able to detect any difference in the way this Polo drives, compared to the pre-facelift model.

That’s not a bad thing, because there’s a pleasant friskiness to the handling that only a small car can provide, and if you’re on the highway it feels securely planted until you get above 140km/h or so, at which point it wiggles a bit in crosswinds.

In more typically Singaporean conditions, the Polo is still more peppy than the stopwatch suggests, and if you avoid large wheels the ride quality is acceptable.

I’m not sure what spec Singapore cars will come with, but the facelift brings a bit of chrome to the cabin (on the doors and the gearlever area, namely) along with a couple of noteworthy features.

The steering wheel gets the new button layout from the latest Golf, and there’s a place for your phone that enhances the signal strength, another feature that made its debut with the Golf. New controls for the air-con system neaten things up a bit, too.

Meanwhile there’s a new head unit with a capacitive touchscreen, and our test car had MirrorLink, a feature that lets you plug in your smartphone (Android-only for now, alas) and then control it with the VW’s screen.

Not being a teenager, I couldn’t figure out how to make it work, and neither could VW’s 40 year-old PR person, so you know it’s a properly cool feature.

You might have better luck yourself, but you’ll have a wait a bit. The first new Polo lands in Singapore in a couple of weeks’ time, and after that it faces who-knows-how-long in homologation Hell.

I figure three months or so should be enough for the local authorities to probe its every orifice a few times, most likely in an attempt to make extra sure that VW isn’t somehow playing fast and loose with the Polo’s tax-busting figures.

MORE: Volkswagen Golf 1.2 TSI review

If you’re keen on a more powerful Polo version or a facelift of the CrossPolo, you’ll have to wait even longer, perhaps indefinitely.

Cars like this are no longer selling well here, so we hear that Volkswagen Group Singapore will be quietly pruning the GTI, Cross Polo and Polo Sport from the Polo range.

Still, you’re left with some choice if you shop around. For starters, you might as well hang on till the new Honda Jazz is here. Though it is likely going to cost more than a Polo, it offers lots of room for both passengers and luggage (the Polo’s cargo hauling capacity, in case you’re wondering, starts at 280 litres and grows to 952L with the rear seats tipped down).

We’re also big fans of the Suzuki Swift (for its being well-built, fun to drive and frugal. And one version comes with airbags).

MORE: Want something more exciting? How about the facelifted Scirocco R?

As for the Polo, this facelift does cement its strengths but the result isn’t a game-changer. If it had brought an iPhone 6 type of upgrade, that would have been a different matter altogether.

NEED TO KNOW Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TSI
Engine 1,197cc, 16V, turbo, in-line 4
Power 90bhp at 4,800rpm
Torque 160Nm at 1,400 – 4,000rpm
Gearbox Seven-speed Dual-clutch
Top Speed 184km
/h
0-100km/h 10.8 seconds
Fuel efficiency 4.7 L/100km
CO2 109g/km
Price To Be Announced
Availability Nov 2014 (est)