Volkswagen is set to update its venerable Volkswagen Polo with a series of mid-life revisions for the 2022 model year - and a thinly disguised prototype has been spotted testing.
The Ford Fiesta rival has been on sale since 2017 and is due a life-extending revamp. It will follow the platform-sharing Seat Ibiza, which is tipped to be facelifted first this year and go on sale in the summer. The Polo, on the other hand, is likely to be revealed in the latter part of the year and won’t land in showrooms until 2022.
The photographed prototype, seemingly wearing barely any disguise, appears to take heavy inspiration from the new Mk8 Volkswagen Golf for its front end, with enlarged air intakes, reshaped headlights and a tweaked grille. All-LED lights feature, too.
At the rear, we can see the lower plastic valance now incorporates faux twin tailpipes - a feature that could be reserved for higher-end models. Also visible is a disguised element alongside the reshaped tail-lights, indicating the final design will feature Volkswagen T-Roc-style light panels encroaching over the bootlid.
The 2022 Polo’s interior is yet to be seen, but we can expect some of the design and technology overhaul demonstrated in the Golf to be present. Features such as ambient lighting, a wider array of driver assist systems and the reduction of switchgear in favour of screen and voice-based control are anticipated.
It remains to be seen how much the engine range will adapt. Expect the 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol unit to continue as the main engine, with both naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions offering different levels of performance. The main change is likely to be the inclusion of a more efficient 48V mild-hybrid eTSI variant.
Expect more details of the 2022 Polo to emerge in the coming months prior to its expected unveiling closer to the end of this year.
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The current R-Line Polo already features twin fake exhausts in the rear bumper, more subtle than the ones in the pics, and all the better for that. Hopefully there's no way they can make the front end look as droopy as the Golf.
I dread what they'll do to the interior, which works fine as it is. A touchscreen for the climate controls perhaps, buried deep in the centre console as in the Tiguan facelift?
Styling? Inspiration? Really?
Photocoper set to 85%
No need for any disguise - I can barely tell the difference from the current version!