2021 VW Polo arrives with freshened-up design

Superminis are not a very happening segment in the Middle East. Yet some of them did trickle onto our soils, including the Volkswagen Polo. Though the hatchback is not sold here anymore, it gets a mid-cycle facelift in the global markets with an updated design and more technology.

The front fascia of the 2021 VW Polo gets more zing with standard LED headlights and a full-width LED light bar. At the rear, tail lights mimic the design of the Golf, extending onto the tailgate. The R Line trim gets fake quad exhausts at the rear and new 16-inch alloys.

Inside, the infotainment system grows into 9.2-inches and the climate control gains touch-sensitive buttons. The new Polo also fits in a fully digital driver’s display as standard, 8-inches on the base versions and 10.25 inches on the higher models.

The VW Polo retains its fleet of engines for 2021, starting with the 1.0-litre naturally aspirated motor, pushing out 80 hp and 93 Nm of torque. This little engine is paired with a five-speed manual. The next step on the ladder is a 1.0-litre TSI engine, with either 95 hp or 110 hp, paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch auto as an option on the former and standard on the latter. Unsurprisingly, VW gets rid of diesel engines for the supermini but adding a 1.0 TGI engine that runs on compressed natural gas (CNG). This mill produces 90 hp and 160 Nm.

The 2021 Volkswagen Polo range does not include the hot GTI yet, but this is expected to join the party a while later. But no matter how hot things get, a return of the Polo to our land seems far-fetched as of now, given the stagnant supermini market, keeping the fleet market aside.