Really, Volkswagen? More updates for the Polo and Vento? We’ve received tonnes of them. And not to forget the Cup and the Black & White editions earlier this year. Why did you leave Ameo out of it? Should have done the same and get over with it too! We don’t need cosmetically tinkered products. We need new ones. Please, just stop treating India differently! On a side note, we know there’s some mantra behind this madness. And that revolves around the India 2.0 project which will be spearheaded by Skoda Auto India for Volkswagen Group.

Before that starts delivering results in the form of cars, we’ll just have to make do with whatever Volkswagen currently has to offer. Right then! What’s new in the Vento and the Polo? Both have been cosmetically changed, mainly from the outside. They feature restyled front and rear bumpers, new alloy wheels, front grille with honeycomb mesh filling and reprofiled taillamps with LED units. Just to add a dash of sportiness in the Vento’s portfolio, a new GT variant, with blacked-out roof and ORVMs, decals on the side, GT Line badges and side skirts, has been introduced.

As before, the Polo range is available with three engine options – 1.0-litre petrol (75hp/96Nm); 1.5-litre diesel (89hp/230Nm | 109hp/250Nm in GT); and a 1.2-litre petrol (103hp/175Nm). The 5-speed manual gearbox is the only option for the entire line-up, except the petrol-powered GT which gets a 7-speed DSG. The Vento, on the other hand, has both the 1.2-litre petrol and the more powerful version of the 1.5-litre diesel from the Polo. Unlike with the hatchback, however, the Vento also gets the option of a 7-speed DSG with the diesel engine. The 1.6-litre petrol engine, which produces 103hp/153Nm, is available only with a 5-speed manual.

Volkswagen Polo

The real kicker comes in the form of the standard warranty. Petrol-powered variants of both Polo and Vento get a cover for 4 years/1,00,000km. The diesel ones, however, are covered for 5 years/1,00,000km. Apart from that, Volkswagen’s 4Ever Care scheme is still intact which, apart from offering those extended warranties as standard, offer roadside assistance and three free services. If you think that’s not good enough, you can get an extension on the warranty for up to 7 years.

The refreshed Volkswagen Polo range starts at Rs 5.82 lakh and goes up to Rs 9.88 lakh. The Vento facelift, on the other hand, is priced between Rs 8.76 – 14.49 lakh (all prices are ex-showroom India). The hatchback could mildly disturb its rivals, including the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and the Hyundai Elite i20. The same holds true for Volkswagen’s sedan, which competes with the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, the recently updated Toyota Yaris and the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.