Following VW’s unveiling of the all-new Polo last week, we thought we’d do a visual comparison of it with its predecessor, seeing that the supermini is one of the most important models for the German brand.

According to the automaker, their goal was to build a car that “appeared sportier and more grown up”, but the design is more evolutionary than revolutionary, with the sixth-generation model looking too close for comfort to its predecessor, at least at first glance. Look closer, though, and you’ll notice that the new Polo sports a more chiseled profile and more aggressive front end with slimmer headlights, yet nothing really exciting to write home about. Some may criticize the automaker for not being bolder, while others will take comfort in the fact that it’s instantly recognizable as a Polo, but that’s a recurring theme within the VW Group anyway.

The irony is that, below the all too familiar looks, there’s a brand-new car. The PQ25 platform of the old model has been replaced by the much more advanced MQB A0 and the 2018 model is also bigger, measuring 4,053mm long and sporting a 94mm longer wheelbase, thus offering increased cabin (and boot) space and making it the biggest Polo ever built.

Unlike the bodywork, VW completely went to town with the interior of the 2018 Polo. The entire design of the dashboard is new, and you even get VW’s second-generation Active Info Display to go with that fancy glass-covered infotainment screen. The overall quality of the cabin has supposedly been upgraded, and in in terms of styling and on-board tech, the progress is quite evident.

As for the GTI version, the old model set itself apart from the regular Polo by wearing sportier bumpers, side skirts, 17″ wheels, a sports suspension and red accents on the outside, whereas inside, it featured a sports steering wheel and a Golf GTI-inspired instrument cluster and seats.

You get more of the same on the new Polo GTI as well, which also happens to have a redesigned diffuser at the rear, incorporating the dual exhaust tips. Inside, there’s red contrast stitching on the steering wheel and on the base of the shifter.

In the end, all we can say is that, in the 2018 Polo, VW hid an all-new car beneath an updated, yet largely familiar silhouette. Which is pretty much understandable, as this recipe of careful evolution has resulted in 14 million units sold worldwide since the Polo’s inception.

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