For the past year, every Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. it was again the hour of truth for a specific facelift. In the section ‘Facelift Friday’ the changes are discussed and you, the readers, can vote on which version is the best: the facelift, or the original. These are the 10 best-read Facelift Friday articles of 2020!
Immediately there is a striking conclusion to draw from the top 10: you chose the facelift for each model in the poll! Good news for the manufacturers concerned, of course, since a facelift is mainly intended to improve. With the exception of the Dacia Logan and the Citroën CX, all facelifts in this top 10 have recently been implemented. Some facelifts are a bit more drastic, while in other cases you have to look very closely to spot the changes. Tip: check out the slider in the articles below again to spot the differences!
10. Dacia Logan
It is now no longer available in our country, but in 2004 the Logan was the first model of the new Dacia under Renault. The starting price at the time was only € 8,495, nowadays that is actually hard to imagine. In 2008, the Logan got a facelift, after which it looked a little less cheap than initially was the case. That facelift version was most appreciated by you with more than three quarters of the votes.
9. Opel Astra (2019)
Last year, the Opel Astra got a makeover. Despite the fact that Opel is now owned by PSA, the C-segmenter still has to make do with GM engines. The facelift was also anything but drastic in appearance: only the front bumper received a number of subtle changes. Nevertheless, Opel has apparently done well, because your preference went with 67 percent of the votes to the revised Astra.
8. Hyundai Kona
In our country, the Kona Electric is by far the most popular variant of Hyundai’s crossover, but the facelift will not follow until next year. First it was the turn of the Kona with combustion engine, which incidentally is quite good. The grille has been widened and the viewers of the Kona have also been given a different shape. At the rear, the light units have also been revised. With good effect, because 79 percent of you chose the fresh Kona.
7. Audi Q5
“Say ‘aaa’!”, Audi must have said to the Q5 when implementing the most recent facelift. The characteristic single-frame grille has become a bit bigger than before. In addition, the bumpers have been revised and the light units both front and rear have a new layout, making the Q5 more in step with its big brother: the Q7. Finally, Audi has brought the interior back up to date with the new MMI infotainment system. With 80 percent of your votes, the facelift was apparently a successful move.
6. Citroën CX
A facelift from the old days: in 1985 Citroën introduced the second model series of the CX. The French went to work thoroughly, because the facelift of the CX was recognizable, among other things, by its plastic bumpers and the fact that the grille now formed one whole with the bonnet. It also got a modified suspension, Citroën revised the engines and also addressed the susceptibility to rust. It was not possible to vote on this Facelift Friday, but the responses show that both the original and the facelift were widely appreciated.
5. Volkswagen Tiguan
This year the Volkswagen Tiguan got a makeover. After the facelift, the SUV looks more in line with the Golf 8, especially when it comes to the headlights. As far as the grille is concerned, that kite does not apply: where the Golf has almost no grille left, the mouth of the Tiguan just got bigger. The vote showed a slight preference for the facelift version, but with 59 percent of the votes, the margin is not as wide as with the facelifts above.
4. Peugeot 3008/5008
Two birds with one stone! Since the Peugeot 3008 and 5008 have received a similar facelift and are in fact two variants of the same car, they could be covered in one article. The shape of the grille and headlamps was significantly redesigned and the LED tusks, now a key feature of Peugeot, also made their appearance. Peugeot’s new design language was widely appreciated, because with 79 percent of the votes, the facelift came out as the undisputed winner.
3. BMW 5 Series (G30)
An atypical facelift for the BMW 5-series, because in the previous generations you had to be a bit of an expert to spot the changes, the ‘Life Cycle Impuls’ of the G30 is clearly recognizable. For example, the headlights are a bit more squeezed in shape and the LED daytime running lights have a new layout. The grille became slightly larger, but not as extreme as on its big brother, the 7 Series. You thought it was an improvement, because the refined 5-series went got 59 percent of the votes.
2. Opel Insignia (2020)
The Opel Insignia received a similar treatment as the Astra during its facelift. Because despite the fact that Opel has been taken over by PSA, the Insignia did not get any new engines under the hood with its update. That will be kept for a while for a possible successor. Opel did a bit more thorough work on the Insignia: not only did the front bumper and the grille redraw, the headlights also got a different design. Apart from a slightly retouched bumper, the rear was left untouched. Again, not without success, because 71 percent of the votes were for the facelift.
1. Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Mercedes-Benz took no half measures in the facelift of the E-class. Not only from the front got the medium model from Das Haus In all versions a different face, at the rear the sedan was significantly overhauled. The light units are now placed horizontally, just as with the new S-class. In the interior of the revised E-class, the screens are again slightly larger and one can opt for a six-spoke steering wheel. As was the case with the 5-series, the refined E-class receives 59 percent of the votes.