The facelift resulted in every external body panel being changed, except for the roof and glasshouse, with most obvious exterior change seeing the reintroduction of a grille to match the style of the other same-generation Volkswagen models of the era, such as the Mk3 Golf and Jetta.

The interior was mildly updated and included safety equipment such as dual front airbags and seat belt pretensioners, although the basic dashboard design remained unchanged.

It carried a U.S. EPA fuel efficiency rating for the sedan of 45 miles per US gallon (5.2 L/100 km; 54 mpg‑imp) highway.

Only three trim levels were available in the United States, where the B4 was delayed until the 1995 model year: GLS, GLX, and TDI.

The GLX version carried Volkswagen's 2.8 litre VR6 engine, rated at 172 hp (128 kW).