I think it is the same with all car models. They are all going "upmarket". Mk 3 Jazz is pretty much the equivalent of the Civic that was contemporary with the Mk 1. All manufacturers are doing it. To keep the prices in hand they are having to shave something somewhere, hence the "lacks polish" as andruec says.
I remember reading Arthur Hailey's "Wheels", back in the 70's, and in it he explains how removing a penny worth here and a penny worth there, over the life of a model, can make the difference between profit and loss.