The Mk6, more like Mk5.5. It IS a facelift, I don't care about the extra engineering changes etc. From the outside it is a Mk5 with a new front and tail. That's what most people see, that's the 'face' of the car.
As for the corporate 'look', this has happened for years, just look at Merc, BMW and VW, they have always carried a 'look' of it's era since at least the 70's if not before. Eg Golf and Polos have looked similar at the front since the late 70's.