New Variation vs Separate Listing: Honeymoon + Review Merge Question

Hey guys,

Quick question about launching a new variation vs separate listing.

I have a product that I launched a few months ago, and now I’m planning to release an improved version (for example, another flavor).

1. If I add the new version as a variation under the existing listing, will it still get any kind of honeymoon period, or is that basically gone since the parent is already established?

2. If instead I launch it as a completely separate listing to take advantage of the honeymoon, can I later merge it with the original listing as a variation?

3. And if merging is possible, how do reviews show up after that?

For example, if the old listing has 30 reviews and the new one gets 10 reviews, will the combined listing show ~40 total reviews at the top?

Appreciate any insights from people who’ve actually tested this