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The Volkswagen Up city car isn't revolutionary, it's just quantifiably better than the opposition

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The concept for the Volkswagen Up followed on from Toyota's bold attempt to push the compact city car reset button with its brilliant but flawed Toyota iQ.

The bespoke cuboid was a brazen attempt to turn design convention on its head and provided evidence that the world’s biggest car manufacturer had not bankrupted its brain trust or ambition but remained capable of genuine blue-sky originality.

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Soon after Toyota revealed the iQ as a concept, Volkswagen, the European firm that aspires to its Japanese rival’s global rank, unveiled the original Up at the Frankfurt motor show. Imaginatively packaged with a rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive, the Up appeared to rival the iQ’s innovative approach and suggested that VW was just as capable of wielding its own economic and engineering clout in this niche. That wasn't enough as the VW Group also pushed the Up concept through Skoda and Seat and came up with Skoda Citigo and Seat Mii.

The Up duly caught the industry’s imagination, and despite a prolonged development, the production version still arrives in the UK on a groundswell of opinion that continues to suggest that VW might have produced something worthy of the original concept’s inventiveness. 

As the Up approaches four years on the market, Volkswagen gave it a mid-life facelift which saw a revised design, new technology on the inside and the addition of a turbocharger to its 1.0-litre engine.

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DESIGN & STYLING

Volkswagen Up rear

Volkswagen's manufacturing infrastructure operates on the basis of shared commonality, so its decision to replace the original concept’s unusual rear-engined set-up with an orthodox transverse front-wheel drive system is understandable. VW argued that the previous layout would have required significant extra investment and limited the Volkswagen Volkswagen Up’s capacity to share in its vast parts bin.

For anyone who found the thought of a small Volkswagen with an engine mounted just ahead of the rear axle appealing, the transformation will seem like a notable dilution of the initial Up formula, but the firm insists that the show car’s spaciousness – one of the main reasons for its unconventional configuration – has been preserved thanks to less conspicuous ingenuity.

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Most of it takes place under the bonnet, where a new generation of three-cylinder motor recovers almost 100mm of available real estate from the engine bay. This feat was achieved by installing the cooling system alongside the compact powerplant rather than in front of it. The car also has one of the longest wheelbases in the segment and VW claims that the Up offers exceptional space utilisation of its diminutive 3.54m overall length.

The petrol engine is a lightweight, all-aluminium affair offered with outputs of either 59bhp, 74bhp or a turbocharged 89bhp, though the higher powered engine is only available in top-spec ‘High Up’ and 'Up Beats' trim, while the base motors power the two lower spec models. All are hooked up to the same five-speed manual gearbox, although a five-speed automatic is optional.

For those eco-concious drivers, there's the Volkswagen Volkswagen e-up, which comes with an 81bhp electric motor and a predicted range of 99 miles making it ideal for those with no ambition to stray outside of the city limits.

The Up looks much like the concept, which is to say that it resembles the city car blueprint established by the Toyota Aygo and Citroen C1 in 2005, with a bug-eyed front and glass-hatched rear. Arguably, Volkswagen’s cleaner design language ensures a flush, better-honed three-door figure than its rivals (a five-door variant is detailed below), but in the metal the Up is more derivative than it is daring. The same can be said about the its sister cars - the Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo.

Similarly to the 107/C1/Aygo triplets, the five door Up is not radically different to the less practical option. The door aperture is wide, which allows good access. Space in the back is good for shoulder, elbows and feet but, owing to the short length and low roof of the Up, kneeroom and headroom are tight. Windows that open at the rear edge rather than sliding down may be preferred more by parents than adult occupants.

The 2016 facelift saw some revised changes to the exterior which gives the Up a more defined look, while the headline act of the update was the addition of a turbocharged, three-cylinder 1.0-litre engine which is capable of producing 89bhp.

INTERIOR

Volkswagen Up interior

The cabin is not adventurous but with Volkswagen’s seemingly effortless amalgamation of premium finish and ergonomic accuracy firmly front and centre, it hardly needs to be.

Some of the switchgear layout feels like it might have originated in the latest Volkswagen Beetle – especially set against the reflective background afforded by the glossy surround of the top-spec High Up – but, if anything, the effect feels neater and better reconciled to a scaled-down city car size.

There’s no driver’s side control for the passenger’s window. Couldn’t VW have found a better way of economising?

There are four trims to choose from, while those who opt for the e-Up get a bespoke specification. The entry-level Take Up trim comes with LED day-running-lights, 14in steel wheels, electric front windows and a hill hold function, while inside there is DAB radio, a CD player, and remote central locking. Those who opt for the more efficient Bluemotion models include battery regeneration, start-stop functionality and low rolling resistant tyres.

Upgrade to the Move Up and you will alloy wheels, a 5.0in touchscreen infotainment system, with Bluetooth and USB connectivity, air conditioning, and a variable boot floor, while the High Up gains heated front seats, a smartphone phone mount to run the sat nav via a mobile application and electrically adjustable and heated mirrors.

The range-topping Up Beats sees the addition of a 300-watt Beats Audio stereo system, decals and colour scheme, while the e-Up gets the addition of a three-year Car-Net subscription, city emergency braking, cruise control and rear parking sensors, among the numerous charging paraphernalia.

The net result (at the expensive end of the line-up) is an upscale interior ambience that sets many of its rivals’ inferior offerings in stark contrast. Its conscious simplicity can’t compete with the aesthetic flair of the Fiat 500, but for prospective buyers sampling Korean and Japanese opposition it will feel like a cut above. 

Most will not feel short-changed by the car’s spaciousness. There is more legroom than one would guess at when presented with the car’s physical dimensions (it’s marginally shorter than the Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto). Taller occupants might struggle in the back, but two average-sized adults can be accommodated well enough for a short sprint across town. There’s even space for a smattering of luggage; the petite but surprisingly deep boot has a class-leading 251-litre capacity.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Volkswagen Up side profile

Although the Up has clearly been designed by Volkswagen and built with an urban environment in mind, prospective customers expect more than ever of a city car’s potential performance.

The ability to negotiate a one-way system with reasonable vigour is no longer sufficient. Consequently, the Up must be economical, refined and responsive in equal measure – a tall order for a car with a three-cylinder engine.

The design of the pistons and conrods negates the need for a balancer shaft

The paucity of power even in the 74bhp version – and the characteristic rasp of the vocal three-pot – are most noticeable when pulling away, even though the 89bhp turbocharged versions go some way to negating that issue. Considerable revs are required even with only a moderate getaway in mind. More aggressive starts are met with an incredulous response from the clutch and throttle, usually resulting in a humiliating crawl before the engine catches up with your intentions.

Fortunately, the experience improves from there. Three-cylinder petrol units are often characterised as lively or ‘happy’ motors, and VW’s latest generation by and large lives up to the billing regardless of which power output you choose.

Its hoarse tone never totally disappears, and the engine’s natural cylinder imbalance means that there’s always a hint of shiver through the car’s short spine, but both are softened at a cruise, and progression often seems reasonable for the Up’s character – especially around town.

Invariably, on the open road or motorway, events will conspire to make even the mid-powered model feel slow, so if you regularly venture out of town or carry a few passengers you should avoid the base 59bhp model.

But while overtaking anything more accelerative than a horse may seem foolhardy, the Up develops just enough torque not to make frequent gearchanges a necessity (which is useful, because the five-speed manual can be baggy and obstinate without very deliberate shifts) and the engine spins willingly to its 6600rpm redline. 

RIDE & HANDLING

Volkswagen Up cornering

Because the heritage of modern city cars begins with the Mini and Fiat 500, there is an unwritten rule that they should all handle like swollen karts.

Many subscribe to this approach and duly fail to offer the kind of obliging pliancy required by British roads. Not so the Up. Volkswagen has sensibly opted for lower ride rates, which help the car to accommodate the peaks and troughs of amateurish resurfacing efforts. The resulting sense of big-car comfort is a critical part of Volkswagen’s efforts to differentiate the Up from the competition.

The Up isn’t the fastest away from the line, but it displays big-car comfort

It’s an interesting facet of the model’s broader appeal – and one likely to be embraced by buyers fed up with being jiggled and jolted after downsizing to something more manageable. However, it has not been achieved without compromises. For one thing, the Up leans into corners with more roll than most other VWs, and over quicker ground it has a habit of bobbing around rather than bedding down.

The softer set-up also makes itself felt during gearchanges under high load, when the Up’s body tends to buck. 

Nonetheless, with most issues only noticeable when the car is placed under some duress, the general demeanour at casual speeds is one of agreeable, accomplished progress. Predictably, the steering has been tuned for the kind of weightless resistance that makes car parks and high streets easy to navigate, but even beyond town centres its patent lack of intelligible feedback is barely a hinderance due to the usual surfeit of VW-engineered front-end grip.

The Up’s lack of mass and girth also profits the entire driving experience. Tipping our scales at 945kg puts it among only the class average, but for buyers exchanging a corpulent saloon car, the pint-sized model will appear engagingly amenable to the quick-fire requirements of city driving.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Volkswagen Up

Volkswagen's reckoning of its brand cachet tends to leave its cars with relatively high prices in the bustling mainstream, but the Up is aimed at recapturing some of the ground capitulated by the aging Lupo and Fox.

Starting from around £8000, the base- and mid-spec cars are only available with the 59bhp motors, but regardless they make for tempting prospects even compared to value-focused Korean rivals.

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Alternatively, the range-topper comes with the 74bhp engine and is well equipped, but its higher sticker puts it shoulder to shoulder with the worthier Volkswagen Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta. With the Up, the cheaper, more basic models make more sense despite the appeal of the big-car kit levels you get with the range-topping model. They’ll depreciate less and will still do the job admirably well.

For owners patient enough to avoid the scarlet end of the revcounter, there are significant financial advantages. Our touring run produced a remarkably impressive 59.6mpg in the higher-powered Up, almost equalling the figure quoted by Volkswagen. With a 35-litre fuel tank, that gives a prospective range of over 450 miles. That’s well short of the 800 miles or so offered by the VW Polo BlueMotion, but it will still seem like a reasonable return if your Up is confined to a city commute.

One financial handicap worth noting: despite its tiny three-cylinder engine, the Up fails to dip below the 100g/km CO2 tax threshold unless you opt for the 96g/km BlueMotion Technology model.

VERDICT

4 star Volkswagen Up

Volkswagen makes no bones about the fact that the bolder engineering ideas originally contained in the Up were jettisoned to ensure profitability.

Ignore, for a moment, the lack of revolutionary zeal and it’s clear that the Up is a fine example of VW’s coolly calculated approach to market success. Lest we forget, for all its innovations, the Toyota iQ hasn’t been a big seller for Toyota. Consider the Up as a model to replace the Fox and it’s demonstrably more accomplished than its predecessor.

Well packaged, desirable and decent value. Another near class-best VW

In fact, with its fine interior, respectable rolling refinement, comparative spaciousness, real-world economy and covetable branding, the Up is among the class leaders. Only the automotive idealists will note the persistent lack of charisma that authentic technical originality might have ultimately gifted the Up.

Volkswagen Up First drives