Volkswagen up! Road Test
Review by Tristan Tancredi - 1 May 2013
With predictions that the sub-light segment is set to boom, it's no surprise that VW have released the up!
Available in 3 or 5 door, the up! is a 4 seater sub-light vehicle rocking a 1.0L 3 cylinder petrol engine that is paired with a 5-Speed Manual transmission. (No automatic transmission is available as of test date).
With an influx of electric cars in an "environmental conscience" era of vehicles, the up! is a cheap fuel efficient alternative with a low carbon emission. Practical and cheap, the up! has a lot to offer.
Is this the little brother (or sister) of the VW family that is soon to make a massive impression on the Australian motoring landscape? Let's find out..
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| Drive | Engine | Exterior | Interior | Safety |
Drive: 4/5
The 1.0L 3 Cylinder engine paired with VW's 5-speed manual transmission is very capable across stable surfaces including; city roads, freeways and suburbia. (Due to the small stature, low position and light weight of the vehicle, taking this vehicle off-road isn't recommended). Also, in high winds the up! gets battered around a little bit due to it's light weight.
The 5-Speed Manual is smooth, refined and highly capable (at the moment it is the only transmission available). Best suited to city life, the up! is most practical in small, congested situations with an impressive turning circle of 9.8 metres. The up! takes the headache out of driving in traffic or parking on busy roads.
The up! fails to get the adrenalin pumping of those that sit behind the wheel, in fact it reaches 0-100km/h in 13.2 seconds. One of the slowest vehicles on the market. Nonetheless it is still a fun little hatch to coast around in.
The car handles itself well on all surfaces. ESP adds to the on-road control of the vehicle by aiding the driver in the event of oversteer, understeer or loss of traction (If need be, traction control can be turned on and off via a button on the centre console).
On an incline greater than 5%, Hill Start Assist will kick in and last for 1.5 seconds thus preventing the vehicle from rolling back. This works exceptionally well and allows for easy starts on any incline. No need for the handbrake starts anymore people!
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Engine: 4/5
Like the Suzuki Alto, the up! is powered by a 1.0L petrol engine. The precisely engineered 1.OL 3 Cylinder Petrol engine outputs 55kW of power at 6200rpm and 95Nm of torque at 3000-4300rpm.
Despite it's small size, the engine is highly capable. Paired with a 5-speed manual transmission, the engine responds to a variety of driving conditions and performs more than adequately right across the board; from freeways to congested city driving.
The 1.0L engine, combined with an aerodynamic vehicle design results in barely noticeable engine noise. And in true VW style, environmental and tyre noise is also restricted entering the cabin.
VW claim fuel use to sit at a modest 4.9L per 100kms. After a combination of city driving (stuck in traffic), suburban and freeway cruising, we drank over 6.0L per 100kms. The 4.9L per 100kms figure would be the result of coasting down a freeway for long stints in top gear.
Exterior: 3.5/5
The up! has a unique VW look. Definitely different from any other hatch on the road, it does take a little getting used to. The marketing department at VW have made an inspired effort to claim that the VW up! "Commands Attention". Perhaps this is true, but is it commanding attention for the reasons VW want it to?
Driving the up! around town for a week and I can vouch that people did stop and stare at the 3-door hatch, thus an on-road presence is obvious. It was soon discovered that the up! drew a gaze from people not because it was "nice to look at", but because it was different. People were simply curious as to what sort of car it was. In fact, we received this same feedback from two random people, "Its 'different' isn't it?".
I don't think "different" was positive in this instance.
Utilising 14" wheels, the up! is one of the smallest 4-Seater cars on the market. Measuring in at only 3,540mm in length, 1,641mm in width and 1,476mm in height. Considering the average length of the Australias average vehicle is 4,460mm, the up! is almost 1 metre smaller. This results in greater maneuverability on city roads. Parking is also made easier due to the smaller length of the vehicle.
The smaller, aerodynamic design of the up! leads to on-road practicality. Practical it may be, but easy on the eye? It's debatable.
Safety: 5/5
The VW up! is one of the most affordable 5-Star ANCAP safety vehicle on the market today.
Coming standard with driver and front passenger airbags, front side airbags, front head airbags, ABS with brake assist and ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Program) which helps reduce oversteer, understeer or loss of traction.
The City Emergency Braking system which is standard on the the up! range was highly praised by the Chairman of ANCAP, Mr. Lauchlan McIntosh. "ANCAP is pleased to see that the Up! provides advanced safety features as standard and offers other occupant comforts such as Bluetooth as optional extras,".
City Emergency Braking monitors the road ahead when travelling at speeds from 5-30km/h and automatically primes the brakes when detecting a hazard. If the laser detects a crash is likely, the system will automatically apply the brakes, thus minimising the risk of impact.
Interior: 3.5/5
Don't let the compact measurements of the vehicle fool you into believing that things will be tight and cosy inside the up! The opposite is true, there is plenty of space up front for passengers.
The generous space within such a small vehicle is made possible by two main reasons; The Wheelbase and the forward positioning of the Compact 1 Litre Engine. This leads to VW maximising space within the cabin, thus maximising passenger comfort. However, the two seats in the back are more questionable (and cramped) when the front seats are occupied.
Boot space is also surprising. An impressive 251 litres is available. With the backseats folded down, it turns into 951 litres. The boot is easy to access and wide enough to load heavier items such as golf clubs.
Inside the up! and its noticeably basic. No fancy gizmos, no touch screen, no steering wheel controls, no cruise control, simple easy to use radio and air-conditioning units and supportive cloth fabric seating (Leather is available with the Comfort Style Optional Package*). There is no drivers side vanity mirror and the driver has no electronic control of the front passenger window (We found ourselves having to lean over to lower the passenger window when we were driving solo. Not very safe). The back windows are also sealed and can't be lowered.
2 bottle holders are placed inside the cabin. One for front passengers, One for Rear Passengers (Although the rear holder is accessable to the front passengers).
Colour coordination was a little bemusing to say the least on the up! we were given. Black gloss finish splashed across the front dash with a combination of Black Pearl finish. Along the interior side of the doors and back it was dark blue. Massive colour clash.
*Two Optional Packages are available with added goodies, these include Comfort Drive Package (Cruise Control, Multi-Function Display & Parking Distance Sensors) and Comfort Style Package (15" alloy wheels, front fog lights, leather trimmed steering wheel, handbrake and gearshift knob, leatherette seat upholstery, heated from seat and front and rear floor mats).
Overall: 4/5
From $12,990, the 3-door and 5-door up! models are basic to say the least. A host of optional packages are available with added "luxuries" including the very useful Maps & More Package.
The Maps & More system contains a navigation system, bluetooth system, advanced car settings and entertainment. The system is implemented onto a portable device that is positioned on top of the front dash. For $500 extra, it's quite a bargain.
The up! is a modern, efficient and basic. Easy to maintain and drive, this vehicle should be on the list of all car buyers looking for a bargain.
Honestly, did we expect anything other than an awesome car from VW?
* Prices are manufacturer list prices only, for the drive away price please contact your local authorised Volkswagen dealer.
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