The VW Up!
ROADTEST FACT FILE
Car...Volkswagen Up!
Model...Take Up
Mpg (comb cycle)...62.8mpg
CO2...108g/km
Price...from £7,995
Loaned by Esplanade VW, Newport
THE market for little city cars is on the Up! judging by Volkswagen’s new addition.
The VW Up! is the latest in a long line of small, economical cars on today’s market that are cheap to buy and cheap to run.
With that in mind, you might think some things had been sacrificed but no expense has been spared with the Up! and it’s a cracking a little car for the money.
I borrowed one from Esplanade, Newport, and I was so surprised by how much Volks-wagen has managed to pack into a car just 3.54m long and 1.64m wide in size.
The Up! boasts a surprising amount of leg room, front and rear, and even with back-seat passengers, it didn’t feel squashed.
It comes with the trademark Volkswagen quality, the dash looks great and is nicely positioned, the seats are very comfortable and the Up! drives superbly well — it’s a one-litre engine but you would never know it.
Outside it looks smart — the Up! has its own identity and does not look like a mini Polo — and I would highly recommend the satellite navigation system (on some models it is an optional extra), which boasts a number of useful features, including parking assistance.
There is a choice of models available, including the more distinctive Up! Black and Up! White — some cover 530 miles on one tank of fuel — insurance is cheap (group one) and the Up! is exempt from road tax.
For that alone, it would be worth following up.