Volkswagen’s been keeping a secret from North Americans. It’s a small secret, only 3.54m in length. It has three doors and 3 cylinders, for now that is. Do you give up? If you said “I give up,” you’d be correct — it is the up!
Volkswagen has launched its remarkably affordable, ultra economical micro car in Europe, where it’s named “up!”. And yes, lower case with the inclusion of an exclamation mark.
I was fortunate enough to take the up! for a spin recently on the streets of Nice, France, and came to appreciate its petit grandeur on the narrow alleyways that serve as arterials in the historic city. Although small on the outside, the up! is remarkably spacious inside.
This four seater supplies enormous room in the front along with more space than expected for those in the rear. And being of German design, the seats in the up! are firm and notably supportive. Thanks to its large expanses of glass, visibility is also a point worthy of mention.
Volkswagen engineers applied their Intelligent Space design philosophy to the up!, and as a result it has the largest cargo bay in its class. This deep well is divided into two tiers to further accommodate needs, big or small.
With items suitably stowed, it’s time to put the up! in gear and get mobile. The vehicle I drove was equipped with a smooth-shifting 5-speed manual gearbox. This unit was a delight to use, and enabled me to squeeze the most out of the 1-litre engine.
While not a powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination, the up! will zip around town quite effortlessly. But let’s not fool ourselves — with 59 or 70 hp on tap depending on engine choice, the up! isn’t meant to perform on the autobahn; that’s why Volkswagen refers to it as a city car.
My general impressions from driving the up! are favourable despite a lack of enthusiasm beneath the right foot. The little engine that could isn’t the most refined of powerplants but its coarseness is quite acceptable when its efficiency is considered.
The 59-hp version of the 3-cylinder mill is rated at 4.5L/100km combined city/highway driving while the more powerful 70-horse version of this most diminutive of car engines is rated 4.7L/100km.
Given the price of fuel in Europe, I’m certain most drivers will be happy to trade a little refinement for a lot of economy — I certainly would be. Once one accepts the lethargic response to the right foot, the up! becomes a fun little cart to zip around in.
Its steering is somewhat lightly weighted and lazy but the up! isn’t meant to be a less expensive replacement for the Golf GTI. It’s meant to be a fun, practical car that benefits from German engineering while costing very little to own and operate.
While in Nice, I saw the up! advertised for 7,995 Euros. So will Volkswagen’s inexpensive little secret be shared with us here in Canada? Never say never, but I’m told it won’t make it here in the next two years. After that — well, it all depends on sales figures for VW products in Canada and whether a business case can be made to import the up! to the Great White North. I’m optimistic though. What a great little first car for students heading to university or to their first job. For them, things are looking up!
Volkswagen has launched its remarkably affordable, ultra economical micro car in Europe, where it’s named “up!”. And yes, lower case with the inclusion of an exclamation mark.
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| Volkswagen up! (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |
I was fortunate enough to take the up! for a spin recently on the streets of Nice, France, and came to appreciate its petit grandeur on the narrow alleyways that serve as arterials in the historic city. Although small on the outside, the up! is remarkably spacious inside.
This four seater supplies enormous room in the front along with more space than expected for those in the rear. And being of German design, the seats in the up! are firm and notably supportive. Thanks to its large expanses of glass, visibility is also a point worthy of mention.
Volkswagen engineers applied their Intelligent Space design philosophy to the up!, and as a result it has the largest cargo bay in its class. This deep well is divided into two tiers to further accommodate needs, big or small.
With items suitably stowed, it’s time to put the up! in gear and get mobile. The vehicle I drove was equipped with a smooth-shifting 5-speed manual gearbox. This unit was a delight to use, and enabled me to squeeze the most out of the 1-litre engine.
While not a powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination, the up! will zip around town quite effortlessly. But let’s not fool ourselves — with 59 or 70 hp on tap depending on engine choice, the up! isn’t meant to perform on the autobahn; that’s why Volkswagen refers to it as a city car.
My general impressions from driving the up! are favourable despite a lack of enthusiasm beneath the right foot. The little engine that could isn’t the most refined of powerplants but its coarseness is quite acceptable when its efficiency is considered.
The 59-hp version of the 3-cylinder mill is rated at 4.5L/100km combined city/highway driving while the more powerful 70-horse version of this most diminutive of car engines is rated 4.7L/100km.
Given the price of fuel in Europe, I’m certain most drivers will be happy to trade a little refinement for a lot of economy — I certainly would be. Once one accepts the lethargic response to the right foot, the up! becomes a fun little cart to zip around in.
Its steering is somewhat lightly weighted and lazy but the up! isn’t meant to be a less expensive replacement for the Golf GTI. It’s meant to be a fun, practical car that benefits from German engineering while costing very little to own and operate.
While in Nice, I saw the up! advertised for 7,995 Euros. So will Volkswagen’s inexpensive little secret be shared with us here in Canada? Never say never, but I’m told it won’t make it here in the next two years. After that — well, it all depends on sales figures for VW products in Canada and whether a business case can be made to import the up! to the Great White North. I’m optimistic though. What a great little first car for students heading to university or to their first job. For them, things are looking up!
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| Volkswagen up! (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |