2017 17 VW up! 1.0 TSI
Discussion
Would this be the place for me to put a review of said car? If not, let me know and i'll move it!
2017 17 Volkswagen up! High Up 1.0 TSI 3dr
The up! is already a very good car. I drove a couple when they were new in 2012ish. I've also since driven a SEAT Mii and a Skoda Citigo, which are essentially the same car. (used to work for a VW/Seat/Skoda dealer)
VAG clearly looked at PSA/Toyota and the C1/107/Aygo triplets and thought 'we need to do that'.
The ones i'd driven before all had the 60PS 1.0 engine. It's a 3cyl unit and it's a fun little thing, quite characterful and not as slow as the 14 second 0-60 time would suggest. In fact i suspect they will get to 60 quicker than 14 seconds but i have no proof of this.
The one driven today has the 1.0 TSI engine which was introduced more recently to the up!. I dont know if the Citigo and Mii actually get this engine?
Specs:
Urban mpg
51.4 mpg
Extra Urban mpg
74.3 mpg
Average mpg
64.2 mpg
CO2 emissions
108 g/km
Performance
Engine power
89 bhp
Engine size
999 cc
Brochure Engine size
1.0 litres
Acceleration (0-60mph)
9.9 seconds
Top speed:115 mph
Kerbweight: 1002kg
I *think* this engine may the same one they are going to use for the up! GTI but that will have approx 118PS.
Insides first...and it's as good as it can be for the city car class. It's not expensive or plush in terms of quality...but in terms of colours and patterns used...it looks 'premium'. The up! is a very boxy car with straight sides and this shows inside where there is definitely more width than the 107, for example. It feels bright and airy and spacious. The boot is also a decent size at 225ish litres.
It's as big inside as it can be given the exterior size, which is good.
These are hard to fault really. Nothing really stands out as amazing…but nothing is bad either.
It’s good to drive with a decent ride and refinement. It’s definitely less refined and smooth than the new C3 but it’s decent. Probably as good as you can get for the sub-supermini class.
Steering – I felt it was a bit light and low geared. This may be in comparison to the Civic which is quite sharp…but I did feel the steering was a bit too ‘assisted’ and required quite a bit of twirling.
Gearchange – all good. Not amazing…but a nice decent gearshift.
Visibility good all round thanks to the straight sides and big windows.
Now, the engine. It feels and sounds just like the N/A 60ps (and 75ps) versions initially. It’s clear that this isn’t a revving screamer of an engine. On throttle, after a bit of typical turbo mushy delay..you get a good, strong pull and it does go well. It sounds quite good too in the typical 3cyl ‘half a Porsche’ way.
0-62 is quoted at 9.9s and I did a highlight accurate self-timed 0-60 which was approx. 9 seconds, and that was with a bit of a chirp and intervention of the traction control, by no means a good getaway, so pretty good. It feels brisk and has plenty of go for overtaking, etc.
I wouldn’t say it was any more 'fun' than the 60PS versions. Obviously there is clearly more ‘go’ than the lower power version which is enjoyable, but by the same measure…the lower power versions need to be worked harder, which maybe gives more of a driver engagement feel…where the TSI has plenty of boost to work with a more relaxed driving style and doesn’t need working hard. Swings and roundabouts. Obviously I’d choose the TSI for the extra performance but the less powerful versions are by no means disgraced.
The gearing is very long. It’s the kind of car where it ‘feels’ better sitting in 3rd at 30-40mph rather than 4th…but in truth, the engine has enough flexibility and tractability to be in 4th. It just has that low revving feel and sound but I think it’s normal for the car.
So yeah, I really liked it. I don’t like the £12,200 price tag though. Silly really. This is a high spec model with heated seats etc…BUT! I notice that apparently the screen thing isn’t standard now, I’m sure it used to be. You get a rather ugly fixed cradle thing on the dash top.
The GTI should be a cracker. If it feels like this…but with a more sporty interior/seats and hopefully more of a soundtrack, should be a great thing. But I reckon it’ll be £15-16k. Which is daft for a little 1.0 city car…but people will pay it. They’ll be sold out, whatever the price.
2017 17 Volkswagen up! High Up 1.0 TSI 3dr
The up! is already a very good car. I drove a couple when they were new in 2012ish. I've also since driven a SEAT Mii and a Skoda Citigo, which are essentially the same car. (used to work for a VW/Seat/Skoda dealer)
VAG clearly looked at PSA/Toyota and the C1/107/Aygo triplets and thought 'we need to do that'.
The ones i'd driven before all had the 60PS 1.0 engine. It's a 3cyl unit and it's a fun little thing, quite characterful and not as slow as the 14 second 0-60 time would suggest. In fact i suspect they will get to 60 quicker than 14 seconds but i have no proof of this.
The one driven today has the 1.0 TSI engine which was introduced more recently to the up!. I dont know if the Citigo and Mii actually get this engine?
Specs:
Urban mpg
51.4 mpg
Extra Urban mpg
74.3 mpg
Average mpg
64.2 mpg
CO2 emissions
108 g/km
Performance
Engine power
89 bhp
Engine size
999 cc
Brochure Engine size
1.0 litres
Acceleration (0-60mph)
9.9 seconds
Top speed:115 mph
Kerbweight: 1002kg
I *think* this engine may the same one they are going to use for the up! GTI but that will have approx 118PS.
Insides first...and it's as good as it can be for the city car class. It's not expensive or plush in terms of quality...but in terms of colours and patterns used...it looks 'premium'. The up! is a very boxy car with straight sides and this shows inside where there is definitely more width than the 107, for example. It feels bright and airy and spacious. The boot is also a decent size at 225ish litres.
It's as big inside as it can be given the exterior size, which is good.
These are hard to fault really. Nothing really stands out as amazing…but nothing is bad either.
It’s good to drive with a decent ride and refinement. It’s definitely less refined and smooth than the new C3 but it’s decent. Probably as good as you can get for the sub-supermini class.
Steering – I felt it was a bit light and low geared. This may be in comparison to the Civic which is quite sharp…but I did feel the steering was a bit too ‘assisted’ and required quite a bit of twirling.
Gearchange – all good. Not amazing…but a nice decent gearshift.
Visibility good all round thanks to the straight sides and big windows.
Now, the engine. It feels and sounds just like the N/A 60ps (and 75ps) versions initially. It’s clear that this isn’t a revving screamer of an engine. On throttle, after a bit of typical turbo mushy delay..you get a good, strong pull and it does go well. It sounds quite good too in the typical 3cyl ‘half a Porsche’ way.
0-62 is quoted at 9.9s and I did a highlight accurate self-timed 0-60 which was approx. 9 seconds, and that was with a bit of a chirp and intervention of the traction control, by no means a good getaway, so pretty good. It feels brisk and has plenty of go for overtaking, etc.
I wouldn’t say it was any more 'fun' than the 60PS versions. Obviously there is clearly more ‘go’ than the lower power version which is enjoyable, but by the same measure…the lower power versions need to be worked harder, which maybe gives more of a driver engagement feel…where the TSI has plenty of boost to work with a more relaxed driving style and doesn’t need working hard. Swings and roundabouts. Obviously I’d choose the TSI for the extra performance but the less powerful versions are by no means disgraced.
The gearing is very long. It’s the kind of car where it ‘feels’ better sitting in 3rd at 30-40mph rather than 4th…but in truth, the engine has enough flexibility and tractability to be in 4th. It just has that low revving feel and sound but I think it’s normal for the car.
So yeah, I really liked it. I don’t like the £12,200 price tag though. Silly really. This is a high spec model with heated seats etc…BUT! I notice that apparently the screen thing isn’t standard now, I’m sure it used to be. You get a rather ugly fixed cradle thing on the dash top.
The GTI should be a cracker. If it feels like this…but with a more sporty interior/seats and hopefully more of a soundtrack, should be a great thing. But I reckon it’ll be £15-16k. Which is daft for a little 1.0 city car…but people will pay it. They’ll be sold out, whatever the price.
Edited by M1C on Friday 7th July 12:24
I'm on my second Up, both 5dr 74hp high ups, and they are cracking cars. It never fails to make me smile when I'm driving it and it reminds me of my first few cars in that you're driving to the car's limits rather than your own. I'll be honest and say I wouldn't consider one as a main/only car, but as a second car for occasional use, school runs and my short commute it's great. In my old job I had to use it once a month or so for my monster 240 mile round trip commute and it was comfortable, well mannered on the motorway and has enough gadgetry, Bluetooth, nav with traffic assist, cruise, heated seats in the winter and so on. Yes, it's slow, and the gears are too long but second gear is fun in traffic and I love the engine noise, though I prefer my previous V8! I'm getting 55mpg in everyday use too. I won't get another as it's time for something different but I'll definitely test drive an Up GTi - that could be great fun but I'm sure they'll be overpriced.
mshed said:
I'm on my second Up, both 5dr 74hp high ups, and they are cracking cars. It never fails to make me smile when I'm driving it and it reminds me of my first few cars in that you're driving to the car's limits rather than your own. I'll be honest and say I wouldn't consider one as a main/only car, but as a second car for occasional use, school runs and my short commute it's great. In my old job I had to use it once a month or so for my monster 240 mile round trip commute and it was comfortable, well mannered on the motorway and has enough gadgetry, Bluetooth, nav with traffic assist, cruise, heated seats in the winter and so on. Yes, it's slow, and the gears are too long but second gear is fun in traffic and I love the engine noise, though I prefer my previous V8! I'm getting 55mpg in everyday use too. I won't get another as it's time for something different but I'll definitely test drive an Up GTi - that could be great fun but I'm sure they'll be overpriced.
a remapped Up GTi should be tons of fun! mshed said:
I'm on my second Up, both 5dr 74hp high ups, and they are cracking cars. It never fails to make me smile when I'm driving it and it reminds me of my first few cars in that you're driving to the car's limits rather than your own. I'll be honest and say I wouldn't consider one as a main/only car, but as a second car for occasional use, school runs and my short commute it's great. In my old job I had to use it once a month or so for my monster 240 mile round trip commute and it was comfortable, well mannered on the motorway and has enough gadgetry, Bluetooth, nav with traffic assist, cruise, heated seats in the winter and so on. Yes, it's slow, and the gears are too long but second gear is fun in traffic and I love the engine noise, though I prefer my previous V8! I'm getting 55mpg in everyday use too. I won't get another as it's time for something different but I'll definitely test drive an Up GTi - that could be great fun but I'm sure they'll be overpriced.
Pretty much where we are - 2nd Up (this one is a Citigo as they did a £750 cashback deal at the time) and it's used as a local runabout, school runs etc. Can't fault it, room enough for the three of us when needed and it feels so much better put together than the PSA/Toyota equivalent - plus it beats them hands down on motorway refinement (I wouldn't call it a cruiser, but as you say you can do an hour or two on the motorway without a worry).
GTi might be interesting but I suspect they'll stiffen up the ride which would be a shame as it's one of the Up's strengths.
I bought a 2013 Up last year from auction and have just sold it; I really liked it although the only thing that let it down was a noisy gearbox - VW said it was "normal", and from what I understand some are noisier than others. Apart from that it was great fun - it was the Bluemotion High Up model which was a decent spec, and after 12,000 miles/1 year I only lost £100 which is cheap motoring!
The TSI models look really nice but for an equivalent spec, £12-14k for a small car is mental.
The TSI models look really nice but for an equivalent spec, £12-14k for a small car is mental.
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