RE: Volkswagen Up! GTI: Driven
Discussion
I work for a VW dealer and took one of these home last night, I may be biased but I actually really enjoyed it.
It could be a little more lively on the handling front but it still feels light and chuckable and the overall ride is good despite some fidgeting (fine for me). The sound is great from inside despite being synthesised and puts a grin on my face.
The only real major downside for me is the rather flat seats, I would have hoped for something with a little more support than the normal seats, although I always love the Tartan cloth.
Overall I arrived home grinning and I generally drive Golf GTI and GTD’s which don’t have that effect on me.
It could be a little more lively on the handling front but it still feels light and chuckable and the overall ride is good despite some fidgeting (fine for me). The sound is great from inside despite being synthesised and puts a grin on my face.
The only real major downside for me is the rather flat seats, I would have hoped for something with a little more support than the normal seats, although I always love the Tartan cloth.
Overall I arrived home grinning and I generally drive Golf GTI and GTD’s which don’t have that effect on me.
Baked_bean said:
I work for a VW dealer and took one of these home last night, I may be biased but I actually really enjoyed it.
It could be a little more lively on the handling front but it still feels light and chuckable and the overall ride is good despite some fidgeting (fine for me). The sound is great from inside despite being synthesised and puts a grin on my face.
The only real major downside for me is the rather flat seats, I would have hoped for something with a little more support than the normal seats, although I always love the Tartan cloth.
Overall I arrived home grinning and I generally drive Golf GTI and GTD’s which don’t have that effect on me.
Any thoughts on how it feels on dual carriageway/motorway? And how it compares to a Golf on those roads?It could be a little more lively on the handling front but it still feels light and chuckable and the overall ride is good despite some fidgeting (fine for me). The sound is great from inside despite being synthesised and puts a grin on my face.
The only real major downside for me is the rather flat seats, I would have hoped for something with a little more support than the normal seats, although I always love the Tartan cloth.
Overall I arrived home grinning and I generally drive Golf GTI and GTD’s which don’t have that effect on me.
Little Bob said:
Any thoughts on how it feels on dual carriageway/motorway? And how it compares to a Golf on those roads?
I only drove the car ~80 Miles but my impression was that the ride was acceptable at speed with only the usual fidget you get from a short car. The Road noise was the biggest gripe on the Dual carriageway but it is no worse than a normal model.Compared to a Golf, it was obviously not as stable feeling at cruise and as mentioned it was noisier.
I could happily use it daily despite that and felt the gearing and torque made it easy to adjust speed to join faster traffic etc.
Jonesy1972 said:
I’m curious about these spats on the arches. My Up! has the 17” Polygon alloys from the factory and no spats. I’ve never seen them on any Up! prior to the GTI. I can only assume the GTI alloys are wider than mine?
Yep, I'm pretty sure the GTI wheels have a lower total offset (ET). They've been doing spats like this on some Passats as well, IIRC the part is popular with modders because it can be made to fit the Mk7 Golf. Why all that fuss? The TÜV guys in Germany are really a humorless bunch. And per law the wheel needs to be covered by bodywork in certain areas. I think there's even a factor of 1.04 * wheewidth to account for deformation / temperature.
Few people like the looks (personally don't mind in fact) but they are easily removed (couple of screws).
We have a 2016 Up! with only 60/65bhp and it is brilliant to row along. My mum has a Mii and MiL a Citigo and we all love them. Very different torque/power to my usual steeds but utterly great to drive so that you relish every last foot of a twisty b-road. Feels like a bigger car inside, plenty of boot space, great build quality. We bought ours as an ex demo at 6 months old and 1500 miles with 40% off list price. I think the GTi deserves to be a success if it drives anything like the lesser models.
Little Bob said:
"an earnest, rumbling burble resonates up the pipes hidden in the car’s A-pillars, using the car’s structure itself as a kind of tuning fork for engine noise. It’s a brilliantly elegant solution, adding next to no weight and keeping the soundtrack way more authentic than mucking about with the hi-fi. "fantastic!!
Had a test drive on Friday in one of these with my son, he’s looking to order one to replace his first car.
Thought it was great fun, makes a good noise and really fun to chuck around. Felt surprisingly nippy too.
Only negative for me was the seat was too high even on its lowest setting. I can see them being really popular though, a bargain mini warm hatch.
Thought it was great fun, makes a good noise and really fun to chuck around. Felt surprisingly nippy too.
Only negative for me was the seat was too high even on its lowest setting. I can see them being really popular though, a bargain mini warm hatch.
culpz said:
s m said:
dmcrobin said:
forzaminardi said:
Will the GTi be available with an auto box? Important for milady.
I’m afraid not, manual only.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff