RE: VW Up GTI: PH Fleet

[Mr Tidy]

iandc said:

how about an "Up!URs"?

I think that may have been the outcome if PH had tested the proper version of the Ibiza with the 16 valve engine and 150 bhp (I'm sure I read 156 bhp somewhere).

Then you'd know where you could stick your Up!

BTW it seems a shame so much of this thread ended up being a slanging match - maybe there should be a dedicated header for that nonsense, because most of us don't want to have to trawl through that cr*p!

[j_s14a]

I would have thought one of these would be a better/ fairer comparison?

[andrewparker]

Mr Tidy said:

BTW it seems a shame so much of this thread ended up being a slanging match - maybe there should be a dedicated header for that nonsense, because most of us don't want to have to trawl through that cr*p!

I am sorry, I did email DoubleD to discuss the issue and avoid polluting the thread, but he doesn’t seem to want to talk one to one. Fact is this goes back months, he mocks every post I make and I’m sick to death of it. It’s not so much a slanging match, all I want to do is keep things on topic and share my experience and opinions on the car, but he’s making that impossible to do with snide remarks each time I do.

Apologies again.

[Bruceiffer]

I’ll just stick with this for now ☺️

[bozzy.]

andrewparker said:

Mr Tidy said:

BTW it seems a shame so much of this thread ended up being a slanging match - maybe there should be a dedicated header for that nonsense, because most of us don't want to have to trawl through that cr*p!

I am sorry, I did email DoubleD to discuss the issue and avoid polluting the thread, but he doesn’t seem to want to talk one to one. Fact is this goes back months, he mocks every post I make and I’m sick to death of it. It’s not so much a slanging match, all I want to do is keep things on topic and share my experience and opinions on the car, but he’s making that impossible to do with snide remarks each time I do.

Apologies again.

I wouldn’t worry about what some Herbert on the internet thinks. People like him get off on upsetting others because it makes them feel better about their own insecurities. I wouldn’t waste the energy even responding to him if it were me. He’ll soon get bored and crawl back under his rock.

[andrewparker]

Thanks Bozzy, I shall take heed of your sound advice.

Back to the car. The standard tyres (Goodyear Efficient Grip) are frankly rubbish. On wet roads it is far too easy to break traction. Much has been said about the inability to turn off the traction control, but the reality is it intervenes very late on. I’m hoping that better tyres will improve the steering feel on initial turn in, it feels a big vague. Once settled into a corner it is great though.

Other niggles are I guess a result of its city car roots. The window and mirror switches on the doors are not illuminated which has been a real irritation when adjusting the mirrors while parking in the dark. Also when you fold the seats forward then back the seat back doesn’t remember it’s original position. Cost cutting gone too far IMO.

[Ron99]

andrewparker said:

.....It's a really infectious little thing, the only downside at the moment being that it seems to attract idiots.....

It's the sporty styling and the GTi badge. Whenever I've had sporty-ish looking models I've found they attract idiots wanting to race or prove something.

I like the idea of the Up GTi but I wish they hadn't put the GTi badge on it because it's too slow to deserve one. I couldn't drive around in a car labelled as GTi and sporty-looking but which was no quicker than an average diesel family car. I'd choose the normal-looking 1.0TSI 90PS instead.

And in my experience small cars are much more likely to attract bullying, nastiness and impatient behaviour from other drivers. I get lots of hassle when in our Viva but barely any trouble when in the Insignia.

[andrewparker]

Ron99 said:

I like the idea of the Up GTi but I wish they hadn't put the GTi badge on it because it's too slow to deserve one. I couldn't drive around in a car labelled as GTi and sporty-looking but which was no quicker than an average diesel family car.

I’ve actually no complaints about how fast it is and I’ve owned every iteration of Golf GTI bar any MK6 versions, my other car is a MK7.5 Golf R estate, and before that I had a manual MK7 Golf R. Sure the 0-60 time is poor, and getting away cleanly isn’t that easy, but on the move it really doesn’t ever feel like a slow car. It’s surprised me in that respect.

[jamesbilluk]

andrewparker said:

I’ve actually no complaints about how fast it is and I’ve owned every iteration of Golf GTI bar any MK6 versions, my other car is a MK7.5 Golf R estate, and before that I had a manual MK7 Golf R. Sure the 0-60 time is poor, and getting away cleanly isn’t that easy, but on the move it really doesn’t ever feel like a slow car. It’s surprised me in that respect.

Completely agree, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the amount of go with mine, Certainly doesn’t feel out of its depth on the motorway, quite an addictive sound as well (even if it’s amplified..) I agree with your last point about the tyres as well, they’re terrible! Since the temperature has dropped, they don’t seem to have much grip when pulling away, there’s an annoyingly small choice of tyres for these sized alloy wheels too.

[greenarrow]

bozzy. said:

andrewparker said:

Mr Tidy said:

BTW it seems a shame so much of this thread ended up being a slanging match - maybe there should be a dedicated header for that nonsense, because most of us don't want to have to trawl through that cr*p!

I am sorry, I did email DoubleD to discuss the issue and avoid polluting the thread, but he doesn’t seem to want to talk one to one. Fact is this goes back months, he mocks every post I make and I’m sick to death of it. It’s not so much a slanging match, all I want to do is keep things on topic and share my experience and opinions on the car, but he’s making that impossible to do with snide remarks each time I do.

Apologies again.

I wouldn’t worry about what some Herbert on the internet thinks. People like him get off on upsetting others because it makes them feel better about their own insecurities. I wouldn’t waste the energy even responding to him if it were me. He’ll soon get bored and crawl back under his rock.

I agree, but I also understand his frustrations. There appear to be a few on Pistonheads at the moment who seem to pop up on every thread and upset people with outspoken remarks, or personal attacks on other users. I could name the few that come to mind, but don't want to give them the free publicity!

It was obvious to me and everyone else that the poster was referring to boy racers in other cars when he made his "attracts idiots" remark...I can imagine that the Up GTI is a magnet for the local hotted up Corsa and Fiesta brigade!

Back on topic, its been a good year for affordable fun cars. The Up GTI, Swift GTI and Fiesta ST Line with the little 1 litre ecoboost engine. I would happily give drive space to any of them If I had the funds!

[greenarrow]

andrewparker said:

Ron99 said:

I like the idea of the Up GTi but I wish they hadn't put the GTi badge on it because it's too slow to deserve one. I couldn't drive around in a car labelled as GTi and sporty-looking but which was no quicker than an average diesel family car.

I’ve actually no complaints about how fast it is and I’ve owned every iteration of Golf GTI bar any MK6 versions, my other car is a MK7.5 Golf R estate, and before that I had a manual MK7 Golf R. Sure the 0-60 time is poor, and getting away cleanly isn’t that easy, but on the move it really doesn’t ever feel like a slow car. It’s surprised me in that respect.

Have you seen the drag race on Car WOW, VW Up vs Golf GTI mk2 8 valve? Both around 115BHP, the Up wins quite easily, which is surprising as they both weigh about the same,...

PS, Please DO your readers cars feature, I'd be interested in it.....

[andrewparker]

Thanks for your kind words Greenarrow. I'm hoping that my comments aren't coming across as fanboyism. I'll freely admit that I didn't consider any other car when I bought the Up GTI, but I am critical of certain things, and hopefully my opinion is coming across in a balanced manner. Once I get some decent photographs of the car I'll do a readers thread, warts and all

[bozzy.]

greenarrow said:

I agree, but I also understand his frustrations. There appear to be a few on Pistonheads at the moment who seem to pop up on every thread and upset people with outspoken remarks, or personal attacks on other users. I could name the few that come to mind, but don't want to give them the free publicity!

Unfortunately the anonymity of the internet makes it easy for some users to be deliberately insulting to others. The problem with reacting to them is that the behaviour is reinforced therefore making it likely to happen again. This is why andrewparker has had to suffer DoubleD’s negative comments “for months” as he puts it.

The solution is for everyone to just ignore the people trying to upset others. They will simply move on if they don’t get a reaction.