VW Up / Citigo / Mii
Discussion
I'm hoping to slightly reduce my hours at work in the New Year, so I've been looking at ways to reduce outgoings. There's no pressing need... it's just that going through the process has made me realise that I want to prioritise things like experiences with the kids, holidays etc.
This is especially because we only drive about 7,000 miles per year, split between a family van (which we would never sell) and car. In this context, the current car - a late model Lexus CT - is a bit of a luxury.
The van is owned outright so, ideally, the car would be sold and then we'd use a car club for the occasional trips around town - as we've done in the past. Sadly, parental health issues recently have been a reminder that it's worth keeping a second set of wheels.
An obvious solution is a Shed, but I've not had great luck with them over the years. I've therefore found myself drawn to the Up / Citigo / Mii trio. There's some equity in the Lexus compared to its trade value, so I'd look to add a little cash and take the budget to around £5k for a replacement.
That would probably buy a 3-4 year old 5-door Up in mid-spec, like this one.
Does anyone have any experience, hints, tips etc about the Up / Citigo / Mii?
This is especially because we only drive about 7,000 miles per year, split between a family van (which we would never sell) and car. In this context, the current car - a late model Lexus CT - is a bit of a luxury.
The van is owned outright so, ideally, the car would be sold and then we'd use a car club for the occasional trips around town - as we've done in the past. Sadly, parental health issues recently have been a reminder that it's worth keeping a second set of wheels.
An obvious solution is a Shed, but I've not had great luck with them over the years. I've therefore found myself drawn to the Up / Citigo / Mii trio. There's some equity in the Lexus compared to its trade value, so I'd look to add a little cash and take the budget to around £5k for a replacement.
That would probably buy a 3-4 year old 5-door Up in mid-spec, like this one.
Does anyone have any experience, hints, tips etc about the Up / Citigo / Mii?
I owned a 2012 Take UP! 60hp a couple of years ago.
Reverse is sometimes hard to get into on all of them, sometimes it took a good 20 seconds of clutch in, select 2nd or whatever other gear, then select reverse until it selected it. This isn't really a fault apparently. (didn't happen every time, but it was always when I met someone in a lane and had to reverse, I'd sit there looking like a fool trying to get it into reverse!) This may well have gotten much better when VW put the new 'push down to engage reverse' gearbox in, but that may be later than the cars you are looking at?
The clutch pedals have a tenancy to start clicking when you release them, mine did this for the first year and then somehow stopped on its own.
Fuel consumption is good mostly, mine got a lot worse when I moved to a hilly area and ended up at about 35-40mpg overall.
Obviously they are lacking in power, but are good fun to drive on the whole. Not a lot of difference between the 60hp and the 75hp version until late in the rev range.
Mine was very spacious in the front, more so than any other much larger cars I have owned since. The seats were comfy enough too.
Nothing went wrong on mine over the 2 or so years I had it.
I find myself looking at them every now and then as I do regret selling it!
If your budget stretched to about £7k (roughly) you could get the TSI version, which I have driven and it is an absolute hoot! Miles better than the MPI version, but at a cost!
Bit of a ramble... but overall, I'd recommend one. Just be aware of the known 'characteristics' of them.
Edit - In fact, having thought about all the details of the UP range of cars, I now really want one back again! Off to autotrader/gumtree I go!
Edit 2 - £5k for a 40k+ mile example seems a bit steep. I bought mine at 3 years old with 9k miles on it for £5k.
Reverse is sometimes hard to get into on all of them, sometimes it took a good 20 seconds of clutch in, select 2nd or whatever other gear, then select reverse until it selected it. This isn't really a fault apparently. (didn't happen every time, but it was always when I met someone in a lane and had to reverse, I'd sit there looking like a fool trying to get it into reverse!) This may well have gotten much better when VW put the new 'push down to engage reverse' gearbox in, but that may be later than the cars you are looking at?
The clutch pedals have a tenancy to start clicking when you release them, mine did this for the first year and then somehow stopped on its own.
Fuel consumption is good mostly, mine got a lot worse when I moved to a hilly area and ended up at about 35-40mpg overall.
Obviously they are lacking in power, but are good fun to drive on the whole. Not a lot of difference between the 60hp and the 75hp version until late in the rev range.
Mine was very spacious in the front, more so than any other much larger cars I have owned since. The seats were comfy enough too.
Nothing went wrong on mine over the 2 or so years I had it.
I find myself looking at them every now and then as I do regret selling it!
If your budget stretched to about £7k (roughly) you could get the TSI version, which I have driven and it is an absolute hoot! Miles better than the MPI version, but at a cost!
Bit of a ramble... but overall, I'd recommend one. Just be aware of the known 'characteristics' of them.
Edit - In fact, having thought about all the details of the UP range of cars, I now really want one back again! Off to autotrader/gumtree I go!
Edit 2 - £5k for a 40k+ mile example seems a bit steep. I bought mine at 3 years old with 9k miles on it for £5k.
Edited by gman88667733 on Wednesday 11th December 16:17
Edited by gman88667733 on Wednesday 11th December 16:18
Edited by gman88667733 on Wednesday 11th December 16:20
Edited by gman88667733 on Wednesday 11th December 16:22
I bought a Move Up! back in 2014 and owned it for nearly 3 years and it surprised me how much fun it was to drive, despite the 60bhp. Quite spacious for it's small size and economical too.
Only niggles I had with it were the afore mentioned reverse selection issues and in heavy rain if you drove through a puddle the alternator drive belt would squeal for a short period of time.
Only niggles I had with it were the afore mentioned reverse selection issues and in heavy rain if you drove through a puddle the alternator drive belt would squeal for a short period of time.
We've had a high up for 3 years and can't fault it
Reliability has been good, only slight issue is when it's been sat for a while the brakes will sometimes stick after releasing the handbrake,
otherwise it's cheap to insure easy to live with and enjoyable to drive, goes forever on a tank of petrol and is pretty well equipped for a small car ( satnav, air con, heated seats, tpms, adjustable boot floor, spare tyre etc ).
daughter uses it for her main transport and travels up and down the m1 several times a week and while she's not using it I use it for getting to work and back and the odd trip to the shops.
Reliability has been good, only slight issue is when it's been sat for a while the brakes will sometimes stick after releasing the handbrake,
otherwise it's cheap to insure easy to live with and enjoyable to drive, goes forever on a tank of petrol and is pretty well equipped for a small car ( satnav, air con, heated seats, tpms, adjustable boot floor, spare tyre etc ).
daughter uses it for her main transport and travels up and down the m1 several times a week and while she's not using it I use it for getting to work and back and the odd trip to the shops.
I've just sold a 16 plate Citigo Colour Edition. Great car for what it is, but I found the 60bhp engine a little underpowered on B roads, so I traded it in against a new Kia Picanto GT-Line S with the 1 litre turbo engine. Not a fair comparison really, as the Picanto has a lot more power, but it is a better drive on faster roads.
The 60bhp VAG cars are perfectly acceptable around town, or on the open road if you are happy to just go with the rest of the traffic. They drive like a medium-sized family car, but take up less space on the road - relatively refined, with decent handling/ride. Economical too - I regularly got a true 60mpg in non-city driving. A 75 or 90bhp model would be a better bet if you can find one in budget.
On balance, I think that the Picanto is a better car - better finish and a lot more "toys" for the money, but the Citigo/UP!/Mii is probably best of the rest. Certainly a massive step up from the Panda that I had before.
The 60bhp VAG cars are perfectly acceptable around town, or on the open road if you are happy to just go with the rest of the traffic. They drive like a medium-sized family car, but take up less space on the road - relatively refined, with decent handling/ride. Economical too - I regularly got a true 60mpg in non-city driving. A 75 or 90bhp model would be a better bet if you can find one in budget.
On balance, I think that the Picanto is a better car - better finish and a lot more "toys" for the money, but the Citigo/UP!/Mii is probably best of the rest. Certainly a massive step up from the Panda that I had before.
I'd say take a look at the Kia Picanto there a good well built with a little bit more pep too:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Have you thought about a Honda Insight which would keep you in a hybrid & the same economy as your CT:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Or CR-Z if you can live with two seats:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Have you thought about a Honda Insight which would keep you in a hybrid & the same economy as your CT:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Or CR-Z if you can live with two seats:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Thanks for the insights and suggestions everyone.
We live in Bristol's centre and a hybrid does work well for us, but the cars are generally either bigger or more expensive than something like the Up. My wife also tends to like VAG models and we have a really good indy locally.
I suppose other cars to consider would be from the next size up - Fabia, Polo etc - but I wouldn't want to go as far as Prius or Insight size.
It's a shame that we have a diesel ban coming in for Bristol. My in-laws are looking to change their '14 plate Golf MK7 GT TDI due to ULEZ in London. I know diesel would be a terrible idea for our low mileage, but it would have been a decent car available at mates-rates!!
We live in Bristol's centre and a hybrid does work well for us, but the cars are generally either bigger or more expensive than something like the Up. My wife also tends to like VAG models and we have a really good indy locally.
I suppose other cars to consider would be from the next size up - Fabia, Polo etc - but I wouldn't want to go as far as Prius or Insight size.
It's a shame that we have a diesel ban coming in for Bristol. My in-laws are looking to change their '14 plate Golf MK7 GT TDI due to ULEZ in London. I know diesel would be a terrible idea for our low mileage, but it would have been a decent car available at mates-rates!!
I found the UP felt like a bigger car than it is when driving it, it is surprisingly solid on the road, more so than some other smaller cars. I’d have one over a Polo or Fabia, personally.
Mk7 golf would be great, but diesel at low mileage is not a good idea.... mates rates for the purchase could soon become a lot more with repair bills!
Mk7 golf would be great, but diesel at low mileage is not a good idea.... mates rates for the purchase could soon become a lot more with repair bills!
My Daughter has an UP Move 60bhp. £20 RFL.
I use it occasionally and I'm impressed how nice it is to drive, if you're not in a hurry of course.
60mpg is achievable.
My only gripe is that it doesn't have heated mirrors. I think you have to get the "High" edition to get those.
They seem to be holding on to their value reasonably well.
I use it occasionally and I'm impressed how nice it is to drive, if you're not in a hurry of course.
60mpg is achievable.
My only gripe is that it doesn't have heated mirrors. I think you have to get the "High" edition to get those.
They seem to be holding on to their value reasonably well.
Have had a 2012 High Up for 5 years.
Bought it as a shopping trolley to be easy to get out of in supermarket car parks. The only car narrower at the time was a Hyundai i10. Now it’s the car that gets most use in the family.
Very economical. It’s a good car I would recommend to anyone.
Excellent car for long distances also
It is the 75HP model. It is underpowered on hills. I don’t find the lack of power a handicap when joining fast roads, you just have to give it full revs.
I echo the comments about the handbrake sticking. Seems to be an issue especially after a car wash. I had to hit the rear drum with a hammer once to free the brakes off.
I have found first gear balking on occasions. Dashboard some time tells me the rear seat occupants don’t have their seat belts fastened..when there is no-one in the rear seats. Indy garage couldn’t fix it.
Downsides.
Useless german satnav, and no light in the boot. A bit mean for the top of the range shopping trolley. Tiny rev counter the same size as the fuel gauge!!
In current cold weather I’m missing the Quickclear heated windscreens that Fords have. It should be available on all cars now the Ford patents are expired. I think they are a safety “must have”. Will probably replace the Up with a Fiesta eventually just for that feature
Bought it as a shopping trolley to be easy to get out of in supermarket car parks. The only car narrower at the time was a Hyundai i10. Now it’s the car that gets most use in the family.
Very economical. It’s a good car I would recommend to anyone.
Excellent car for long distances also
It is the 75HP model. It is underpowered on hills. I don’t find the lack of power a handicap when joining fast roads, you just have to give it full revs.
I echo the comments about the handbrake sticking. Seems to be an issue especially after a car wash. I had to hit the rear drum with a hammer once to free the brakes off.
I have found first gear balking on occasions. Dashboard some time tells me the rear seat occupants don’t have their seat belts fastened..when there is no-one in the rear seats. Indy garage couldn’t fix it.
Downsides.
Useless german satnav, and no light in the boot. A bit mean for the top of the range shopping trolley. Tiny rev counter the same size as the fuel gauge!!
In current cold weather I’m missing the Quickclear heated windscreens that Fords have. It should be available on all cars now the Ford patents are expired. I think they are a safety “must have”. Will probably replace the Up with a Fiesta eventually just for that feature
The Cardinal said:
Thanks for the insights and suggestions everyone.
We live in Bristol's centre and a hybrid does work well for us, but the cars are generally either bigger or more expensive than something like the Up. My wife also tends to like VAG models and we have a really good indy locally.
I suppose other cars to consider would be from the next size up - Fabia, Polo etc - but I wouldn't want to go as far as Prius or Insight size.
It's a shame that we have a diesel ban coming in for Bristol. My in-laws are looking to change their '14 plate Golf MK7 GT TDI due to ULEZ in London. I know diesel would be a terrible idea for our low mileage, but it would have been a decent car available at mates-rates!!
The CRZ is a Hybrid & they're small.We live in Bristol's centre and a hybrid does work well for us, but the cars are generally either bigger or more expensive than something like the Up. My wife also tends to like VAG models and we have a really good indy locally.
I suppose other cars to consider would be from the next size up - Fabia, Polo etc - but I wouldn't want to go as far as Prius or Insight size.
It's a shame that we have a diesel ban coming in for Bristol. My in-laws are looking to change their '14 plate Golf MK7 GT TDI due to ULEZ in London. I know diesel would be a terrible idea for our low mileage, but it would have been a decent car available at mates-rates!!
something a little different.
,
my son has just inherited a i10 1.2 premier 2014.
.
it has a lovely smooth 5 speed box,
86hp
4 cylinder.
so far (he is learning to drive in it) we have averaged 46.7mpg
£30 VED.
blue tooth, turning lights, a/c 14" alloys (so nice cheap tyres currently uses £60 cross climates)
leather steering wheel and gearknob
5 year warranty..
5 door
also superb turning circle compared to my 2015 civic
.
,
my son has just inherited a i10 1.2 premier 2014.
.
it has a lovely smooth 5 speed box,
86hp
4 cylinder.
so far (he is learning to drive in it) we have averaged 46.7mpg
£30 VED.
blue tooth, turning lights, a/c 14" alloys (so nice cheap tyres currently uses £60 cross climates)
leather steering wheel and gearknob
5 year warranty..
5 door
also superb turning circle compared to my 2015 civic
.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
for a 1.2 from a dealer. the 1 litre version will be cheaper....
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
for a 1litre with 3,000 miles from a dealer. £5k
.
anything 2015 age...will still have some warranty from the manufacturer (5 year)
.
noticed your 2016 up in the original post had 49k .
I found a 2017 i10 1 litre 68hp white for 5k from a dealer. with similar mileage so prices seem to compare well. guess you're not paying for the badge.
for a 1.2 from a dealer. the 1 litre version will be cheaper....
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
for a 1litre with 3,000 miles from a dealer. £5k
.
anything 2015 age...will still have some warranty from the manufacturer (5 year)
.
noticed your 2016 up in the original post had 49k .
I found a 2017 i10 1 litre 68hp white for 5k from a dealer. with similar mileage so prices seem to compare well. guess you're not paying for the badge.
Edited by PAUL RUN on Friday 13th December 15:14
Edited by PAUL RUN on Friday 13th December 15:54
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