Volkswagen Up GTI | Spotted
VW's smallest hot hatch tended to divide opinion in its lifetime - what about now?
The subject of the Up GTI always provoked lively discussion in PH headquarters. Some considered it the best thing Volkswagen had done in years - a lively, fun-loving riposte to a hot hatch segment that had become increasingly staid over the years. Others thought it overrated and not really worthy of the GTI badge its maker had cagey grafted onto the bootlid. Now, two years on from the model’s retirement - leaving the venerable Polo as the entry-level hatchback in VW’s increasingly electrified lineup - it’s probably safe to conclude that both sides of the fence had a valid point.
Though the concept of a souped-up city car was effectively an open goal, VW did itself no real favours with persistent references to the Mk1 Golf GTI. In fairness, this was mostly based on numbers (a German weakness) but from a distance it made it seem like the manufacturer was attempting to confer seminal status on the Up - a reputation it certainly had no right to, either mechanically or spiritually. A common complaint among naysayers was that VW hadn’t applied itself rigorously enough to the car’s development; and that had it done so, a car for the ages might’ve resulted.
Certainly, no one could mistake the GTI’s limitations if you went looking for them. The breathed-on 1.0-litre three-pot was spritely, but its 8.8-second-0-62mph time did betray an obvious handicap when it came to pushing on - one that you rarely encounter in modern hot hatches. Its failure to seem ‘fast’ in that context was at the root of many counter arguments when someone else was moved to describe the flagship Up as the most amusing thing one could do without removing one's trousers beforehand.
Of course, nothing that has happened in the intervening years has alleviated that concern. You’d struggle to build an electric car as slow as the Up GTI. Nevertheless, the arrival of small EVs has also served to highlight just how liberating it was to drive. Sure, there were better and more exciting one-tonne hatchbacks in preceding generations (any stripe of Renaultsport Clio or Twingo is in a different league) but there was something undeniably amusing about giving the Up death in virtually any given circumstance.
Back in 2018, this seemed enlivening enough to easily justify the car’s modest asking price. Today, when we are minded to congratulate a manufacturer for not exceeding two metric tonnes, the GTI’s combination of low weight, low complexity and minuscule size must feel like drinking a glass of Pimms after you’ve been gagging down runny porridge. Who cares about being left at the lights by all and sundry when your prevailing mood is the equivalent of a giant helium balloon?
The Up’s used prices suggest that people’s opinion of the car has stayed similarly buoyant. VW’s shameless price gouging toward the end of the GTI’s life (its cost being heavily inflated with no tangible improvement to its hardware) did put some off - although it does mean that a low mileage example like this one can be had for roughly the same amount you would’ve paid for it at launch. Back then, £13k looked like a bargain for a car endowed with both an old-school sensibility and (some) mod cons. Nowadays? Well, you decide…
SPECIFICATION | VOLKSWAGEN UP GTI
Engine: 999cc, three-cyl turbo
Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 115@5000-5500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 148@2000-3500rpm
MPG: 53
CO2: 121g/km
Year registered: 2018
Recorded mileage: 17,000
Price new: £16,540
Yours for: £13,199
One down side is the slightly oversized alloys. They look great, but mark easily and badly. Also, they are unforgiving on the potholes. I've had to replace three new front tires in the last 18 months that have been destroyed by the roads. Now working on going down a wheel size and keeping the same diameter tire to give more side wall and hopefully a bit more scope for not splitting the side walls when hitting the inevitable crater. Given we are not going to be setting lap records on the Nordschleife every day, it shouldn't affect the overall driving experience.
They're great cars. Basic, but a keeper.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/18282044
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/18282044
I've driven one of these and it has that 'driving your first car at 17 like you stole it kind of enjoyment' whereas I think the cars you'd consider alternatively are more like 'the car you actually wanted when you were 17'.
Did they even bother to have rear arch linings on this "top of the range" Up ?
But FWIW, the up! GTI has beat the Abarth 500 in every comparison I've read or seen.
I think I'd have picked a Swift Sport over one of these personally, but I'd put that down to a personal bias towards Japanese stuff just as much as anything else. Certainly a shame no-one makes anything like this anymore. I'd love for Hyundai to stick a turbo engine and an N badge on the i10...
.I get the Fiesta comparison, but that's a next class up. It's a Polo competitor. It's a bit like saying not to buy a Fiesta, you should buy a Golf.....not if I don't need a Golf sized car or want Golf running costs.
Have heard of owners keeping the stock alloys but upgrading the 195 to 205 width tyres for a bit more resilience. I'm about 1 more puncture away from doing it myself.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/18322170
I think I'd have picked a Swift Sport over one of these personally, but I'd put that down to a personal bias towards Japanese stuff just as much as anything else. Certainly a shame no-one makes anything like this anymore. I'd love for Hyundai to stick a turbo engine and an N badge on the i10...
The only thing that put me off when I had a sit in one was the seats: just standard flattish seats with little support but with the ‘luxury’ of having tartan fabric trim.
I’d probably swap out the drivers seat for something a little more supportive though…
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