APRIL 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 131Our cars
It’s one thing for a car to be great
on a press launch. And it’s another
thing to wow us over the six months
or so of a magazine long-term test.
But to stand up to the scrutiny of
three hard-to-impress CAR readers- well, that’s something quite
separate. But that’s the treatment
we’re giving to the VW Up GTI,
subject of this first in a new series
where our test cars get examined
by three different members of the
great British car-buying public, each
with his or her own perspective and
agenda.
The Up GTI certainly did hit
the spot on that launch. It involved
a combination of heavy traffic
in Monaco and Nice, and some
rally-spec roads nearby. It could
have backfired horribly for a lesser
car, but VW’s confidence was
vindicated. This little three-pot
cube of torque and tartan was
brimming with pure driving
pleasure, but could also cope just
fine with congestion.
And more recently, running an
Up GTI as a long-term test car has
provided twice-daily pleasure, and
excelled on some longer journeys
too. We know it’s not perfect, but it’s
universally liked in the CAR office.
Now, however, it’s time for the GTI
to meet folk from outside the inner
circle of the CAR team.
They are Lawrence Cheung, hot
hatch owner and Japanese car fan;
youthful classic-car enthusiast
Aaron McKay; and walking VW
Group encyclopaedia, dealer
and modifier Andrew Chapple,
the Volkswizard himself. Three
interested parties with three
differing outlooks.
The powertrain immediately
finds favour. McKay says that the
999cc turbocharged triple sounds
quite exotic. ‘I like how it’s not
just exhaust noise – there’s a bit of
turbo whoosh and a bit of valvegear
action. It makes you want to change
gear more, just to play with the
notes. With a snappy gearchange,
you change for the sake of it,
dancing on the pedals even though
you’re just driving between 20 and
40mph.’
There’s general agreement that
the Up is pretty well proportioned:
a wheel in each corner, boxy but not
too tall. And it has the right sporty
details. ‘This is definitely the best
colour for it,’ says Cheung. ‘Plus,
I’d never seen one in three-door
form until now. It looks so much
better than the five-door silver one
I tried once – that rear window line
makes a big difference.’ They’re all
pleasantly surprised that there’s
something resembling room in the
back: better than the Up’s ancestor,
the Lupo, Cheung observes.
But the cabin could be better,
even within the restrictions
imposed by its size. McKay can’t
abide the fat plastic dash cover:
‘That panel on the dashboard is
probably the worst bit about the
interior. It’s the opposite of what I
like about the door panels, where
VW quite rightly decided that
not everything needed covering
with trim.’ And the instruments
make curious use of space, with a
ludicrously large fuel gauge that ⊲VW Up GTI
Month 3The story so far
The fleet’s cute puppy;
everyone who borrows it
comes back with half-signed
adoption paperwork
+Mid-range torque; sound;
nuclear heated seats; Scrappy
Doo handling and charm- Lack of wheel reach; road-
and wind noise on motorways;
flat seats; lumpy ride
Price £14,055 (£15,230 as
tested) Performance 999cc
turbo 3-cyl, 113bhp, 8.8sec
0-62mph, 122mph Efficiency
58.9mpg (official), 45.8mpg
(tested), 129g/km CO2 Energy
cost 13.2p per mile Miles this
month 907 Total miles 3283LogbookTHE VW DISCIPLE
Andrew Chapple, of VW sales-
specialist Volkswizard, knows
his hot VWs inside out and owns
an Up GTI – but, intriguingly, is
selling his. What gives?