Three-pot engine a cracker in Up!dated VW city car
Not so silly, however, is this great little car which, having made its original debut in 2011, has recently been updated with a slightly revised exterior enhancement and a new three cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which is an absolute cracker of a thing and which has made the car an entirely different proposition than previously.
Now you should all know by now that we here at Examiner Motoring just love small cars. There is something about the essential wheel-at-each-corner design of most small cars which makes them alluring to drive because they handle so well.
Ally that characteristic to those of the genre which are fitted with any sort of a decent engine and not alone will you have something which is not only cheap to purchase and run, but also terribly practical for the modern lifestyle owner and — for those of us who thrive on such things — really great to drive.
And this engine is a very good example of how to extrapolate the maximum from a chassis and engine combo. This 90 bhp unit exhibits all the joie de vivre a three pot engine should; it has a lovely thrummy soundtrack and seems to want to rev its way to heaven any chance it gets.
The naked facts show it to have a 9.9 second 0-100 kph time, a top speed of 185 kph (and decent economy and emission quantities too), but the figures do not reveal the full story of the willingness and enthusiasm this thing has by the yard. It simply wants to be driven — and the harder the better.
The 1.0 TSI might seem to some plebs to be the sort of undernourished and paltry engine which is only suitable for idiots and lesser mortals, but believe me the amount of fun you can have with this thing is very much more than the estimated sum of its parts. It is fantastic.
Ride and handling are top notch too, although the former might be a bit firm for rear seat passengers when the driver has the bit between his or her teeth.
Even so, the manner in which this thing corners is astonishing and the tenacious way it goes about its business will be a joy to anyone who gets their kicks from that sort of thing — like me.
VW has also adopted a multi-personalisation vibe for the Up! and there are various paint schemes, decal applications, interior colour codings and alloy wheel choices to make your head spin. The High Up! specification pack too is very comprehensive and includes 16” alloys, leather steering wheel, cruise control, and air con amongst other things.
The interior too is a nice place to be and the seats are very comfortable. I did have an issue with the brittle looking mount for your smartphone which allows it to integrate itself with all the infotainment workings, but other than that I had few quibbles.
Ok, so it is a car with a silly name, but now they’ve installed this great new engine in it, it has transformed a previously good but workaday thing into a beast of a different colour altogether.
