Volkswagen up! 2013: Road Test

Volkswagen certainly opted for substance over style when it concocted its up! micro car.

Where other cars that delve into the sub-$15,000 class aim for a cheeky, arresting look, the up! is conservative in a manner consistent with the brand. And while Volkswagen may not necessarily promote it, the new car has “premium” written all over it – within the parameters of the boggo, absolute entry-level new-car category of course.

It may not come across as a premium product after a first inspection, but some time living with the up! reveals the depth that has gone into its design to separate it from other cars in the micro class.

This early in the test might sound as if we are jumping the gun on the new VW just a little, but it doesn’t really take all that long to put the up! into perspective.

It might be lacking the funkiness that normally prevails in this youth-oriented segment, but it stands up pretty nicely when you look at issues such as safety, quality, performance and eco credentials.

And while it’s tiny for a VW, it is not the smallest in the class; Suzuki’s Alto, for example, is a tad smaller in all directions, although the depth of design that has gone into the up! means that even if it starts at the same kerb weight as the five-door only Japanese car, the latter gets heavier as the specification improves.

Yet the Volkswagen employs what are basically common technologies in terms of weight saving: It is all to do with the mix of metals used to make up the bulk of its structure (8.1 per cent tough hot-formed steel, 39.3 ultra high-strength steels, 17.2 per cent high-strength steels and 24.9 per cent conventional steels), which ends up boasting a super-stiff 19,800Nm/degree torsional rigidity reading claimed by the company to set new standards in the class.

The light weight is complemented by the efficient, slightly long-stroke 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine which turns out a respectable 55kW at 6200rpm, and 95Nm of torque between 3000rpm and 4300rpm. Veering away from current VW trends, the engine is normally aspirated, not turbocharged.

Thoughts of a micro light, three-cylinder car wrapped in little more than a body able to keep the rain out are dispelled after a short time in the mini Volkswagen. In three-door form as tested here, the up! feels solid, both in the ways the doors thump shut, and the taut on-road behaviour. The interior presents pretty much in expected VW fashion with good-quality trim and tidy fit/finish, although there are no soft-touch surfaces, no damped grab handles and the dash presentation is basic to say the least. Surprisingly, given the car’s target market, there’s a lack of general cubby spaces while, perhaps less surprisingly, Bluetooth connectivity is optional.

Indicators of where this car fits in the VW hierarchy can also be found in the height-only steering wheel adjustment, although the driver’s seat can be ratcheted up and down over a range sufficient to suit most people and the driving position brings no complaints.

While even a big German customer will find plenty of seat adjustment up front, the likelihood of major compromise just to fit a couple of passengers in the back is very high. The front seats, with built-in head restraints, are comfortable even on a long cruise – not always a given on any car, let alone one as small as the up!.

The boot looks tiny until you remove the upper panel of the two-level floor and make the most of the 251 litres available. The designers even managed to find space for a full-size spare underneath.

Delving into what is probably the car’s most relevant antecedent reveals the up! occupies similar road space to the original beetle apart from being a bit shorter (mainly to do with a lack of front and rear overhang) and wider. The wheelbase is essentially the same, and kerb weight is only 40kg or so heavier.

The little atmo engine, apart from its three-cylinder beat, is surprisingly smooth and has little trouble propelling the 880kg up!. In fact it’s surprisingly quick, given the lack of any turbo encouragement, and only starts to reveal its milk-carton capacity when a full load is piled on board.

Otherwise the up! zips along with a surprising turn of speed in traffic and easily holds pace on long uphill gradients. We’ve driven plenty of much bigger cars with much larger engines that struggle to maintain speed on roller-coaster hills. The engine is working at a bit under 3000rpm at 100km/h in fifth gear – just into the torque band – but it doesn’t feel busy and isn’t noisy. Handy in passing manoeuvres, the 6000rpm red line comes more quickly than would normally be expected of a small atmo engine.

The up! not only manages comfortably where a bit of reserve power is needed; it also proceeds with commendable quietness in terms of road and wind noise. With quick, nicely weighted steering and a sense of stability at speed, there’s no great feeling of being aboard a bottom-rung car.

It is frugal too. On test we recorded 4.2L/100km overall, which bettered the official combined figure of 4.9L/100km and didn’t appear to be unduly affected in the bump and grind of heavy city traffic. The downside is that the up! demands a diet of premium unleaded fuel – although the tiny tank’s 35-litre capacity should minimise bowser shock. The CO2 figure, at 114g/km, should satisfy the inner conservationist too.

The suspension absorbs road shocks comfortably, although there’s no getting away from the fore-aft pitch that is a given with such a short wheelbase. The up! may be more generous in this respect than some of its peers, but 2407mm between the front and rear axles is still not enough to give a limousine-style ride.

Probably the only downside to the three-cylinder drivetrain is the continuous subdued chatter that accompanies the up! wherever it goes. This has nothing to do with the inherent smoothness of the engine – it does not need the commonly-used balancer shaft to counteract natural vibrations – but detracts a bit from what would otherwise be a refined drive experience.

The five-speed manual gearbox (no auto available yet) spreads the ratios nicely to avoid the up! falling into yawning gaps between gears and the action is light, quick and precise, with a smooth clutch providing dignified up or downshifts. In mind of the car’s demographics, hill-start assist is standard.

To keep the prices down, Volkswagen has limited the standard gear – cruise control is optional, for example – although it has taken a big step in safety with the stock fitment of City Emergency Braking on all versions. Similar to Volvo’s City Safety system, VW’s system reads traffic conditions ahead of the car and will intervene to apply the brakes autonomously if the driver doesn’t respond quickly if a developing situation occurs. It works at speeds between five km/h and 30km/h and is able to reduce the severity of – or avoid entirely – a crash.

All this adds to a full five-star safety rating for the up! and complements the usual roll call of stability control, anti-lock brakes, traction control, front and side/head airbags and impact-absorbing construction.

As mentioned, standard gear is pretty restrained. It includes steel 14-inch wheels, six-speaker radio with single CD player, air-conditioning, daytime running lights, heated and powered side mirrors and power front windows.

The options list is pretty extensive and includes a panoramic glass sunroof, the Maps + More infotainment system featuring satellite navigation, and Bluetooth via a removable touch-screen that slots onto the top of the dash.

There are two option packs as well: Comfort Drive which is tagged at $600 and includes cruise control, a multi-function display incorporating outside temperature reading, park distance sensors and a trip computer, and Comfort Style which, at $2500 extra, includes 15-inch alloys, leather-trimmed steering wheel, leatherette upholstery, heated front seats and floor mats.

So, like its upmarket Euro contemporaries, this entrant into the arena of basic motoring still offers buyers the opportunity of drastically increasing the spend by ticking off the options at purchase time.

Finally we have only two questions to ask:

One; is the up! up to the task of attracting buyers into the entry-level new car market?

And, two; is the Pope a Catholic?

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