Volkswagen Up 2012 Australian launch review

Sitting below the Polo in terms of size, the Volkswagen Up! is sure to earn VW an even greater market share even if it does cost some Polo sales.

VALUE

Volkswagen launched its tiny four-seat Up! this week priced from an amazing $13,990. But by the time you add in the little extras that everyone is going to want, the price soon escalates. For the young, mainly female buyers who are going to be attracted by the Up! that's going to be a real deal breaker.

There’s no Bluetooth which should by rights be standard these days with the increasing proliferation and use of mobile phones even when driving although it's illegal. To get Bluetooth you have to fork out $500 bucks for the clip on satnav system and that makes it an expensive option.

At this point we should also note that despite the price tag the system does not provide speed camera warnings which even the cheapest aftermarket solution offers these days. But the Navigation system, which is the same as many smart phones, does fully integrate with the car and offers many other interesting features.

Metallic paint is $500, satnav is $500, Comfort pack $600 (trip, cruise and rear park sensors), panoramic sunroof $1400 and Comfort style pack $2500 (includes alloys, fake leather, fog lights, leather wheel, shifter and brake lever trim, heated front seats and floor mats).

TECHNOLOGY

It's an old school, 1.0-litre, multi-point injection three pot that produces a modest 55kW of power and 95Nm of torque that's made out of alloy to reduce weight. Direct injection would have been better. Fuel consumption is acclaimed 4.9 litres/100km and it produces 114g/km of CO2, the latter a little more than we expected. We got 5.8 litres/100km during the shortish launch program.

0-100km/h takes a leisurely 13.2 seconds, but it's a livelier than that and undeniably fun to drive. No auto offered, but there is one available. It's a 5-speed robotised single clutch manual that from all accounts is awful and that explains its current absence. VW will more than likely quietly add it to the line up later in an effort to minimise any fallout from the media.

DESIGN

A cool looking if rather boxy little hatch, that seems hardly large enough to support the enormous VW badges let alone four grown adults. Built in Slovakia and weighing in at 880kg, it is available in three and five-door guise, the five door will set you back an extra $1000.

Hubcaps are standard but you get a full-size steel spare. If you want alloys you'll have to buy the style $2500 style pack. The contrasting black rear hatch owes a nod to Peugeot's cool little 107. IVW claims this car blends the friendliness of the Beetle with the functionality of the Golf. We'll let you be the judge.
Inside the untrimmed, painted metal surfaces are reminiscent of the Beetle.

SAFETY

The small, city-centric hatch comes with a five star safety rating and laser-guided, automatic braking to prevent rear end collisions. There’s four airbags, front and side but they do not offer any protection for rear seat passengers.

The automatic braking system works up to a speed of 30km/h. There's no guarantees but the laser seeks objects in front that represent a threat and unless you brake, it will eventually do the job for you. It works on cars and to a limited extent moving objects such as pedestrians, provided the surface is reflective.

DRIVING

We spent the day scooting around the city and suburbs of Melbourne. In that environment the car works very well. It's small, manoeuvrable and responsive to the wheel but needs a few revs to illicit a response from the throttle. Being small it's easy to park too.

The clutch action is light and the manual change easy to use, but it will still be a pain if you're caught in traffic. You can even punt the car hard through a corner without coming unstuck, with braking supplied by a combination of disc and drums.

VERDICT

By the time you add in the extras however it may be worthwhile looking at a little further up the food chain where you might find something for around the same price that offers more room and a more powerful engine.

Volkswagen Up

Price: from $13,990
Engine: 1-litre 3-cyl petrol, 55kW/95Nm
Transmission: 5 speed manual
Thirst: 4.5L/100km (95 RON)