Volkswagen Up 1.0 90Ps Up Beats 5Dr Petrol Hatchback

Driving Experience

Under the bonnet, the main news for up! buyers is the addition of an extra three cylinder petrol engine to the range, a pokier 1.0-litre TSI turbo unit with 90PS on tap. This sells alongside the existing normally aspirated 1.0-litre powerplants most customers will continue to want, these generating either 60 or 75PS. These feature a characteristic offbeat rasp that isn't unpleasant and rather suits this car's rather individual charisma. You'll certainly be hearing plenty of the volume engines if rapid progress is needed, for without a turbocharger to boost torque, the 60 or 75PS units need to be revved quite a bit, peak power not arriving until 6,000rpm, only 600rpm shy of the red line. Most will be content with the base 60PS version, capable as it is of sixty in 14.4s on the way to 99mph, quite enough to keep up with the traffic. I'm not sure I'd see the point of finding a lot more money for the 75PS variant, given that the performance gains are relatively slight (0-60mph in 13.2s on the way to 106mph). The 1.0 TSI turbo would be a fun choice though, offering performance that Volkswagen says is comparable to that provided by the first generation Golf GTI. In its ultimate 115PS form, it powers the fun GTI hot hatch version. The especially frugally-minded will be interested to try the full-electric e-up! version which has a battery powerplant capable of putting out the equivalent of 82PS.

Cost of Ownership

Any citycar stands or falls on its ongoing costs and here, the up! looks to have all its bases covered. Thanks in part to a low kerb weight of well under a tonne, even the 75PS 1.0-litre models will return a combined fuel economy figure of 60.1mpg with emissions pegged at 108g/km. Opt, as most people will, for the 60PS engine and the figures are better again, at 62.8mpg and 105g/km. Those looking for better economy still will be drawn inexorably to the BlueMotion Technology model which features low rolling resistance tyres, a battery regeneration system and a stop start system that cuts the engine when you don't need it in traffic or at the lights. As a result, it can return an impressive 68.9mpg on the combined cycle and emit just 96g/km of carbon dioxide. With a 35-litre fuel tank, this means that this variant has a theoretical driving range of as much as 530 miles. With this kind of showing, it's obvious why diesel versions of this car aren't offered. Even the 1.0 TSI will give you a tax-friendly 102g/km CO2 reading. If you really want to minimise your running costs, then you'll want to look at the e-up! full electric version. A standard full charge will give you 93 miles of range and takes less than nine hours from a standard 230-Volt, 2.3 kW household socket. On top of this, all e-up!s have a DC fast-charging circuit as standard. Using the Combined Charging System (CCS), this enables a flat battery to be charged to 80 per cent in 30 minutes, at levels of up to 40 kW using a DC supply.

By Jonathan Crouch

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