The exciting Volkswagen up! has been an acknowledged leader in the city car class since its launch in 2011.
Setting the pace in its segment, strong sales around the world have underlined its credentials as a lively little car that’s practical, accessible, and fun. A punchy yet frugal three-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol engine offered in one of two states of tune, allied to impressive packaging and smart styling, define the up! and these strengths have all been significantly enhanced in the new-look model.
Opening for order at Volkswagen Retailers nationwide today (21 July), the revised up! boasts a subtly enhanced exterior design, the option of a new 1.0-litre TSI turbocharged engine offering up to 90 PS (available to order from August), and extra equipment as standard. A significantly broader range of exterior colours, decals and roof colours, allied to a large number of interior personalisation options, mean today’s up! can be carefully tailored to a buyer’s precise requirements, too, for the ultimate in city car individualisation.
The four-seat Volkswagen’s exterior changes focus on the front and rear of the car, which is offered in either three- or five-door configuration. The front has a new bumper, which gives the up! a mature look and works with the revised radiator grille and bonnet to give the car a purposeful stance. The Volkswagen roundel is now chrome-on-black, the new LED running lights are an additional styling cue – enhancing safety, too – while the up!’s angular door mirrors and rear bumper has also been redesigned to give the diffuser a dramatic look.
An all-new steering wheel design brings the interior of the up! bang up to date, and is combined with a revised dash that offers exceptional quality in the class. Equipment is upgraded, too. All up! models now include, as a minimum, Volkswagen’s Composition media system, electric front windows and remote central locking. The up! also benefits from new seat cloth options, available in seven different colours, while a new USB port adds connectivity and convenience.
The revised up! range now also includes the new-for-2016 up! Beats model. Created in conjunction with high-end Californian electronics company Beats Audio™, and joining the familiar Take up!, Move up!, and High up! trims, the up! Beats feature a powerful 300-watt seven-speaker sound system, including a potent subwoofer in the boot. External styling cues include bespoke colour combinations, Beats graphics and, depending on the colour of the car, red or black door mirrors. There’s also a subtle Beats badge on the B-pillar. Inside, the up! Beats has a 3D dashpad design, which includes the Beats logo, and a cream coloured interior.
The number of up! exterior paint colour options has increased from 10 to 13 and, of these, seven are new colours including ‘Costa Azul’, ‘Honey Yellow’ and ‘Savanna Gold’. The roof of the new up! can be coloured separately, via the new Roof Pack, in either black, white or ‘Urano Grey’. The Roof Pack also adds colour co-ordinated door mirrors and 65 per cent tinted rear side windows.
The personalisation choices continue with four carefully constructed colour packs. These bring coloured alloy wheels to the up!, and the particular hue is repeated in the door mirrors and the styling decals. The choices are ‘La Boca Goldbeige’, ‘La Boca Hot Orange’, ‘Polygon Fortana Red’, ‘Polygon Black’ or ‘Polygon Sandstorm Yellow’. Additional options are centred on the interior. The High up! is available with five different dash colours, including the striking ‘Pixels Red’ and ‘Pixels Honey Yellow’.
Volkswagen has packed the revised up! with class-leading features that come as standard. The range opens with the Take up!: a car that includes the ‘Composition’ infotainment system, remote central locking, electric front windows and driver’s seat height adjustment. Those features alone are worth around £465 when compared to the equivalent spec on the previous model and yet the list price for the entry-level car is a mere £20 more than before at £8,995 (RRP OTR).
