Express & Star

First drive: The Volkswagen Up! is the junior GTI we’ve been craving

VW has completed its GTI ‘family’ with a new baby brother – the Up! GTI. Tom Wiltshire heads to Spain to put it through its paces

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What is it?

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What’s new?

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The suspension has been heavily revised and overall the car sits 15mm lower on handsome, 17-inch alloy wheels. The interior gains the classic GTI tartan upholstery, wrapped around comfortable and supportive sports seats.

What’s under the bonnet?

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It’s a peppy engine, with plenty of low-end torque making it relaxing to drive around town. Press on, and the ample in-gear grunt makes faster roads an absolute pleasure – though the amplified engine note piped into the cabin alternates between charming and irritating.

The whole mantra of the Up! GTI isn’t ultimate power and speed – there’s far more pleasure to be had maintaining momentum and having fun within the legal limits. Another perk of this junior hot hatch is running costs – with a quoted fuel economy of 58.9mpg.

What’s it like to drive?

The standard Up! is one of the best-handling city cars on the market, and that supremacy shines through in the GTI. It’s very chuckable thanks to its light weight, and the quick steering – though not endowed with bags of feel – is nicely weighty and accurate.

Push into corners hard and the GTI feels a little softer than some more hardcore offerings in the hot hatch segment. VW’s stopped short of turning this into a true pocket rocket in the name of retaining some everyday usability. It’s a compromise we’re more than happy to make, especially given the car’s compliant ride over rough surfaces – the GTI would make a brilliant daily driver. However, real enthusiasts may hanker for something with a bit less pliancy and a bit more urgency.

How does it look?

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Rivals such as the Renault Twingo GT or Smart ForFour Brabus can’t really match the Up!s ideal proportions and tend to look just a little more awkward on the road. The Up! GTI instead strikes the perfect balance between city car and sports car, with enough performance-inspired touches to look purposeful without becoming a caricature of itself.

What’s it like inside?

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Elsewhere the cabin is standard Up!, which is a good thing – it’s roomy for its size and is packed with premium VW touches. All the controls feel solid and beautifully damped, the dashboard is a model of clarity, and storage is decent, with two cupholders (four in three-door models), good-sized door bins and a deep glovebox.

What’s the spec like?

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There’s climate control, electric front windows, cruise control and rear parking sensors, plus a small infotainment display underneath to control the stereo and other functions.

The GTI tops the Up! range, but it’s remarkably cost-effective to own, with very competitive finance packages making it a compelling buy.

Verdict

We’re big fans of the Up! GTI. Its mixture of perky performance, great handling and fantastic everyday usability makes it an easy choice if you want a fun car without shelling out for a full-sized hot hatchback. It may not be as mature as its Polo and Golf siblings, but it’s all the better for it, with a cheeky personality that’s infectious. It’s far from perfect – the synthesized engine note could begin to grate, and at times we wish it could be just a little more focused, but as a junior hot hatchback, it ticks all the boxes.

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