The Top Gear car review: Volkswagen Up

Name: Volkswagen Up
Item: UP Hatchback (2012)
Rating: 8
Author: Top Gear

£9,955 – £16,090

Full screen

1/4

8/10

Overall verdict

Will shake up the city car segment and could become a game-changer for the whole class.

For:

Quirky good looks, build quality, honest three-cylinder engine

Against:

Seat and Skoda are doing the same for less

Overview

What is it?

The Up is VW’s smallest new car and an altogether more serious stab at building a proper city car that we’ll actually want to buy. Volkswagen has taken its creation very seriously, and, remarkably, intends this to be its biggest-selling model globally. They’ll sell more of these than the Golf.

But rather than making the Up a scaled-down version of its larger cars – as it has done in the past – the Up takes a much more intelligent approach. It’s this that’s key to its appeal, and is the reason why you may even choose one over a Volkswagen Polo.

Fancy reading a long term review on a Volkswagen Up GTI? Click these blue words.

next: Driving

Title	0–62	CO2	MPG	BHP	Price
The fastest 1.0 115PS Up GTI 3dr	8.8s	110g/km	58.9	115	£15,690
The cheapest 1.0 Take Up 3dr [Start Stop]	14.4s	100g/km		60	£9,955
The greenest 1.0 Beats 5dr	14.9s	100g/km	64.2	60	£13,305