By: Jason Woosey
With Volkswagen's fancy ambitions shining through in just about every product it creates nowadays, it's easy to forget that its very name means "peoples' cars" and that its brand was built upon no-frills products like the original Beetle and first-generation Golf.
The Up! is VW's most recent attempt at making a car for the masses and after a delay of more than three years, due to the local pricing equation just not working out, it has just pounced onto South African shores with the aim of adding some modern spice to the company's small car menu.
The fully-imported Up! is not here to replace the locally-made Polo Vivo . Rather the more funky little tyke slots just below its long-lived sibling with a starting price of R133 500, undercutting the Vivo's entry point by just over ten grand.
It's also quite a bit smaller, its 3.45 metre length making the Up! 45cm shorter than the Vivo, and in case that wasn't enough to avoid product cannibalisation, VW will be offering the Up! in three-door form only, for now at least. Buyers abroad have a more practical five-door option, although it doesn't look quite as cheeky as the three-door.
The car's pert design embraces the 'wheel at each corner' recipe, with short overhangs and a long-for-its-size 2.42 metre wheelbase that makes the little Veedub a tad roomier than its size would suggest. Rear legroom is not exactly ample, but I was reasonably comfortable sitting behind my driving position.
From the helm, the cabin has a rather minimalist design that oozes Beetle-like charm and there isn't really any faulting the tactile quality of the surfaces, at least not at this price level. The layout also proved rather user-friendly, placing your audio and climate controls high up and within easy reach.
What's more, designers were mindful of the target audience's shopping habits as the 251 litre boot capacity is unusually generous for a city car and even comes close to matching the Polo Vivo. The Up! manages to be relatively roomy on all fronts then, while still remaining small and light.
LIGHT AND AGILE
Tipping the scales at just 819kg means the Up doesn't need the world's biggest, baddest engine to keep up with the fast-paced world around it. Little surprise then that it comes with a lightweight 1-litre, 12-valve, three-cylinder engine, which drives the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. The normally aspirated engine delivers 55kW at 6200rpm and 95Nm at 3000 to 4300rpm and VW claims a 13.2 second 0-100km/h sprint and 171km/h top speed, but perhaps the most important number is its claimed average consumption of 4.7 litres per 100km.
I got some wheel time in and around Cape Town on Tuesday and found the performance to be reasonably enthusiastic for an entry-level car, provided you're willing to stir the gearbox, but I'm not sure whether you'll avoid shouting 'Hurry Up!' when driving it at altitude.
The launch route allowed us to chuck it through some nice flowing bends and here the Up! proved grippy and even a bit entertaining, as the steering feels weighty and communicative at speed. The suspension also dished up a rather cushy ride.
TWO GRADES
Talking comfort, there are two grades to choose between (Take up! and Move up!) and the former sticks to the basics by limiting your luxuries to air conditioning, remote central locking and a height-adjustable steering wheel. There's no compromising on safety kit though, with all models packing four airbags - front and side head/thorax - as well as ABS brakes.
If you don't feel like taking up the cheapest model, the Move up! lives up to its name by adding electric front windows, a CD/MP3 sound system with two loudspeakers, height-adjustable driver's seat and electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors. If you're constantly shuttling rear passengers, the 'easy entry' sliding seats are another draw card to the top model.
Colour-coded door mirrors and handles distinguish the Move up! visually and while both come fitted with 14-inch steel wheels with plastic covers, you can order the Move Up! with 15-inch 'Waffle' alloy wheels. On that subject, there is a fairly meaty optional packages list where you can blow your budget on an upgraded sound system, cruise control, parking aids, heated seats and a panoramic sunroof, among other items.
None of the models can be equipped with built-in Bluetooth or a USB port, although a plug-in Bluetooth is available as a dealer accessory. You'll also have to pay extra for a service plan, although VW says parts pricing will at least very highly competitive.
While not priced at the bottom end of the spectrum - VW says its safety and quality standards prevail here - the Up! is aimed at younger and first-time buyers. They just didn't go as far as calling it the Grow Up!
PRICES
1.0 MPI Take up! - R133 500
1.0 MPI Move up! - R140 500