The only way is up!

Volkswagen’s new super-mini is climbing high up the charts already. Once he got capacious hands on it, GreenFleet’s Roland Rendell couldn’t help but be impressed with its size, and to spice things up a bit has hidden eight song titles containing the word ‘up’ in his review. Email them over to the man himself - rendell@greenfleet.net - and you could be in with a chance of winning a Garmin Sat Nav.

The 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show saw the first up! revealed to the industry, and it was designed as a rear-engine super-mini, with rear wheel drive. Volkswagen were eyeing the iQ from Toyota, as well as the overall number one slot, as the world’s biggest automobile producer, and they were attempting to take a Golf, and wrap it ip in city car sizing. With its introduction to the market five years later, has it achieved any of the above?

I had the 1.0 litre 60PS 3 door model delivered, and the model is a Move up!. A lap of honour in the little beast, and I can see that the design is distinctly Volkswagen, with a very nice back end. The tinted glass appears to continue down to the top of the bumper, which gives the impression of it being a lot more open. This means the German marque has ditched the rear-engine idea and reverted to type. Apparently, to continue with the original idea would have required significant additional investment, meaning that the OTR price would be vastly inflated as a result.

Being shown the door
Being of considerably larger-than-average build, as usual I approach the door with some scepticism in terms of being able to actually get in comfortably. The word up in Milton Keynes (VW head office) is that this has one of the biggest interiors of any vehicle in its class. I begin to open the small barn door, and could honestly not believe its size -  it was huge. In I jump (relieved). After shutting the door, I promptly opened it again, just to see if my eyes were deceiving me, but no. It’s massive.

So, as is the norm, I reach under the seat to adjust it to its furthest back. Again, I am blown away. Only once before, in a huge Skoda Superb estate, have I ever had to then drag the seat forward again because my feet are not placed correctly on the pedals, and my arms are too straight. But this little lady has caused me to do the same. Phenomenal.

VW have  gone for the leather-look upholstery in this model, and there is a nice leather trim on the three-spoked steering wheel and gear stick. The flattened bottom on the steering wheel is designed to avoid a clash with your knees when negotiating severe turns.

Above, on the top of the dashboard, is where Volkswagen are really trying to stir it up in terms of driver assistance. It’s optional on this model, but I was pleased to see this small 5” screen looking back at me. Called Maps & More, it features voice-activated portable infotainment. It responds to spoken voice commands for navigation, CD, radio functions and Bluetooth phone functions. The thing is, will it understand Essex-speak? Also, is it nectar to a potential thief?

I look down to my right and can’t help but notice that should I want to, I cannot open or close the passenger side window, with the ‘leccy-window switch. It’s not there. Straight up, it’s on the other door only! I know they are economising, but really?

Start stop as standard
I start it up and ease away, nice and smoothly. I find you need to rev quite highly before it bites, but that it’s able to achieve higher revs between gear changes. I turn up the radio, and soon find myself buzzing along quite nicely. It’s rush hour, so it’s all a bit hectic, and a bit Start/Stop, which comes as standard.

The Touchscreen display gives live readings in terms of MPG, etc. This model is supposed to achieve 50.4 mpg on urban drives. I didn’t achieve anywhere near that on my first drive, but later on in the week, once I had the hang of the engine and gear changing, I managed the very high 49’s.

Upon arriving back home to my ‘dinner in the dog’, I realise that the usual scrap for parking spaces (an on-going battle with the neighbours) is negated. At a diminutive 3.54m in length, it’s very easy to park. I lept out with no cramped up fibres to shake out thanks to the super-spacious cabin. Taller occupants might struggle in the back, but two average-sized adults can be accommodated well enough for a short sprint across town. There’s even space for a few hands full of luggage; the small but surprisingly deep boot has a class-leading 251-litre capacity.

Over the rest of the week, I put the up! through some varying road types and I must say, for drivers patient enough to avoid the red end of the revcounter there are significant financial advantages. If your daily work routine involves driving in and out of towns or cities, it’s very good. On a longer, steady run, we’re up where we belong, as the 72.4 mpg combined figure is again achievable once you get to know your new four-wheeled friend.

Despite its tiny three-cylinder engine, the up! fails to dip below the 100g/km CO2 tax threshold unless you opt for the 96g/km BlueMotion Technology model. Again, Volkswagen point to the fact that the bolder engineering ideas originally contained in the car were jettisoned to ensure profitability. But, at 105g/km, it certainly could be worse, so let’s see of the slight compromise is actually reflected in the pricing structure.

The model is offered in three trim levels: Take up!, Move up! and High up!. Starting from around £8,000, the base and mid-spec cars are only available with the 59bhp motor, but regardless they make for tempting acquisitions, even compared to value-focused Korean rivals.

In summary, this is a cracking little motor. It’s massive inside, has pretty much real-world economy figures and will leave you feeling that you know the car like a friend. It comes with a three year, 60,000 mile warranty, but at the end of the three year relationship, you may well find yourself saying: Never Gonna Give You Up. If you ask me, VW’s latest offering is a chart topper.