SMALL VOLKSWAGEN up! REMAINS BIG WINNER FOR WHAT CAR? MAGAZINE

Volkswagen’s compact city car, the up!, has retained its small car crown at the What Car? awards. The accolade was presented last night at a prestigious event held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

The up! was launched last March and has proved a big hit with customers and the media alike since then.  Commenting on the award, Chas Hallett, What Car? editor-in-chief, said: ‘The Volkswagen up! was last year’s Car of the Year because it offers class-leading ride and refinement and is great to drive. Low running costs and strong residuals make it sensational to own.’  Since it arrived on the market the up! has had to face stiff competition from a number of rivals, however, according to What Car? ‘none could match the up!’s sheer talent’.

As well as high quality, high levels of equipment and class-leading ride and refinement, the up! also offers excellent value for money.  Prices start at £8,095 (RRP OTR) for the entry-level Take up!.  What Car?’s chosen model, the High up! 1.0-litre 75 PS three-door, costs £10,665.  Standard equipment on this car includes ABS, four airbags, ESP (with the option to add the award-winning City Emergency Braking system for just £225), alloy wheels, air-conditioning, a variable boot floor, front fog lights, heated front seats and the innovative ‘Maps & More’ mobile Personal Infotainment Device which can be used to manage the car’s navigation, telephone, information and entertainment systems.

All up! models have a refined and economical three-cylinder 1.0-litre engine which produces 60 or 75 PS.  A BlueMotion Technology variant is also offered in combination with both power outputs, giving a combined consumption figure of 68.9 mpg (67.3 mpg with 75 PS) and CO₂ emissions of 95 g/km (98 g/km for 75 PS).  An automatic gearbox option is also available.