VW Up!

Danial

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Hi All,

For context, I'm 31 and I've never owned a car - but I do love driving, go figure. My wife and I currently live in a city centre, hence never needing a car (or rather seeing the point of owning one). But we are looking to move out to the countryside soon and would like a small, cheap, but reliable car that gets good miles per gallon and has low running costs. We will occasionally use it for longer trips (i.e. going out on motorways), but it'll mostly be used for the weekly shop, exploring the surrounding area, etc. All my research so far has pointed me to the VW Up!, plus I seem to have an affiliation for VWs in general.

So, does anyone have any experience with the VW Up!? Other than the ridiculous fact it has a form of punctuation in its name, what are the things I should be aware of with this car? Are there any alternatives I should be considering?

Cheers!
 
Well you will we’ll out of place in an up. Try a golf which will be far more pleasant and not much more mpg wise.
 
Well you will we’ll out of place in an up. Try a golf which will be far more pleasant and not much more mpg wise.
Out of place how? The problem with a golf is they’re not as cheap (to buy or run) - should have said my budget is £6k.
 
VW group also includes Skoda and Seat, and they have very similar models in their ranges.
Similar sized alternatives include Fiat 500, Ford Ka, and Vauxhall Meriva.
 
I had an UP! for a week as a courtesy car and I found it too small (I'm 6ft2) too small for shopping also (household of 3) underpowered which equalled it to being very bad on fuel. The area I lived in at that time had quite a few hills around thus making it a chore to go anywhere really.

Now, I used my friends fiesta eco boost and that was a much better car. Coupled with the fact fords and Vauxhalls are usually always cheaper to put right if they go wrong.
 
My neighbour has one. She's a carer so is out and about in it all day long. She never has any problems with it and it has never let her down. Unlike her previous car a Vauxhall Corsa. That was constantly going wrong.

Her Up! has a little satnav that sits up on top of the dash. Not sure if that's an extra or standard, but she uses it whenever she has to visit a new client with an unfamiliar address. Surprised to find a built in satnav in such a small car. At least I think it's built in. It's quite a strange layout.
 
I had an UP! for a week as a courtesy car and I found it too small (I'm 6ft2) too small for shopping also (household of 3) underpowered which equalled it to being very bad on fuel. The area I lived in at that time had quite a few hills around thus making it a chore to go anywhere really.

Now, I used my friends fiesta eco boost and that was a much better car. Coupled with the fact fords and Vauxhalls are usually always cheaper to put right if they go wrong.
I'm 5ft 8 so that may be a less of an issue for me - I have read the base model can be rather underpowered and the turbocharged engine is better, but then again that'll affect fuel economy.

I did think about a Ford Fiesta, I'll take another look!
 
My neighbour has one. She's a carer so is out and about in it all day long. She never has any problems with it and it has never let her down. Unlike her previous car a Vauxhall Corsa. That was constantly going wrong.

Her Up! has a little satnav that sits up on top of the dash. Not sure if that's an extra or standard, but she uses it whenever she has to visit a new client with an unfamiliar address. Surprised to find a built in satnav in such a small car. At least I think it's built in. It's quite a strange layout.
That's an 'upgrade' but not built in sat nav, it's basically a holder for your smart phone, which if you download their app it integrates into the car's system. Pretty neat solution as I always use my iPhone and Google Maps anyway.
 
I’d also consider the Peugeot 108 Citroen c1 and Toyota aygo, they are all built in the same factory by Toyota, I’ve taken a few test drives in the Toyota triplets and the VW up, really there the same cars, a lot of room in the front, amazing all round visibility in the triplets, the main downsides are lack of boot space and they all have budget gearboxes, not as smooth as super mini gearboxes, they all were stable at 70 on a dual carriageway, no problem keeping cruising along, but at low speed when pulling away they lack torque/power, what I mean by that is when approaching a junction or roundabout, and you haven’t completely stopped, doing say 10mph and you have a gap , if you pull away in second, it’s really lacking any go, but if you’ve stopped or slow enough for first gear, it’s fine accelerating, although there’s a junction I use a lot that has a very tight bend joining a 70mph dual carriageway, I’d plan a route avoiding it if I owned a triplet or a UP!.

Well worth taking a test drive in the cars from a main dealer, especially if they are doing unaccompanied test drives, Toyota were a month ago.
 
I’d also consider the Peugeot 108 Citroen c1 and Toyota aygo, they are all built in the same factory by Toyota, I’ve taken a few test drives in the Toyota triplets and the VW up, really there the same cars, a lot of room in the front, amazing all round visibility in the triplets, the main downsides are lack of boot space and they all have budget gearboxes, not as smooth as super mini gearboxes, they all were stable at 70 on a dual carriageway, no problem keeping cruising along, but at low speed when pulling away they lack torque/power, what I mean by that is when approaching a junction or roundabout, and you haven’t completely stopped, doing say 10mph and you have a gap , if you pull away in second, it’s really lacking any go, but if you’ve stopped or slow enough for first gear, it’s fine accelerating, although there’s a junction I use a lot that has a very tight bend joining a 70mph dual carriageway, I’d plan a route avoiding it if I owned a triplet or a UP!.

Well worth taking a test drive in the cars from a main dealer, especially if they are doing unaccompanied test drives, Toyota were a month ago.
Peugeot, Citroën and Toyota versions are practically the same. The VW up as far as I'm aware isn't as like all VW built in Germany (though VAG have the Seat Mii which is the same)
 
That's an 'upgrade' but not built in sat nav, it's basically a holder for your smart phone, which if you download their app it integrates into the car's system. Pretty neat solution as I always use my iPhone and Google Maps anyway.
Ah right. I did wonder.
I don't think she uses her phone though as she leaves this satnav in the car 100% of the time. She must be using something else in the holder.
 
Peugeot, Citroën and Toyota versions are practically the same. The VW up as far as I'm aware isn't as like all VW built in Germany (though VAG have the Seat Mii which is the same)
Yes there only styling differences between the Citroen/Peugeot/aygo, there all Toyotas so should be very reliable.

The UP, seat mii,Skoda Citigo, are all made by Skoda, with again just styling differences, and I agree they are city cars, and there’s a marked difference between them and a super mini, but to be fair there’s also a marked difference in price.

I would highly recommend test drives to see if the OP likes them, having said all that the 3 cylinder engine sounds great and it’s a hoot to drive, round town except for pulling away in the Toyota versions, it’s like having a automatic, just use second and it’s great.
 
I've driven the Up!, Polo and Fiesta as courtesy cars over the years.
My main car is an old Golf GTi.

The Up! is a fun car - it doesn't have the pick up of my Golf but it is more than adequate for most driving. The only time you will really feel any issue is trying to dash down a short slip road or pull into a small gap when the small engine really needs to be revved and even then won't accelerate as hard as you might like. It felt fine at 70mph on the dual carriageway and the mpg is lovely.
It's not a large car, the boot is little and you get 4 people in it not 5 as you would in the Polo or Fiesta. If you plan on doing an IKEA shop or picking up stuff at B&Q you'll find it too little ;)
My mechanic suggested the Skoda Citygo or the Seat Mii as being equally good just cheaper to buy. They are all VAG cars and are essentially different styling and badges.

The Polo feels a bit more grown up. You get a bigger boot and capacity for 5 passengers not 4 in the Up! Again the smaller engine one feels a bit strained if you really push hard but it's fine for every day driving.
My daughter recently got a Polo Match Edition which is very nice to drive with the higher powered 1.2 engine - cruise control, Apple car play - we drove Norfolk to Durham and back and it felt fine the whole way. Seats not quite as comfy as my Golf but no complaints about anything really.

Finally I had the ecoboost fiesta for a few days. I wasn't a fan of the control layout but the car felt good to drive and had enough poke. In a lot of ways it felt more luxurious than the VWs.
That particular car was written off by a third party while in the hands of another customer. Tellingly my mechanic sold his old '57 plate Yaris and Auris courtesy cars (not recommended by me at all) after recovering the wreck. He said the airbags and safety features in the Fiesta meant his customer walked away - without them he was concerned it would be an ambulance so he decided he didn't want that on his mind when his customers were out and about.

The Polo, Up! and Fiesta are (or were) run by a small village garage who looks after his own cars and keeps them for years - handing them over to strangers on a daily basis. So he rated them for reliability and fixability.
I asked his opinion of small cars for my daughter and he said to avoid the Ka, 500 and Mini as he regularly (cough) maintains a couple for customers and he thinks he sees them too often.
The Polo (or Seat Ibiza or Skoda Fabia) were his pick of a small car make of that what you will.
 
Yes there only styling differences between the Citroen/Peugeot/aygo, there all Toyotas so should be very reliable.

The UP, seat mii,Skoda Citigo, are all made by Skoda, with again just styling differences, and I agree they are city cars, and there’s a marked difference between them and a super mini, but to be fair there’s also a marked difference in price.

I would highly recommend test drives to see if the OP likes them, having said all that the 3 cylinder engine sounds great and it’s a hoot to drive, round town except for pulling away in the Toyota versions, it’s like having a automatic, just use second and it’s great.
Thanks for your input - I had considered the Aygo, but they seem to be priced at a premium compared to the Up and also look a tad smaller from what I've seen in person. I hadn't realised the Citroen/Peugeot were basically an Aygo with a different skin and had dismissed them because my Dad has had a few French cars and they were a nightmare (not sure why he kept buying them to be honest) - I also find the recent generations pretty ugly in their design!

I do plan on test driving the Up and I'll add the Aygo to my list for comparison.
 
I've driven the Up!, Polo and Fiesta as courtesy cars over the years.
My main car is an old Golf GTi.

The Up! is a fun car - it doesn't have the pick up of my Golf but it is more than adequate for most driving. The only time you will really feel any issue is trying to dash down a short slip road or pull into a small gap when the small engine really needs to be revved and even then won't accelerate as hard as you might like. It felt fine at 70mph on the dual carriageway and the mpg is lovely.
It's not a large car, the boot is little and you get 4 people in it not 5 as you would in the Polo or Fiesta. If you plan on doing an IKEA shop or picking up stuff at B&Q you'll find it too little ;)
My mechanic suggested the Skoda Citygo or the Seat Mii as being equally good just cheaper to buy. They are all VAG cars and are essentially different styling and badges.

The Polo feels a bit more grown up. You get a bigger boot and capacity for 5 passengers not 4 in the Up! Again the smaller engine one feels a bit strained if you really push hard but it's fine for every day driving.
My daughter recently got a Polo Match Edition which is very nice to drive with the higher powered 1.2 engine - cruise control, Apple car play - we drove Norfolk to Durham and back and it felt fine the whole way. Seats not quite as comfy as my Golf but no complaints about anything really.

Finally I had the ecoboost fiesta for a few days. I wasn't a fan of the control layout but the car felt good to drive and had enough poke. In a lot of ways it felt more luxurious than the VWs.
That particular car was written off by a third party while in the hands of another customer. Tellingly my mechanic sold his old '57 plate Yaris and Auris courtesy cars (not recommended by me at all) after recovering the wreck. He said the airbags and safety features in the Fiesta meant his customer walked away - without them he was concerned it would be an ambulance so he decided he didn't want that on his mind when his customers were out and about.

The Polo, Up! and Fiesta are (or were) run by a small village garage who looks after his own cars and keeps them for years - handing them over to strangers on a daily basis. So he rated them for reliability and fixability.
I asked his opinion of small cars for my daughter and he said to avoid the Ka, 500 and Mini as he regularly (cough) maintains a couple for customers and he thinks he sees them too often.
The Polo (or Seat Ibiza or Skoda Fabia) were his pick of a small car make of that what you will.
Thanks, very helpful indeed!

I initially considered a Polo, as my Mum has one and I've driven it a fair bit and like it, but to get an equivalent reg and milage it's not far from being double the price of the Up. I just can't justify the extra spend for my use case, plus the Up will be cheaper to run, maintain, and insure.

Maybe I can find a Up GTI that's reasonably priced for that extra va va voom (for those who remember the old Renault adverts)?
 
Thanks everyone for your input, it's somewhat validated my choice but also provided some food for thought!
 
I’ve got a lot of experience with a VW Up! - my father owns one as his daily run around and I’ve driven it a fair few times.

It’s a very similar drive to a 2013 polo, which I’ve also driven a few times - I.e. easy to drive but little feedback in the pedals/gears.

Driving position is okay, but there’s no forward/backward movement on the steering wheel, so on a long journey, I typically find I’m either too close to the pedals or too far from the steering wheel, and end up hunched over.

Fuel wise, his car, the non turbo 3 cylinder, gets about 45 to the gallon, but we can’t be 100% sure as it doesn’t have a trip computer.


In your position, I would ignore the Up! and go for a 1L eco boost fiesta. I own it, and it’s leagues ahead in comfort, drivability, features and equal on running costs to the Up! - I.e. it’s as good/better in every way.

My long journey MPG on a fiesta at 65 is about 53, as per the trip computer. The most I’ve managed is 63 from Loughborough to Farnborough, mostly though average speed at about 53.


Two features which I couldn’t live without would be cruise control and rear parking sensors

If you do want the up, you’ll want the turbo version at least - otherwise you’ll find you’re constantly changing gear to even get up a hill
 
I’ve got a lot of experience with a VW Up! - my father owns one as his daily run around and I’ve driven it a fair few times.

It’s a very similar drive to a 2013 polo, which I’ve also driven a few times - I.e. easy to drive but little feedback in the pedals/gears.

Driving position is okay, but there’s no forward/backward movement on the steering wheel, so on a long journey, I typically find I’m either too close to the pedals or too far from the steering wheel, and end up hunched over.

Fuel wise, his car, the non turbo 3 cylinder, gets about 45 to the gallon, but we can’t be 100% sure as it doesn’t have a trip computer.


In your position, I would ignore the Up! and go for a 1L eco boost fiesta. I own it, and it’s leagues ahead in comfort, drivability, features and equal on running costs to the Up! - I.e. it’s as good/better in every way.

My long journey MPG on a fiesta at 65 is about 53, as per the trip computer. The most I’ve managed is 63 from Loughborough to Farnborough, mostly though average speed at about 53.


Two features which I couldn’t live without would be cruise control and rear parking sensors

If you do want the up, you’ll want the turbo version at least - otherwise you’ll find you’re constantly changing gear to even get up a hill
Thanks for this, again another very helpful response!

You're not the first to suggest the Fiesta Ecoboost, so I'll add it to my test drive list. I wasn't considering it before because it feels to me its in the category above the Up and therefore comes at a price premium. Although I recognise the MPG is slightly better.

Personally, I don't like parking sensors (and are they really needed for such a small car?) and never use cruise control. In fact, the less features the better in my opinion - less to go wrong. All I want is a/c, electric windows and mirrors, central locking, and split folding rear seats.

The turbo Up! does sound like the version I should be considering if I do go that route though.
 
The turbo Up! does sound like the version I should be considering if I do go that route though.
Having said that, at current prices the alternatives look more appealing, but above my budget. A test drive is definitely in order!
 
Thanks for this, again another very helpful response!

You're not the first to suggest the Fiesta Ecoboost, so I'll add it to my test drive list. I wasn't considering it before because it feels to me its in the category above the Up and therefore comes at a price premium. Although I recognise the MPG is slightly better.

Personally, I don't like parking sensors (and are they really needed for such a small car?) and never use cruise control. In fact, the less features the better in my opinion - less to go wrong. All I want is a/c, electric windows and mirrors, central locking, and split folding rear seats.

The turbo Up! does sound like the version I should be considering if I do go that route though.

I don’t know where you’re based, but happy to offer a proper test drive in my Fiesta if you’d like?

Im based in Chichester.

It’s going to be out of action for a little while, as someone crashed into me yesterday, and will likely need a new door and repair to the side panel and skirting.
 
I don’t know where you’re based, but happy to offer a proper test drive in my Fiesta if you’d like?

Im based in Chichester.

It’s going to be out of action for a little while, as someone crashed into me yesterday, and will likely need a new door and repair to the side panel and skirting.
That's a very kind offer indeed, unfortunately, I'm based in Sheffield and couldn't be much further away! I do hope you get your car fixed up soon though.
 
Polos do seem to be quite overpriced at the moment. I was looking for one for my daughter before a great deal with a friend dropped in my lap. I could find Golfs that were less money for what looked like similar cars in terms of age and condition.
It's tempting to get hung up on MPG, tax and insurance groups but a fairly small problem can result in a bill that wipes out the difference. An unreliable, cheap car will cost you more in the long run.

I did a total cost of ownership when I last changed my car. I calculated the fuel costs based on the MPG I'd measured and the distance I'd driven in nearly 10yrs. I was surprised by how little it was compared to all the other costs. It certainly helped me to make peace with buying a much faster but only slightly more frugal replacement.

The tax annoys me a lot, but I swallow it because I love driving the car.

I was worrying about insurance for my daughter's polo - she's 17 and has just passed her test so the most expensive to insure. In the end despite her car not being the base engine and having lots of toys it came in under £1000 fully comp. with a black box. I'd been steeling myself for a £1500 bill.

A couple of hundred on the first year's insurance might be worth it dragging up and down Sheffield hills. It can be worth spending a bit more to get a car you enjoy driving. If you live in the countryside you'll find you spend a lot of time in your car.
 
Polos do seem to be quite overpriced at the moment. I was looking for one for my daughter before a great deal with a friend dropped in my lap. I could find Golfs that were less money for what looked like similar cars in terms of age and condition.
It's tempting to get hung up on MPG, tax and insurance groups but a fairly small problem can result in a bill that wipes out the difference. An unreliable, cheap car will cost you more in the long run.

I did a total cost of ownership when I last changed my car. I calculated the fuel costs based on the MPG I'd measured and the distance I'd driven in nearly 10yrs. I was surprised by how little it was compared to all the other costs. It certainly helped me to make peace with buying a much faster but only slightly more frugal replacement.

The tax annoys me a lot, but I swallow it because I love driving the car.

I was worrying about insurance for my daughter's polo - she's 17 and has just passed her test so the most expensive to insure. In the end despite her car not being the base engine and having lots of toys it came in under £1000 fully comp. with a black box. I'd been steeling myself for a £1500 bill.

A couple of hundred on the first year's insurance might be worth it dragging up and down Sheffield hills. It can be worth spending a bit more to get a car you enjoy driving. If you live in the countryside you'll find you spend a lot of time in your car.
Completely agree with this - I'm less fussed by MPG, assuming it remains in a decent ballpark. I also went with the VW Up because I think reliability will be less of an issue and would rather spend extra on a lower milage, newer reg than an older, high milage, but faster car (if that makes sense). Tax for a pre April 2017 Up! is £20/year!

I rented a base Mercedes A Class a couple weeks ago and had a lot of fun (a bit too much, maybe) driving that around the country lanes in Buckinghamshire where I grew up. This is very likely going to be the thing that pushes me to buy a larger/faster car, but will need to balance spending another £5k with buying a house, etc.

if you don't mind me asking, what age/milage did you end up going with for your daughter's Polo and how much was it?
 
if you don't mind me asking, what age/milage did you end up going with for your daughter's Polo and how much was it?

It's a '67 plate with 47K on the clock and full VW service history.
My friend was offered £6800 by VW to hand the car back.
He needed the money in a hurry to secure a deal on an ex-demonstration electric motorcycle.
VW approved would have listed it somewhere around £9500 for doing a valet.
The insurance checkers valued it at £8300, we paid £7500.
My daughter had a practical test booked in a few weeks and an instructor who couldn't fit in any more lessons - my GTi and my partners Mini Cooper S weren't practical for off lesson practice.
So it was a perfect combination of circumstances all around. My mate was happy with the deal, he got the money immediately to secure the bike which was very important as he could have got more on a private sale.

It's a lot more than I'd expected to pay for her first car but it's a very nice car and assuming she drives it carefully will probably see her to her first post university job.

I've had my Golf GTi since November 2013 :)o !) it's had some faults but nothing horrific. Started with 44K on the clock I now have 110K. I wouldn't shy away from buying another VW and I wouldn't worry about an extra year or a few thousand miles either.

Whatever you drive you get used to the power you have and only miss it when you get something slower. I've been impressed by the Up! and Polo from the mechanic at every point except hard acceleration on slip roads when they remind me that the interiors feel the same but the engines aren't.
 

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