VOLKSWAGEN UP GTI: FIRST DETAILS
A hot £15,000 Up GTI will go on sale in the UK next year with 114bhp and 147lb ft
The fast and affordable junior Volkswagen hot hatch will return early next year with the arrival of the Up GTI, a 114bhp version of the firm’s city car that packs more power than the original Golf GTI
Unveiled at this week’s GTI fan meet at Lake Wörthersee in Austria, the Up GTI is set to go on sale in early 2018 and is expected to cost from around £15,000.
The new hot hatch arrives well into the latter half of the first-generation Up’s planned seven-year life cycle, providing Volkswagen with its first serious rival to the likes of the Fiat 500 Abarth.
Autocar understands the launch of the Up GTI is the first phase of a programme by Volkswagen to create a larger and more prominent line-up of hot GTI models in future years.
The Up GTI has been developed as a joint project between VW’S regular road car department and its highperformance R division. The new model has been created in the spirit of the original GTI, with an upgraded engine, greater downforce at the rear and revised suspension.
The hot Up will produce 114bhp at 5000rpm courtesy of a turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine. That peak power is a significant 30bhp down on the turbocharged 1.4-litre fourcylinder petrol engine of the Abarth 595.
However, the Up GTI has a kerb weight of 997kg, providing it with a power-to-weight ratio of 114bhp per tonne. It also has a peak torque output of 147lb ft, produced between 2000rpm and 3500rpm.
By comparison, the firstgeneration Golf GTI, launched in 1976, ran a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that delivered 108bhp. But with a kerb weight of 810kg, the Mk1 Golf GTI packed a punchier 133bhp per tonne, although it produced only 104lb ft of torque.
The Up GTI’S engine note is also enhanced by a so-called sound actuator. It provides a synthetically generated exhaust note aimed at enhancing the aural qualities of the 999cc unit.
Power is sent to the front wheels via a closely stacked six-speed manual gearbox. VW claims a 0-62mph time of 8.8sec and a top speed of 122mph. This compares with a 0-62mph time of 9.0sec and a top speed of 113mph for the original Golf GTI.
The hot Up also features retuned Macpherson-strut front and torsion-beam rear suspension with unique spring and damper rates, as well as a 15mm-lower ride height than that of existing regular Ups.
VW claims a 0-62mph time of 8.8sec and a 122mph top speed, outpacing the original Golf GTI
A series of stylistic upgrades transforms the look of the Up, providing it with many of the classic GTI cues used by VW down through the years. These include new front and rear bumper designs, GTI badging, a rear spoiler, foglights and chrome exhaust pipes.
Inside, there is a unique ‘red pixel’ trim within the dashboard, plaid check fabric-upholstered front seats, a black roofliner and a multi-function flat-bottomed steering wheel with red stitching. In addition, there are a number of other unique touches, including GTI insignias within the sill panels, a black leather-bound handbrake lever and GTI identification within the gearknob, albeit without the classic golf ball optic of VW’S original GTI.
Among the standard equipment for the new gofaster Up is VW’S Composition infotainment system with six speakers, plus a USB interface, air conditioning, heated seats, electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors, and the aforementioned foglights, which feature so-called static cornering lights.
Along with the three-door version, pictured here, VW has confirmed the Up GTI will also be available in five-door guise from the start of UK sales.