Facelifted up! vs Citigo
VW’S revamped city car takes on its Skoda stablemate
THE original Volkswagen up! rewrote the city car rulebook when it hit the road in 2012. The tiny German machine combined compact looks and low running costs with surprising space and impressive refinement, and in the process it redefined what was a possible for a small car.
Yet its reign at the top was shortlived, because only a few months later it was joined by its Skoda Citigo and SEAT Mii identical twins, which were every bit as talented as the up! yet cost a fair bit less.
In an effort to reposition the up! at the top of the city car tree, Volkswagen has treated its tiny tot to a mid-life facelift. Tweaked looks, a more upmarket interior and cutting-edge technology are added to the car’s existing strengths to create a machine that promises to prove that it pays to downsize. Volkswagen has also tinkered with the mechanicals of the up!, boosting claimed economy and lowering the CO2 emissions.
Yet before the VW can pop the champagne corks it needs to beat a familiar foe in the shape of the near-identical Citigo. A similar facelift for the Skoda is still a little way off, but the existing model remains our favourite city car, blending low running costs and a bargain price with grown-up driving dynamics and everyday usability. It also has the sort of kit that more expensive choices miss out on and is backed by the brand’s award-winning customer service.
So which of these tiny tearaways is the king of the urban jungle?
MODEL TESTED: Volkswagen High up! 1.0 75 PRICE: £12,280 ENGINE: 1.0-litre 3cyl, 74bhp
THE little up! has been the entry point to Volkswagen ownership since it made its debut in 2012. As before, this facelifted model gets a choice of three and five-door bodystyles, plus the option of Take up!, Move up! and High up! trim levels. There’s also a new up! Beats that features an upgraded stereo and some racy visual additions. The existing 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine can be had with either 59bhp or 74bhp. Here we test the flagship £12, 280 High up! 1.0 75 Bluemotion Technology.
Styling 4.0/5
FORM followed function when it came to the styling of the original VW up!, with its slab sides, upright tail, steeply raked nose and wheel-at-each-corner stance allowing designers to maximise space inside the compact body. Yet the overall result was a surprisingly smart and classy-looking city car, so VW has wisely decided not to mess with a winning formula for this update.
At the front you’ll spot the deeper front bumper with chunky black trim inserts, plus the addition of LED running lights that are set into the existing headlamp units. Move around to the rear of the car and you’ll discover the subtly redesigned tail-lamps that sit either side of the glass-clad tailgate that is a visual trademark of the up!.
There have been bigger changes inside, where a heavily revised dashboard helps give the car a more upmarket look and feel. For starters, the domed binnacle ahead of the driver gets bigger and more
legible dials, while the leather-covered threespoke multifunction steering wheel is lifted from the Golf. Elsewhere, there’s a new infotainment system that comprises a larger screen and clearer graphics. There’s also the option of a slick-looking £260 digital climate control set-up.
In addition, VW has introduced some customisation upgrades, allowing buyers to choose from a variety of bold dashboard finishes that contrast with the body-coloured trim inserts on the doors. In all other respects, the interior is identical to the old car’s, which means you get classy materials and solid build quality. High up! models benefit from a decent amount of standard kit, including heated front seats, a DAB radio, and powered and heated door mirrors.
One new addition is a smartphone cradle and USB port that replace the Garmin sat-nav system that’s still featured on the Skoda. This set-up allows owners to use their existing handset to access VW ’s integrated ‘Maps+more’ Tomtom route finding software. It’s fairly straightforward to use once you’ve downloaded the app, although the benefit of a USB connection is partly outweighed by the unsightly cables that hang down in front of the ventilation controls.
Driving 4.2/5
AS with the exterior, VW hasn’t tried to reinvent the way the up! drives. In fact, engineers have concentrated on improving efficiency rather than messing with the model’s already agile handling and strong refinement. That means this Bluemotion Technology model has stop/start, regenerative braking and low-rolling-resistance tyres. Further efficiency gains have been achieved by using taller ratios in the standard five-speed gearbox – at least that’s the theory.
Unfortunately, this latter tweak resulted in the up! getting soundly thrashed by its otherwise mechanically identical rival during our straightline performance tests. The VW was eight-tenths of a second behind the Citigo in the sprint from 0-60mph, taking 13.5 seconds, but it was during the in-gear assessments that the margin between our duo was largest. For instance, in fifth the up! struggled from 50-70mph in 28.4 seconds, which was a staggering 11. 2 seconds slower than the Skoda.
This shortfall in performance is even more obvious in the real world, where the VW feels extremely sluggish compared with the nippy Citigo. Around town the differences are harder to detect, but get on the open road and the VW ’s gearing means the engine is often spinning below its 3,000rpm torque peak, resulting in distinctly laboured progress. For example, on the motorway the Skoda will happily keep pace with more powerful machines, whereas in the up! you’ll often need to drop from fifth to third if you want to accelerate, even at 70mph. The result is that longer journeys are often harder work and significantly more stressful than in the Skoda.
Happily, the Volkswagen’s smooth and thrummy three-cylinder engine relishes being worked hard, while the five-speed gearbox benefits from a light and precise action.
Elsewhere, the excellent dynamics of the up! remain unchanged. That means you get light and direct steering, agile handling and strong grip, helping you to scoot through corners without losing momentum. Engine, road and wind noise are also well suppressed, and the up! cruises with the sort of calmness you’d expect from bigger and more expensive models. And while the ride can be a little on the firm side around town, the relatively short-travel suspension does a good job of soaking up bumps at higher speeds.
Ownership 3.9/5
VOLKSWAGEN has premium aspirations, but if it wants to rival upmarket brands it will have to do better than its lowly 24th place finish in our Driver Power 2016 satisfaction survey. The same goes for the firm’s dealers, which were placed 28th out of 31 by owners in the same poll.
There have been no major safety upgrades to the up!, so its five-star Euro NCAP crash test score from 2011 still stands. All versions get four airbags and stability control, while an autonomous emergency braking system is a £375 option.
Running costs 4.3/5
AT £12,280 the VW weighs in at £1,465 more than the Skoda. On top of that, slightly weaker residuals mean private buyers will be around £1,000 worse off when they come to trade in after three years.
And while the up! benefits from fractionally lower CO2 emissions of 96g/km, it sits in the same 16 per cent Benefit-in-kind tax bracket as its rival, which, in combination with its higher P11D value, means business users will pay more.
The Volkswagen put on a better display at the pumps, but its return of 51. 2mpg was only a 1.4mpg improvement on the Skoda. The two cars have identical servicing costs.
Practicality 4.0/5
THERE have been no changes to the VW ’s packaging, but that’s no bad thing because it’s still one of the class leaders for space and practicality. Like the Citigo it’s a four-seater, but even taller occupants will find adequate head and legroom in the rear. The interior is also packed with useful storage, including a large glovebox, a deep cubby ahead of the gearlever and door bins front and rear.
Opening the tailgate reveals a usefully shaped 251-litre boot, although to achieve this figure you need the false floor in its lowest setting, which creates a high loading lip. Folding the rear seats flat liberates 959 litres, and with the floor panel raised the load area is completely flat.