Volkswagen Up! 2013 Review

Volkswagen up!

Not so much
>> No rear seat airbags
>> Bluetooth costs extra
>> No automatic gearbox

OVERVIEW
>> Big bang for your buck
Don't confuse the sub-light category with quantum physics -- in the car world it's the market segment that sits below the light car segment. What you can expect is some molecular agitation in this growing segment as Europe's largest and most powerful carmaker joins the fray with the all-new up!

Described as "friendly, functional and rational" by Volkswagen Australia, the up! (yes, it's spelled that way) is an uber-compact four-seat car powered by a similarly tiny 1.0-litre engine.

The boot isn't huge and neither is rear seat room and you can't get an automatic transmission yet. But on the plus side it's the most affordable car in the Volkswagen garage, starting at $13,990.

The baby Veedub is also very fuel efficient, easy to drive and park and comes as standard with City Emergency Braking, a laser-guided system that can automatically brake the vehicle to avoid a collision at speeds up to 30km/h. This is a feature that most high-end luxury cars don't even offer as standard.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

On top of a European badge, the VW up! has a generous standard features list, including air conditioning, electric front windows (rear windows are hinged), heated and electric wing mirrors, remote central locking, daytime driving lights, a CD/MP3/AM/FM stereo with AUX input and six speakers, plus 14-inch steel wheels and a full-sized spare.

Seven colours are available: White, Red, Light Blue, Light Silver, Dark Silver, Dark Blue, and Black Pearl. The latter four require you spend an extra $500 on the metallic paint upgrade.

However, what's not included is just as significant -- Bluetooth, USB port and cruise control are all listed as cost options.

Bluetooth phone and audio streaming is available as part of the $500 'Maps + More' sat nav option, which comprises an admittedly versatile Navigon satnav system with micro SD card reader. The removable touch-screen nav device is clever too, capable of pairing two different phones simultaneously and packaged with a handful of widgets such as a 'Think Blue' trainer that promotes efficient driving via smooth acceleration and braking.

You can also take it with you to use as a personal navigation device once you've left the car, and it will guide you back to your car park spot should you forget.

Cruise control will set you back $600 as part of the Comfort Drive package, which adds reverse parking sensors and a multi function display with a detailed trip computer as well.

Other options include a panoramic glass sunroof ($1400) and the Comfort Style package ($2500) which brings carpeted floor mats, heated 'leatherette' seats with white stitching, leather steering wheel, gearshifter and parking brake, 15-inch alloy wheels and front foglights.

While there are some gaps in the standard features list (for instance, the up!'s four airbags trail the Suzuki Alto's six), the City Emergency Braking system is a segment-first and even if you added every option pack you'd be looking at just over $20,000.

Importantly, it also has a European look and feel that it rivals cannot touch.

MECHANICAL

Power comes from a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine. The compact motor doesn't use turbo, super or even twin-charging power boosting technology and outputs a trivial 55kW/95Nm. But consider the car's weight of just 880kg and the result is a vehicle that motivates well.

It's economical too, with a combined fuel figure of 4.9L/100km. Reading 8.0L/100km at the start of our mainly urban drive, the Volkswagen up! displayed fuel consumption of 5.5L/100km 80km later. Carbon dioxide emissions are simiarly low, rated at 114g/km.

The five-speed manual gearbox has an easy -- if slightly notchy -- shift mechanism and the hill-holding clutch is a nice addition. But unlike European versions, there's no auto engine stop-start functionality. That's why Australian up! cars are not as frugal as the European models, which use roughly half a litre per 100km less fuel.

No automatic gearbox will be offered in this country following poor reports on the existing single-clutch automated manual's function.

The multipoint fuel injected engine is surprisingly tractable, if a little raw and rattly when pushed. It'll spin beyond 6000rpm yet is happy trundling along at 1500rpm in fifth gear doing around 60km/h. That said, when the flats give way to hills it struggles.

Indeed, it's not going to set any land speed records but is fine cruising on the freeway at the 110km/h limit. It takes 13.2 seconds to accelerate from 0-100km/h, but it's a fun 13 seconds due to the engine's distinctive three-cylinder character, which can be felt and heard.

Top speed is an academic 173km/h, says Wolfsburg.

Ride and handling is well-sorted thanks to Volkswagen's tried-and-tested MacPherson struts at the front. While the torsion beam rear axle with twin tube dampers is unsophisticated it gets the job done.

Electromechanical steering is used and stopping power is courtesy of 256mm front disc brakes and rear drum brakes borrowed from the Polo.

It's not a particularly complex interior but everything is neatly arranged interior and fit and finish is above average. The heating/cooling controls and stereo are compact and easy to use, but there are only two front vents for blower.

Front seat room is surprisingly good, and though the rear seats are tight for legroom they're still very serviceable have excellent headroom. It's impressive that Volkswagen has liberated so much space for in a car that measures less than 4.0 metres long.

The boot is very small though, delivering just 251 litres of space. It does has a hidden underfloor compartment for valuables and can open up to 951 litres with the rear seats folded. Volkswagen reckons you can fit objects up to two metres long inside it.

There's two cupholders and two bottle holders in the front and a few incidental storage compartments, which you can read more about in our up! international launch review.

The laser-guided system automatically detects impending collisions (with moving or stationary objects, such as pedestrians, cars, bollards, walls) and will apply the brakes to avoid a crash, bringing the car to a full stop if necessary. It works at speeds up to 30km/h and can detect potential collisions faster than the human eye, says VW.

Other safety features include an antilock braking system, electronic stability control, child safety locks on the rear doors and an engine immobiliser.

Despite having only four airbags that do not protect rear seat occupants, the up! has a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, and Volkswagen says the up! is "almost certain" to be awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating in Australia.

Rivals such as the Holden Barina Spark, Suzuki Alto and Nissan Micra have six airbags that protect front and rear seat occupants.

COMPETITORS

The Indonesian-made Nissan Micra ($13,490) is much closer on price.

The Fiat 500 ($22,990) is similarly sized and could be considered a competitor but can't match the up! on price.

ON THE ROAD

The steering is direct, a turning circle of 9.8 metres makes it ridiculously easy to park, and the chassis delivers typical Volkswagen flexibility -- pliant over roughed up roads but agile through corners. The ride quality is firmer than the Micra, for instance, and you do feel more of the road underneath but when it handles this well it's a minor tradeoff and one I'd happily make.

Punted hard through roundabouts and on a few twisty bits in the hills, there was only a touch of body roll evident. Indeed, the car's flat attitude made it satisfying to tackle corners.

It's not brilliant at overtaking and the C-pillars are pretty chunky, increasing the size of the blind spot, but after our first brief drive on local roads it's a stretch to find any major negatives with the VW up!.

The baby Volkswagen was named the 2011 World Car of the Year and it's not hard to see why. It has a European feel that rivals like the Holden Barina Spark and Nissan Micra can't touch, impressive levels of technology and several clever packaging solutions just for good measure.

Volkswagen's up! doesn't push the boundaries of quantum physics, just minimises Volkswagen's well appointed passenger car template. You can have your quark and eat it too.

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