When I got the invitation for this Up GTI, I was thinking.
How many feisty cars do we actually have in the compact A-segment?
Not a lot, as I found out.
You've got the Abarth 595, but that's at least €25.000.
In the past, you had the Twingo RS, producing 133 horsepower,
the Lupo GTI, 125 horsepower, but if you want something feisty nowadays,
you can only choose from the B-segment onwards.
And that's pretty strange actually. A-segment cars have never been this popular,
but usually they won't exceed 90 horsepower. As if you're not allowed to have fun with those cars.
Volkswagen intends to change that by introducing this Up GTI.
If you hear the letters "GTI", you'll automatically think of good things.
But when you hear it produces 115 horsepower, you might be a little disappointed.
That isn't a lot of power.
Anyway, we all know you don't need huge amounts of power, as long as the weight remains low.
In the front, we find a turbocharged 1.0-litre 3-cylinder engine,
producing 115 horsepower and 200 Nm of torque. That's 25 horsepower and 40 Nm of torque more than the most powerful version.
The GTI not only gained power and torque, but another gear as well.
You'll get a manual six-speed gearbox as standard on the GTI.
You should be able to 0-100 km/h within 8,8 seconds, and its top speed is just below 200 km/h.
Those aren't necessarily impressive numbers, until you consider it's an incredibly small car.
When I passed my racing test back in the day, I drove an old, stripped Nissan Micra.
If you hit 140/150 km/h on the Zandvoort straight, you really felt like you were going like hell.
It almost felt like I was doing 250 km/h.
That's the kind of feeling I'm having about this Up GTI as well. Everything is relative, that is.
When you're in here, you'll immediately notice you're not in a regular Up.
For starters, this wide pixelated part here. The exterior color in the doors.
A sporty steering wheel with red stitching and a flat underside. Slick gear lever, without golf ball of course,
because that's a Golf-exclusive. Leather on the handbrake,
a sort of alcantara roof upholstery, this middle console...
It mostly looks interesting if you put your phone in, but it isn't very ergonomic.
And last but not least: the plaid-motive on the seats.
Of course, you want to show the world you've got an Up GTI. So how do you do that?
Well, for starters you've got this red accent in the grille. You can really see it right now, because the car is red,
but you could go for another color of course.
Fog lights, spoiler, big 17" inch Brands Hatch-wheels, 195/40-tires.
A stripe on the downside, wider sills, some GTI-badging, rear spoiler...
It all looks fine.
Right, what has Volkswagen done to turn this Up into an Up GTI?
The chassis is an important factor here. It's 15 cm lower than the original.
They've fitted sturdier springs and dampers, and a bigger roll bar at the rear.
That means the rear is more rigid.
Bigger brakes, bigger track width, so it's not like they've just added power and torque.
They've taken it seriously. So how does it translate into reality?
Well. It's actually a very pleasant car. Let's start with the engine.
Of course, it's a 3-cylinder, so it's already got some sort of growl to it.
In here, it gets amplified a little by the speakers,
which sounds a tad artificial, but alright.
If you keep on revving, because it's able to exceed 6.000 RPM,
it produces a very nice sound.
You might not hear a lot if you're on the outside, but if you're in here...
It's alive, and that's incredibly fun.
Also, the 200 Nm of torque is incredibly functional. In sprints, this will get off the line very quickly.
The engine is just right in this car, and if I'm honest, it shouldn't be any more powerful.
I know 115 horsepower and 200 Nm of torque doesn't sound impressive, but you shouldn't forget this is a small car.
It's got a short wheelbase, and this is already pushing the limits of the suspension.
This is just right. If you throw it around sharp corners,
you'll notice it starts heaving a bit. The inner front wheel will start to slip easily as well.
You can't turn off the ESP and traction control. That was supposedly done to make it 'fool proof'.
It does react, but not in an annoying way or anything like that.
It's not like that if you're too enthusiastic with your throttle when exiting a corner, it immediately kills the speed.
They've tuned it in a good fashion.
They haven't changed a lot in the steering. A few tweaks in the software have made it a tad heavier to steer.
It's not like it's more direct or anything. But is it something you'll miss
Not really. I think it's got a good balance to it.
The reactions are very clear, it doesn't feel nervous, you don't have to correct it.
It's going the way you're steering it, and it's doing that in a very determined way.
That's very pleasant.
The 6-speed isn't anything special though. It's smooth, but also a little bit senseless.
That could be a tad more brutal. On the other hand, that's not what this car is about.
It's not a real brute if I'm honest. It's a GTI like the Golf is a GTI.
It's quick, it can do lots of things, but it isn't as hardcore as a Focus RS or a Megane RS.
They've gone another step further. I'm sure that if other manufacturers were to make a move in the A-segment...
towards this GTI-corner, they would make their cars harder.
That could be fun, but it could be tiring as well.
This Up is sporty, but it's still perfectly usable as a daily driver.
And that's a nice feature.
So, the verdict. The Up GTI isn't a hardcore hot hatch.
I mentioned it before. It's perfectly usable for daily driving,
it's soft enough for that task. In a good way, that is.
It's a car which is quicker than the average car in this segment, it's a car which will get a huge smile on your face.
That's a rare quality, so it's a real compliment.
When I was driving this, I was thinking. There's one direct rival for the Up GTI.
The Opel Adam. That's also available with a turbocharged 1.0-litre 3-cylinder,
which produces 115 horsepower. It also costs about the same.
It's around €19.000, €20.000, because that's what this Up GTI costs.
Almost €20.000. That's a lot of money for an A-segment car,
but on the other hand, if you want a feisty B-segment car, you'll pay an additional €10.000, minimum.
Also, if you're in the market for an Up and you want it to look fancy, and you want it to be powerful,
you could go for the 95 horsepower version. You could also spend a little more money,
and buy this GTI. For that small additional price you'll get a car,
which will definitely make you smile.