2016 Volkswagen Up 1.0 75 BMT High Up first drive

It wasn't long ago that we were singing the praises of the Volkswagen Up's new turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol engine from the streets of Milan. It retains everything that is great about the Up chassis-wise, but injects a welcome turn of pace, even if its inflated price pushes it ever closer to supermini territory.

Now we're driving Volkswagen's facelifted Up on the streets of Bedfordshire, and this time around we're without a turbocharger. There aren't quite as many fashion labels about, either. Indeed, this 74bhp three-cylinder petrol engine was available in the Up before, but the other facelift additions still apply. 

That's to say there's the revised styling, updated technology and new colours and wheels now available. Most notably, VW has done away with the old Garmin-based removable touchscreen of before. Entry-level Take Up model still make do with a single monochrome screen, but mid-range Move now gets a 5.0in colour screen in its place as standard, while our High Up model adds the Smartphone cradle you see pictured. 

One thing stands out; its pace. You'd like to think it's the new 89bhp turbocharged three-cylinder that would make this car feel slower, but our figures don't lie. This non-turbo car did a 0-60mph time of 12.9sec with us back in 2012 when it was first released. Now, not for love nor money could we get it to do the same in anything less than 14.3sec, despite its official time (to 62mph) remaining the same. 

Fine, the 2012 car was a non-BlueMotion Technology model, which is officially 0.3sec faster, but this BlueMotion is still nearly a second slower than its official (and ultimately slightly faster) official sprint. City cars aren't supposed to be rocketship quick, and this Up still feels nicely within its depth around town, but take it onto a motorway or fast A-road and it has to be thrashed hard in order to keep pace. 

It's bad enough that Volkswagen is sending us another car to make a comparison. We'll figure it again and report back. 

Happily, everything else about the Up's drive remains very nice indeed. It steers better than most city cars, with a precise, linear action, and while its body isn't afraid to move around under hard braking and over high-speed undulations, its damping is pleasingly sophisticated for something with this sort of price tag.

Revving out its engine - which you'll be doing a lot - brings the same addictive thrum as before, although it does come with some vibration through the controls, too. Even so, the Up still does a good job of keeping most road and tyre noise outside and can't be beaten for its high-speed stability and generally feeling bigger than its dimensions in that sense.

Inside, there's still room for four adults, if those in the back put up with their knees against rather than forced into the front seatbacks, and its 251-litre boot continues to transport the week's shopping with ease. The driver is treated to good all-round visibility, although still makes do with no steering wheel reach adjustment. Furthermore, if you're often accommodating people on your back seats, it's worth pointing out that a Hyundai i10 provides more space. 

An i10 can't match the Up's interior quality or infotainment, though - at least not before it's facelifted itself later this year, that is. VW, especially in our High Up car, has nailed scaling down the look and feel of its bigger cars in this smaller package. The switchgear feels substantial, the plastics are textured and the piano black accents are classy.