Take the Volkswagen Up GTI at face value and you might see it as a slightly disappointing hot hatch.
With 113bhp and a 0-62mph time of 8.8sec, it wouldn’t take much to beat it in a straight line. The interior is finished in hard and scratchy plastics and you’re so surrounded by glass that you feel like you’re the centre of an art exhibition. But consider this: when you drive an Up GTI, you’re in one of only 4000 jollying around Britain’s B-roads.
If it’s exclusivity you’re after, find an all-white GTI and you will be the talk of the town. It really isn’t like anything else on the road, with no direct contenders pitted against it.
Sure, there are cars like the Ford Fiesta ST and the Suzuki Swift Sport, but they’re both from the size above and nowadays considerably more expensive to buy new.
The Up is available in both three- and five-door bodystyles, with the five-door a more popular choice among buyers. While the added practicality does make it easier to access the rear seats, you aren’t robbed of leg room with the three-door equivalent, because their dimensions are identical.
No matter which version you go for, the Up GTI oozes German efficiency from every one of its tight panel gaps. Everything from the ventilation controls to the satisfying thud that echoes after you close the door makes it feel built to last.
Inside, you will find Jacara tartan cloth seats, a nod to the Mk1 Golf GTI, strategically placed GTI badging and even moody red ambient lighting. Other creature comforts include heated seats, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, an optional reversing camera and a 300W Beats sound system. All in all, big-car tech for a small-car cheque.
That big-car feel extends to the way the Up GTI handles itself on the road. It feels composed and mature on a motorway cruise and in urban areas. Despite having only a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, around town the little turbocharger helps it jump away from the lights with all the fervour of a mountain goat on new-found grassland.
It sounds good, too. Volkswagen fitted a sound actuator to make the most of the miniature orchestra under the bonnet, and the result is a throaty, thrummy warble reminiscent of a Golf R32. In the corners, it grips extremely well and the accuracy of the steering inspires great confidence.
The brakes are strong and progressive, a high point for the city car class. Both the brake and throttle pedals are nicely weighted, too.
