FREEWHEELING October, 2011
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VW city gem set to up! the ante
FreewheelingScotland.com — Driving the way forward
VOLKSWAGE
THE ONLY WAY IS up! Well that was according to British-born singer Yazz and the Plastic Population band who scored a mega hit with their rendition of the song back in 1988. Now it looks very much like Volkswagen are in line for a similar hit with their version. Not of a song, but a little gem that looks set to quickly become the benchmark of the ever-expanding supermini sector.
For early next year sees the in the UK of the Volkswagen new-from-the-ground-up veh raise the city car profile to a level. And you have got to believ is a cracker. The up! is Volks
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very best. A Volkswagen through and through, but concentrated and compressed into a fabulous little package that for many will be very hard to resist. First up!, sorry, this is a car that even looks happy. The headlight clusters and large centrally-positioned chrome badge coupled with its low-level honeycombed air intake split by a broad band to house the number plate and fog lamps, gives off an appearance that the up! is actually smiling. From the side, pronounced lines round the windows and wheel arches help give the up! a sense of purpose, while the rear window extending from the roof to the
bottom of the concealed boot impression it is made entirely Short overhangs, large whee line and wide track also comb the car somewhat of a purpos Then there are the new-gene litre, three-cylinder engines d either 59bhp or 74bhp. Yet, for such small power pla too will also make you smile, derivatives offer more than 60
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t lid, gives the y from glass. els, low roof bine to give seful look. eration onedishing out
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VOLKSWAGEN up!
combined cycle, while a BlueMotion Technology version, based on the least powerful model, will return in excess of 67mpg, while emissions hover between 97g/km to 108g/km. Then there’s the way the up! handles itself in traffic. And where better to put it through its paces than in the madness that makes up Rome’s teatime rush hour. But nothing could phase the little up! Absolutely on the button with its pin-sharp steering and agile manoeuvreability, its responsive little engine coupled to a sleek manual five-speed gearbox made light work of the busy city traffic, while its nicely-balanced suspension helped smooth out the Eternal City’s badly potholed and ancient cobbled streets. However, it was comforting to know that my car came fitted with the driver’s assistance pack, a £400 option which includes an emergency braking system. At speeds of up to 18mph the system can detect the risk of a collision via a frontmounted laser beam and slow the car automatically. Three specification levels make up the range, Take up!, Move up! and High up!, with prices coming in at £7995, £8970 and £10,390 respectively. All come beautifully furnished and well equipped with the Take up! sporting daytime running lights, RCD radio/MP3 compatible CD sound system and AUX-in socket. Move up! and there’s manual air con, front electric windows, height-adjustable driver’s seat, variable-height boot floor, remote central locking and body-coloured
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VOLKSWAGEN up! door mirrors and handles. Top spec High up! adds heated front seats, fog lamps, electric door mirrors, chrome surrounds to air vents, speedo and switches and the addition of VW’s Maps and More portable infotainment device which includes sat nav, hands-free telephone and vehicle information displays for both the car and media player. And just to kick the model off, VW will also launch with two special edition models, up! black and up! white based on the High up! and priced at £11,180. As their name suggests, they will be finished in either deep black pearl or white metallic paint and along with 16-inch alloy wheels, chrome door mirror caps and door side strips, carpet mats and upgraded upholstery, add extra class to the interior. VW see up!’s main owner profile as being split equally between what they call “silver” citizens – the over 50s – and young buyers who have disposable income which allows them into a brand new vehicle. And to this end, Volkswagen are to offer fixed-price finance, insurance and servicing packages which will help make budgeting easier. Order books are now open with deliveries due from spring next year, so put your hand up! now if you want to be the first to own one.
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VOLKSWAGEN up!
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