Volkswagen up! five-door business car test review
Review: Sam Hardy
What is it?
A MORE practical version of the already excellent up! – yes, the one with the funny exclamation mark at the end. New five-door version of the existing three-door gets an extra pair of doors (obviously), a very slightly raised rear bench seat to give rear passengers a better view out and a price premium of £375. That means the five-door will cost from just £8,375 when it goes on sale in September. Apart from that, it’s the same as the three-door with the same range of 60PS or 75PS 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engines.
What’s hot?
- With those extra doors, the up! is much more practical. It’s easy to get in and out…
- …and because of the long 2.4m wheelbase, a six-footer can sit behind a similar sized driver or front passenger. Try doing that in a Fiat 500
- The rear doors are well integrated and don’t really harm the up!’s cheeky yet premium lines
- There’s no room for the rear windows to drop down into the doors, but you can unclip them and pop them out for some extra ventilation
- The boot space is identical (as is the overall size) as the three-door
- It’s just as good to drive too with a characterful three-cylinder engine note…
- …which sounds a bit like a Porsche 911, yet delivers 65.7mpg and 108g/km of CO2 in top-spec 75PS form
- So whichever up! you choose, company car tax is minimal
- With a decent spread of gears, fifth is long enough to cope with motorway travel
- The handling is agile and the ride is soft
- Dashboard quality is great; the body-coloured slab on the centre console a neat touch. It feels fun, yet mature
Business Motoring Award Winners 2024
Business Motoring Award Winners 2024
Business Motoring Award Winners 2024
Business Motoring Award Winners 2024
Business Motoring Award Winners 2024
What’s not?
- Stick to the manual gearbox; the automated version is a bit like a Smart Fortwo’s…jerky and ponderous. Avoid
- There’s quite a lot of roll in corners, the penalty for that soft ride
- Er…that’s about it. Although the Skoda Citigo and SEAT Mii versions will be even cheaper to buy
P11D Value: | From £8375 |
Monthly Rental: | £not available yet |
Tax Bands 2012/13 to 2013/14: | From 10% |
Benefit in Kind 2012/13 to 2013/14: | £n/a |
Engine: | 1.0 3 cyl petrol |
CO2 Emissions: | 108g/km (75PS) |
Power/torque: | 75ps/95Nm (75PS model) |
Economy: | 65.7mpg (75PS) |