The VW Up! is the sober, comfortable member of the city car segment. So to see the German company partnering with a famous headphone maker is unusual. The Up! Beats special edition being presented in Geneva also features the latest design changes available for the 2016 model year.
In short, the mid-life facelift looks a lot more discreet in real life than it does in Volkswagen's press photos. However, we are pleased to see serious money being invested into the Up!, a car that was almost canceled.
A-segment vehicles are usually gateways to a brand, bought by first-time buyers. So we expect many teens to fall in love with turbocharging after the 2016 Up! gets a 1.0 TSI engine.
It's rated at 90 PS, 160 Nm (118 lb-ft) of torque, which doesn't sound like a lot. But it should feel faster than naturally aspirated rivals. When you are extra-careful with the throttle, it's efficient as well, Volkswagen claiming that it will do 4.4 liters per 100 kilometers (53.6 mph) and travel for up to 800 kilometers (497 miles) on one tank.
Do you want to travel that long in the Up!? Of course not, but the fuel consumption is about the same as on a smart fortwo 0.9 TCe.
Volkswagen knows your kids like to listen to Doctor Dre, Snoop Dogg, and all that hippy hop music, so the Up! and Polo can be ordered with a Beast Audio system comprising seven speakers. They say it's the bomb!
The facelift for the Up! starts by making the headlights look more angular. The bumper has a larger piece of black trim that gives you the impression of a large grille, even though the car doesn't need much air.
Around the side, we notice new wheels for the Beats model, which have an oversized VW cap in the middle. Black mirrors, stickers and roof contrast with the red body. The taillights are back with a red D symbol in the middle. The tinted glass now goes all the way to the bumper and finishes with a nice chrome trim piece.
The interior of the 2016 Up! feels upmarket, thanks to cloth seats with integrated headrests and white leatherette sides. The steering wheel design has been modernized and can be color-coordinated with the dash. That's something VW only offers on this model. The updated infotainment system features a few Climatronic buttons. While there is no large touchscreen as in the Twingo or smart, a cradle for your smartphone fixes this problem cheaply.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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