We know it's slow, but the Up! wears the GTI badge, so we're obliged to share this acceleration test. Let's find out if Volkswagen ruined the hot hatch or made it better.
As we've said in a previous story, hot hatchbacks are becoming ever more serious. There are Golf Rs that challenge Lamborghinis with their AWD launches and Fords that could double as rally cars. Even the cheap stuff is pushing 200 horsepower, and people are routinely calling those things "slow."
For example, the Kia Cee'd GT and Renault Megane GT aren't even considered hot hatchbacks, despite posting 7.someting-second 0 to 100 km/h sprints. By comparison, the Up! GTI is very slow, but Volkswagen still believed it was worthy of its iconic badge.
We mention this because many years ago when it was shown as a concept, it was called Up! GT, not GTI.
Under the hood is a 1-liter engine with a turbocharger, which already sets the baby GTI apart from most cars in this segment. However, there's a regular 90 horsepower Up! model. So engineers had to go in and play with all the oily bit, giving us a revised output of 115 HP.
Around the middle of third gear, the Up! GTI reaches 100 km/h in 8.8 seconds. That's 1.1 seconds faster than an Up! TSI, which is great, considering it's not that expensive.
A high-spec VW with the turbo engine starts at €14,000. But the GTI offers a lot better equipment for €17,000. There's tweaked suspension, bigger brakes, exhaust, a leather wheel and tartan seats. It's enjoyable to drive under the speed limit and yet still makes sense on the autobahn. So if you're looking for a small car, you should check it out, even if hot hatchbacks aren't your thing. Like the original Golf GTI, it could be just what you need to fall in love with driving.
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
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News