SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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Move up↑ to Volkswagen’s funky little city car

Quality you can feel

Posted: 19 June 2015

The cheat sheet
Base price: R143 000
As tested: R161 500
Engine: 999 cc, belt driven DOHC, 12-valve, three-cylinder
Power: 55 kW at 6200 rpm
Torque: 95 Nm between 3000 and 4300 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 13.2 seconds
Maximum: 171 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 5.6 l/100 km
Tank: 35 litres
Luggage: 251 – 951 litres
Warranty: 3 years/120 000 km
Servicing at 15 000 km intervals; plans optional

Every now and then Volkswagen returns to its roots. In the beginning there was Beetle, a love-hate little thing that soldiered on until the last one rolled off a South African assembly line in 1979.

It was replaced by its soul sister the first generation Golf. That hung on, through multiple South African rebirths, to finally be displaced by Polo which, although an excellent successor, somehow lost the original spirit of “People’s Cars” in its execution.
 
By 2007 the company saw the light once more, showing the first of a series of up↑ concept vehicles at the Frankfurt Motor Show. By 2011 they had it all together and production began in Bratislava, Slovakia. A year later, up↑ carried off the World Car of the Year title. For some markets slightly restyled versions are rebadged as SEAT Mii and Škoda Citigo.

A 65 mm-longer special model with bigger fuel tank and boot was introduced in Brazil during 2014 and we finally received the normal, three-door, 1.0-litre version in February this year.

Having referred to Gen-1 Golf up above, let’s do some comparing: up↑ has a slightly longer wheelbase (2420 mm vs. 2400) than Golf 1, but is 165 mm shorter (3540 mm vs. 3705), 31 mm wider and 94 millimetres taller. And, proving that technology has indeed advanced since those early days, Golf’s original 1600 cc engine developed 55 kilowatts of power while up↑’s little one-litre triple does the same.

That’s amazing, but the difference lies in the way the power is delivered. That old 1600 was quite fun to drive, but the new one-litre is a blast. Rather than having all the action happen within a narrow band of engine revs, the new motor puts out its maximum torque over a wider range - between 3000 and 4300 rpm.

Further, ninety percent of that grunt is available from 2000 rpm upward and hangs on until 6000; meaning it pulls like a carthorse. Non-enthusiasts, however, might only notice that it’s almost boringly-easy to drive, with gear changes reduced to a minimum.

Our first impression after driving about 50 km, but prior to seeing the spec’ sheet, was that this thing was turbocharged. Not so; it’s naturally aspirated, so that’s one expensive item you can delete from your worry list. The magic is in the valves and the cams and the gearing. And mass. Depending on configuration, those original Golfs weighed between 790 and 970 kilograms. The up↑ tips the weighbridge at 819 kg, despite being a lot stronger, much nicer and almost infinitely safer.

Consider this: Both models, Take up↑ and Move up↑, offer four airbags, ABS brakes with emergency braking assistance, ISOFix anchorages for baby chairs and a manual air conditioner. Added kit on the upper level Move version includes powered windows and mirrors, remote central locking, a trip computer that unfortunately works for that day’s travel only, height adjusters for both front seats, easy-slider function for both, to simplify access to the back seat, and a two-speaker radio with CD player.

Options include alloy wheels, panoramic sunroof, extra speakers, multi-function display, cruise control, parking distance control, warmed seats and front fog lamps although some packs are model-dependent. For example, Take up↑ buyers are limited to the Comfort package with height-adjustable driver’s chair and powered front windows. In common with most two-door cars, the rear glassware in both models is fixed.

Our Move up↑test car was given the full treatment at R18 500 with sunroof, Sound Plus package (additional speakers), Waffle 15-inch alloy wheels, Driver package (cruise control, rear park distance control and multi-function display) and the winter pack with fog lamps and heated front seats.

The sunroof was, as always for us, a take it or leave it item. On the plus side, there was negligible wind buffeting at 120 km/h and it left us with sufficient head room, but on the other hand, noise started to intrude at about 70 km/h. The six extra speakers courtesy of Sound Plus improve musicality and add surround-sound ambience.

The Waffle wheels look good and they overcome the cost and irritation of replacing lost or stolen plastic wheel caps, so we would definitely choose them. We never use cruise control but the multi-function display, a rather light and flimsy little box placed atop the dash, permitted voice commands and allowed Bluetooth coupling of cell phones. Rear pdc is always helpful. Fog lamps and warmed seats would be an easy choice in cold and misty areas too.

The boot loads at just below waist level, which is quite high, but the sill is shallow and a removable floor board reveals a further 20 cm of depth. Tools and triangle are secured in a Styrofoam holder in the upside-down, fully sized steel spare. Something that could annoy users is that the locking tab on the adjustable security strap is difficult to release. It might help to lift it with something from the tool kit, but you then risk losing the tab as it snaps off.

Rear seat space is best reserved for smaller passengers unless those in front have short legs, although our 1.85-metre tester got reasonably comfortable in the “seated behind himself” test.  Headspace was adequate, knees an interference fit and foot room almost luxurious.

Interior fittings are all hard plastic but they fit well and look simple yet attractive. Music and air controls are straightforward and easy to use, the five-speed manual gearbox is a pleasure to operate, the car turns in only 9.8 metres, vision outward is great and it feels solid and rattle-free. It makes you appreciate why VWs usually cost a little more – it’s quality you feel in your bones. The only problem is that, with just two doors, its appeal could be limited.

Test car from VWSA press fleet


The 2017 four-door version is reviewed here

Please note that alloy wheels are extra-cost options

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What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.

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