Volkswagen Up GTI - TopCarNews

Volkswagen Up GTI (2019 – present) | Expert Rating [hide]

Summary

The smallest and cheapest member of Volkswagen’s performance-focused GTI family, the Volkswagen Up GTI is a compact hot hatch based on the Up city car. Although the regular Up models arrived back in 2012, the GTI version didn’t join the range until the middle of 2017.

The only model to be available with a six-speed manual gearbox across the Volkswagen Up range, this small hot hatch is powered by a three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that produces 115hp, which means that the Up GTI cannot muster the power to match its closest rivals; the 129hp Suzuki Swift Sport and the 145hp Abarth 595.

However, UK reviewers conclusively agree that less power does not mean less fun behind the wheel. Honest John concludes that the Up GTI “provides genuine laugh out loud fun, thanks to its miniscule weight, playful handling and zesty turbocharged 1.0-litre engine.”

“The Volkswagen Up GTI midget is a light, darty, chuckable, fizzy riot that growls like a baby Porsche”, explains The Sun. “It’s basically a four-seat go-kart that puts a stupid grin on my face every time I get behind the wheel.”

Car Keys comments that, while the Up GTI’s engine performance, power-to-weight ratio, agile handling and responsive gearbox culminate in a very fun driving experience, the hot hatch is an “impressively practical package”, like the city car it is based on. The Volkswagen Up GTI has also won two separate awards that name it as the best value option on the market.

Despite its practicalities, the Up GTI is not the most spacious hatch on the market, while its three-star Euro NCAP rating is also off the pace of newer cars. Although the Up GTI is fitted with a DAB digital radio as standard, there’s no option for a built-in navigation system. Instead, Volkswagen offers the ability to connect your smartphone for navigation and other functions.

As of December 2021, the Volkswagen Up GTI holds an Expert Rating of 73%, based on 18 UK media reviews. That compares very favourably with the Abarth 595 and Suzuki Swift Sport.

Up GTI highlights

Punchy performance
Responsive handling
As practical as the regular Up
Great value-for-money

Up GTI lowlights

Infotainment system showing its age
Sub-par safety rating
Rigid ride is not the most comfortable
Engine noise loud on motorways

Key specifications

Body style: Small three-door or five-door hot hatchEngines: petrol
Price: From £17,190 on-road

Launched: Summer 2017Last updated: Spring 2020
Replacement due: TBA

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Media reviews

Reviews, road test and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

Auto Express

Score: 8 / 10“The Volkswagen up! GTI is the antithesis of the bloated and overpowered performance cars that are almost unusable on UK roads. It provides proof that it’s possible to have fun while sticking to the speed limits.”
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Autocar

Model reviewed: Score: 8 / 10“The Volkswagen Up GTI is as genial and charming a car as any pint-sized ‘pocket rocket’ there has ever been – and may be even more desirable than any. That it isn’t quite the driver’s car we’ve embraced in this performance niche over the years, however, is at once plain and slightly regrettable.”
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Business Car

Model reviewed: Score: 8 / 10“They may share a nameplate, but the Volkswagen Up GTI has about as much in common with the Golf GTI as Kim Jong-Un has with Kim Kardashian. Now we’ve cleared that up, what we can say is that the Up GTI is a proper hoot.”
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Car Keys

Model reviewed: Score: 9 / 10“The Volkswagen Up! GTI is a brilliant car. It combines perky performance, great handling and everyday usability in a small, yet impressively practical package. While it might not quite be the successor to the original Golf GTI, it’s definitely up there.”
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Carbuyer

Model reviewed: Score: 7.8 / 10“The Volkswagen Up GTI isn’t a thoroughbred performance car, but it has a strong engine and makes a fun, sporty and stylish runaround.”
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Carwow

Model reviewed: Score: 7 / 10“The Volkswagen Up GTI is a tiny hot hatch that’s loads of fun to drive, nippy enough to put a smile on your face and can even seat four – the engine can be a bit noisy on the motorway though.”
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Daily Mail

Model reviewed: Score: 10 / 10“It’s amazing what VW has achieved: 115hp, 200Nm of torque, a hugely efficient power-to-weight ratio and an incredible top speed of 126mph (Chris Evans)”
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Eurekar

Model reviewed: “On the road, the Volkswagen Up! GTI delivers on all fronts. The six-speed gearbox is delightfully crisp and quick and the wide torque spread means you can get all the performance you want without having to over-rev the engine.”
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Evo

Model reviewed: Score: 8 / 10“It might be the entry-level car in Volkswagen’s GTI range, but the Up GTI has masses of charm.”
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Fleetworld

Model reviewed: Five-door hatchScore: 8 / 10“The up! GTI is enormous entertainment on a budget, yet back off the throttle and you get all the joys and economy of a small car, with the reassurance of big car performance.”
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Heycar

Model reviewed: Score: 8 / 10“It’s even better to look at than the regular Up, drives with a great deal of enthusiasm and doesn’t use a great deal more fuel in the process. It’s quite a bit more expensive than a 90hp regular Up, but it is a very appealing package if you can afford it.”
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Honest John

Model reviewed: Score: 8 / 10“The Volkswagen Up GTI is the cheapest route into a hot hatch and provides genuine laugh out loud fun, thanks to its miniscule weight, playful handling and zesty turbocharged 1.0-litre engine.”
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Parkers

Model reviewed: Score: 9.2 / 10“Enormous fun on a budget, the Up GTI is one of the finest cars out there when it comes to pound-for-pound driving thrills. As is often the way, Volkswagen’s cheapest GTI model might just be one of its best. If not the best.”
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The Sun

Model reviewed: “The Volkswagen Up GTI midget is a light, darty, chuckable, fizzy riot that growls like a baby Porsche. It’s basically a four-seat go-kart that puts a stupid grin on my face every time I get behind the wheel.”
Read review

The Sunday Times

Model reviewed: “A power pup to make you sit up and beg.” (Jeremy Clarkson)
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Top Gear

Score: 7 / 10“You can tell it’s not had squillions spent developing it, but if you like hot hatches simple and scrappy, the Volkswagen Up! GTI is a little tonic.”
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What Car?

Model reviewed: Score: 6 / 10“It’s chirpy little three-cylinder engine serves up just enough performance to be interesting, while its slick gearbox and precise, meaty steering allow you to make the most of its grippy chassis.”
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Which?

Model reviewed: “Revives original VW GTI spirit.”
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Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Overall rating: 3 stars
Date tested: February 2019

81%

ADULT OCCUPANT

83%

CHILD OCCUPANT

46%

VULNERABLE ROAD USERS

55%

SAFETY ASSIST

Read full Euro NCAP review

Notes on safety rating

The Euro NCAP rating above stands for the complete Volkswagen Up range, including the three-door and five-door versions of the Up GTI.

Although the Up GTI recieved a three-star rating, standard models are fitted with lane-keeping assistance for motorway driving, while automatic emergency braking is an optional extra.

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

Model tested: GTI 4×2 manual
Date tested: February 2019

9.2 / 10

CLEAN AIR INDEX

6.7 / 10

ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDEX

Read full Green NCAP review

No eco rating

The Volkswagen Up GTI achieved a four-star rating from Green NCAP after its emissons tests in 2019, but it must be noted that this test, while still valid, was conducted during Green NCAP’s pilot phase, and since then testing has become more rigorous, also now assessing cars for their greenhouse gas pollution.

Awards

Trophies, prizes and awards that the Volkswagen Up GTI has received

2020

The Sun Motor Awards – Best Value Car

2019

The Sunday Times Motor Awards – Best Value Car

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