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VW Up, the official food delivery car. We could have bought a Skoda CitiGo, but it's not a VW. Still, is it worth buying a VW Up for yourself?

Launched in 2012 to replace the shady VW Fox, the VW Up! was an instant success. VW had never really made a real effort to create a small, city car. Yes, there was the VW Lupo, but there the German engineers were more likely to test new technology on a car that no one would buy anyway – see the Lupo 3L which was an engineering exercise, not necessarily a car.

And it seems they succeeded. VW has finally managed to make a car that costs less than 10 grand. The VW Up! came with a lot of technology from the VW family and here VW's expertise in making cars with practical interiors that are more spacious than they should be was seen.

Is a VW Up worth it for personal use?

If you're looking for a small car to drive around in, probably yes. However, you have the Skoda CitiGo which is the same car just with a different hat. However, compared to the rest of the competition, the VW Up! holds up well, except when you make it kick Sandero in the nads, then the Sandero kicks back and the VW Up may find itself laying in a puddle of it's own liquids. If you don't care about the badge, a Sandero is probably a better choice. If you still don't want a Dacia because you're too poor to buy a Dacia, then the VW Up! is one of the most solid city cars currently on sale. And if you go for a Seat Mii or Skoda CitiGo, then you're really into that car.

VW Up! Engines

Petrol

• 1.0 MPI EA211 CHYA and CHYB of 60 and 75 horsepower – The base 60 horsepower engine is not worth considering unless you really want a VW Up! but don't have the money for a VW Up. Or buy a Skoda CitiGo with the 1.0 MPI 75 horsepower engine.


• 1.0 Turbo EA211 of 90, 100 and 116 horsepower – Although we are talking about a sporty and expensive version of a car that wants to be cheap. Especially the 116 GTI version, which was meant to be the continuation of the Lupo GTI. But no one bought it.

Electric

E-up! – The electric version of the Up can carry you 150 km on a full battery, can reach up to 130 km/h and can charge 80% in 30 minutes. You won't be delivering kebabs in this car or going on long journeys, but it's good to know that you can buy an electric car relatively cheaply.

VW Up! Reliability Issues

• Like many things in life, the first time doesn't always go as you want it. The same goes for the VW Up, where the first models in the first few months had quite a few issues. One of them was the insufficient ventilation inside, specifically the lack of manly air vents. So you can expect moisture and even mold in the car.


• The same was true with the infotainment system, which was a slightly unfortunate episode in the history of the VW Up. That's probably why VW recommends phone and tablet holders.


• One of the biggest faults with the VW Up is the robotic automatic transmission, which is more dubious than the work of people who are full of money and tattoos even though you never see them working. But an automatic transmission explodes the price of the VW Up anyway, so many people avoided this option.


• The manual transmission has it's own share of problems with the reverse gear. Like a friend who only wants you to get out in a certain place, the transmission stubbornly refuses to go into reverse. To calm the transmission down a bit, it is recommended to change the oil every 3 years.


• For the 1.0 engine (the others are ok) there have been reports of problems with the camshaft sensor, the clutch giving up prematurely and the timing belt needs to be changed every 3 years or 50,000 km. VW, old habits never die.

VW Up! Verdict

For a small city car, you have nothing to criticize except the price. And that remains the main issue with VW Up!. They now know how to make small city cars, they just need to get the price right for the features. If you start adding options, the price immediately starts to explode, and the basic models are really basic models. But when you deliver kebabs, you really don't care about the features of the car. On the contrary, if you don't have air conditioning, you're glad that that pizza doesn't have time to cool down.

What engine do I recommend? With the VW Up you have to make sure that the car is decent enough but not too expensive. In these conditions, the most balanced engine is the 1.0 MPI with 75 horsepower. The 60 is too anemic, the one with the turbine is too expensive.