Practicality on the up! with new baby VW

In case nobody told you, the UK economy is currently in recession so the chances of popping out to buy a new five-door car with room for the family and plenty of boot space are severely depleted for all but the most affluent. Except…

VW have announced a new five-door version of their latest town car, the up! The three-door version, currently available to order with showroom models arriving in March, will be joined by the five-door in the second half of the year. The clever design – the back seats are slightly raised to create extra space and give a clearer view ahead - means rear passengers enjoy 947 mm of headroom and 789 mm of legroom without compromising on the generous 251-litre boot space.

VW have also embraced the latest technology. The removable Maps & More infotainment system incorporates all the navigation, telephone and information displays but VW say that unlike similar systems this one can also be used to view vehicle information like parking sensor displays (if you choose that option). We’re not sure how this all interfaces as we haven’t seen it in action but if it works as described it’s going to be a fantastic innovation and a great way to stay entertained in heavy traffic.

These pictures are the first to reveal the five-door and as you can see it’s a cute little thing with plenty of character and being a VW it’s going to have the build quality to back up the looks. In fact the up! is the first car in it’s class to receive a five-star rating from NCAP. As well as the standard compliment of front and side airbags, ABS with Brake Assist, Isofix seat fixings and ESP there is also an option for City Emergency Braking system that uses sensors to scan for objects in front of the car and automatically apply the brakes in an emergency. The technology is well established but VW are the first to introduce it into the small car market and as options go it’s not only a good addition but prices start from just £225 – that’s less than some manufacturers charge for metallic paint.

So what does this have to do with the recession? The up! is fitted with an efficient three-cylinder engine so tax and fuel costs are going to be easy on the wallet but what really caught our eye is the OTR price. The three-door up! starts from just £7,995 and while VW have yet to confirm prices for the five-door our guess is there’s a good chance that you will be able to pick up a base model for somewhere around the £10,000 mark. For a well designed, well built, safe and economical little car sporting such a respectable badge that’s got to be a good thing in these lean times.

www.vw.co.uk











By David Young

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