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

Launched in 2012 to replace the questionable VW Fox, the VW Up was an instant hit. VW had never made a real effort to create a small, city car. Yes, there was the VW Lupo but there the German engineers rather tested the new technology on a car that nobody buys anyway – see the case of the Lupo 3L which was more of an engineering exercise, not necessarily a car.

Everyone has been watching VW more than the final episode of Ghemotron (or Game of Thrones if you’re one of those geeks, poor with money but rich in the heart).

And it seems to have worked for them. VW has finally managed to make a car that costs less than 10000 euros. 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 roomier than they should be.

Is an Up worth it for private 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 holds up well, except when you put it up to kick the Sandero in the testicles, then it ricochets and the VW Up is likely to break its leg. If you don’t care about the badge, a Sandero is probably a better choice. If you still don’t want the Dacia because you’re too image-conscious, then the Up is one of the most affordable city cars around right now. And if you go for the Seat Mii or Skoda CitiGo, then you’re really in for a treat.

VW Up Engines

Petrol

• 1.0 MPI 60 and 75 horsepower – The base 60 horsepower engine isn’t worth your attention unless you really want a VW Up but don’t have the money for a VW Up. Or you get a Skoda CitiGo 1.0 MPI with 75 horsepower. By far the best and most popular delivery engine tho.


• 1.0 Turbo 90, 100, and 116 horsepower  – Although we’re talking a sporty and expensive version of a car that’s meant to be cheap and city. Especially the 116 GTI version, which was meant to be the sequel to the Lupo GTI. Except nobody bought it.

Electric

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

VW Up General Issues

• Like many things in life, the first time isn’t what you expect. Same with the VW Up, where the first few models in the first few months had some pretty big issues. One of them would be the insufficient ventilation inside, specifically the lack of vents in the airspots. So you can expect dampness and even mold through the car.


• The same was the case with the infotainment system which was a slightly unfortunate episode in the VW Up’s history. That’s probably why VW also recommends phone and tablet holders.


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


•  The manual gearbox has issues with the gearshift. Like a girlfriend who only wants you to go out in a certain place and nowehere else, the gear box stubbornly shifts in any kind of gear. To calm the box down as much as possible, it is recommended to change the oil every 3 years.


• For the 1.0 engine (the others are ok) there have been reports of issues with the camshaft sensor, the clutch giving out prematurely, and the timing kit needing to be changed every 3 years or 50,000 km. VW, old habits die hard.

VW Up Verdict

For a small city car, you have nothing to complain about except the price. And that still remains the main issue with VW. They now know how to make small city cars, they just need to get the price of the equipment right. If you start adding options, the price immediately starts exploding, and the base models are really base models. But when you’re delivering kebabs, you really don’t care about the equipment. On the contrary, if you don’t have air conditioning you’re glad that pizza doesn’t have time or conditions to cool down.

Which engine do I recommend? With the Up you have to make sure that the car is decent enough, but not galactically priced either. In these conditions, the most balanced engine is the 1.0 MPI with 75 hp. The 60 is too anemic, the turbocharged one too expensive.