One of the most important automotive highlights of the last year was the introduction of the two-door Volkswagen up! Now, Volkswagen is a four-door version to the model range, which will be at dealership in Europe by early summer. The four-door doesn’t differ much from the two-door version- it has the same engines (44 kW/60 PS and 55 kW/75 PS), equipment versions (take up!, move up!, high up!, black up!, white up!) and dimensions (3,540 mm long, 1,641 mm wide without mirrors, 1,478 mm high).
Of course, the four doors have influenced and changed the appearance of the up! As the lower window line of the two-door rises towards the rear near the C-pillars, it forms a straight line on the four-door car. Other distinctive features are the crisp and short body overhangs. Nevertheless, the front and rear sections are identical on both body versions: the bootlid’s outer skin consists of a continuous glass surface. Beneath the bootlid, there is a boot with a volume of 251 litres; cargo capacity can be extended to up to 951 litres by folding down the rear backrest (60:40 split bench from the move up!).
The four-door model offers the same spacious interior as the two-door: headroom in the rear is 947 mm, and in the front is 993 mm. Legroom in the second row is a comfortable 789 mm. The seat height on the rear is 378 mm in the rear, which is higher than in front (306 mm). This allows the rear passengers to have a better view over the shoulders of the driver and front passenger. Furthermore, the car includes clever systems such as City Emergency Braking, which is automatically brake function working in a tight situation. The function is active over a speed range from 5 to 30 km/h. In addition, as an option there is also available a portable navigation and infotainment system with touchscreen, which offers navigation system, hands-free telephone unit, display of various vehicle parameters and media player. A highlight here as well is the enormous panoramic tilt/slide sunroof that Volkswagen decided to include in the up!
The standard version of the 2012 Volkswagen up! Is equipped with 14-inch wheels, body-colored bumpers and green tinted heat-insulating glass. The body of the car is partially galvanized. The interior includes details such as the folding rear bench seat, color contrasting air vent surrounds, carpeted floors and a fabric-lined bootspace cover. Furthermore, there are also featured rear windscreen wiper, electromechanical power assisted steering, height-adjustable steering column, convenience direction indicators and daytime running lights. The gloss black panel in the middle of the dashboard shows the sophistication of the interior design. And when it comes to passive and active safety, standard features include front airbags and head-thorax side airbags, seatbelt fastening reminder, belt tensioners in front, ABS with ASR, ESP electronic stabilization program, ISOFIX fixtures, top-tether fittings for mounting suitable child seats in the rear, deactivation function for the front passenger airbag.
Of course, there is no second thought on the great fuel economy that this car delivers. In fact, bith fuel economy and driving performance values are the same for both up! body versions. This means that they both use three-cylinder petrol engines with 44 kW/60 PS or 55 kW/75 PS. In addition both engines fulfill the Euro 5 emissions standard and drive the front wheels. In particular, the combined fuel consumption is 4.1 l/100 km (60 PS) and 4.2 l/100 km (75 PS), respectively. However, what is new here is the 5-speed automatic gearbox, mated to these two petrol engines. Nonetheless, both engines will be still offered with 5-speed manual gearbox.
Source: Volkswagen
Volkswagen has announced the five-door up! model, which is expected to hit the market in the second half of this year. The small city car has a 2.42 m long wheelbase that makes for impressive interior space, a capacious 251-litre boot, an efficient three-cylinder engine, new-to-the-class safety features and an innovative infotainment system.
Volkswagen managed to get four awards from the prestigious What Car? contest. The famous 2012 Volkswagen Up! claimed Car of the Year as well as the best City Car award. Other two victories are for Small Family Car – Volkswagen Golf VI and the coveted Safety Award.
Volkswagen hits the UK market with the all new 2012 Up. The small city car is priced at just £7 995 and will be available in the spring of 2012.
The first photos of the Volkswagen up! have been released, ahead of the new small car making its debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September.
