VW's little Up grows more doors

Published Jan 23, 2012

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Designed as something of a spiritual successor to the Beetle - although the rear-engined configuration we saw in the concept did not end up making production sense - the Volkswagen Up has until now only been available as a three-door, not a good idea in today's versatility-obsessed world.

But now the European city car has grown two more doors, but it has sadly lost some style in the process, the more practical shape appearing somewhat blander.

The five-door Up retains the same dimensions as the three-door, including a decent 2.42-metre wheelbase, 789mm of legroom and a 251-litre boot.

It is also expected to be offered with the same 1-litre, three-cylinder engine as the version with less doors, offered in 44kW and 55kW guises. An idle stop system helps the Up achieve fuel consumption figures of between 4.2 and 4.3 l/100km/h on the EU cycle.

It's also available with the same optional features, including the City Emergency Braking system that can automatically slam anchors below 30km/h and the portable Maps & More infotainment system that synchronises navigation, phone, information and entertainment functions.

The Up is also well sorted on the safety front, boasting a five-star EuroNCAP rating and standard electronic stability control and ABS - as well as front and side airbags to protect you if all else fails.

At this stage, however, the Up is unlikely to reach South Africa, our Polo Vivo plugging the gap at that end of the market.

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