It's Official: The VW Up GTI Is Happening
Thanks to a bunch of rumours from earlier in the year, we’ve been fairly sure that VW is in the process of making a hotter Up. Now, we at have official confirmation from VW, via Autocar.
Given the drought of dinky warm hatches we’ve had in recent years, we’ll heartily say hell yeah to that news. So what will it be like?
A prototype exists with a 104bhp version of VW’s turbocharged inline-three petrol engine, although the production version will have 114bhp. Not a huge figure, but enough to make the lightweight Up a jolly entertaining steer. The prototype features a five-speed manual gearbox, but it’s possible that VW will offer the production car with both that and a seven-speed DSG automatic.
The suspension will be heavily revised, with the Up sitting lower on stiffer springs and fettled dampers. It’ll receive a sportified GTI makeover on the outside, and - hopefully - lashings of tartan on the inside.
The downside? It won’t be here until 2018. So, the Abarth 595 is safe for now…
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Up! To the next Gti! 😱😁
An abarth 595 would beat the poop out of that UP GTI
Citigo/vw up!
Perfect 4 u!
we’ve had this in brazil for about a year now
its called up tsi over here
Am I losing something? Thought there was always a 105bhp 1.0 turbo flat-three Up! for sale. They’re giving it 10hp and calling it a GTI now? Now, I love the GTI name and badge, and I don’t think that’s a good idea…
In Germany, as far as my info goes, it’s a 90hp inline three.
Flat-three?!
In Brazil we already have 1.0TSI Up! And it was an instant hit, its faster than a 167hp Civic Si-R (1.6), faster than a lot of 4pot cars
Are you sure it’s faster then a civic si-r? XD I mean ok power to wait ratio its better for sure in 0-60 but after 60 ? It’s quite impossible to be faster. I own a Honda accord 2.2ictdi it’s 184 bhp remapped and I killed a Peugeot 106 xsi and it’s putting out bhp120+ and for sure the xsi has a better power to ratio then the up
Dies from excitement
Dam you vw!! Now i already bought a fiesta!!
Yeah a 1100kg car wichtig 100hp…investieren waited for that…no thanks i keep my 1.6 opel
Already working on that :)