Volkswagen Up! Now Even More Worthy Of That Exclamation Point

8 years, 8 months ago - 3 March 2016, Autoblog

If you recall, we tested a Volkswagen Up! on American roads way back in 2012. No surprise, we liked it, calling it "the best little car we can't have." And based on the updates for 2016, presented this week at the Geneva Motor Show, the updated Up! looks to be an even juicier piece of forbidden fruit.

For one, it's much more powerful thanks to a new 1.0-liter, turbocharged three-cylinder engine.

The new triple's output is 89 horsepower, up from 74, but the bigger news is the increase in torque: 118 pound-feet, instead of 70. That should give this little guy some serious point-and-shoot ability, a statement that's backed up by the stopwatch – this car can hit 100 km per hour in 10 seconds. No, that's not quick, but it's a full three seconds faster than the car we drove in 2012 and is even quicker than a number of US-market vehicles, like the Nissan Versa or Chevrolet Spark. Basically, the new Up! now has the performance to survive in America, even though it'll never come here.

Buyers can now get the Up! with a five-inch touchscreen display, a multi-function steering wheel, auto climate control, and a thumping BeatsAudio stereo. Oh, and as we noted in our previous review, being a product of the European market means the Up! hasn't been cursed with a cut-rate interior, like the US-market Jetta, so it should automatically be a much nicer place to spend time. Maybe VW will bring one of the updated cars to our shores for a followup test. Here's hoping.