Published
on 23
Dec 2011
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All rights reserved.
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Volkswagen
group has an ambitious goal to be the world's no. 1 car maker by 2018.
That calls for extending its presence to all market segments. One of
the few segments that it has been underperforming is the
smallest A-segment city cars. Players in the field include Fiat Panda,
Renault Twingo, Toyota Aygo/Peugeot 107/Citroen C1, Fiat 500,
Toyota iQ, Smart Fortwo, Tata Nano and countless of Suzuki and Daihatsu
K-cars. Volkswagen last competed in the segment with Lupo from 1998 to
2005. It was not very successful because it lacked the practicality and
affordability that customers in the entry-level class demanded. In
2005, the Lupo was replaced with the Brazilian-built Fox. Spacious and
cheap it migt be, the Fox was built with
standards only developing countries would accept. Needless to say, it
sold
poorly in Europe.
Finally, Volkswagen got serious and started developing a
brand new car tailored to the needs of entry-level buyers. In the 2007
Frankfurt motor show, the Up concept car was displayed. It featured a
space-saving rear-engined layout and a compact but spacious body shell.
The styling was refreshing, and the best thing was that it did not look
cheap at all ! Very much like the original Beetle (also rear-engined),
it appeared to be classless.
The
2007 Volkswagen Up concept
However, in the following development process VW realized the
rear-engined layout would demand many unique components, such as
engines, transmissions and suspensions. That would actually increase
production cost beyond acceptable level. Consequently, the production
Up reverts to conventional front-engined layout so that it can maximize
component sharing with other Volkswagen products.
We have no doubt that rear-engined would have given the baby Volkswagen
a unique character and an advantage in space efficiency, but to be
fair, Wolfsburg did a great job to limit the damage to the minimum.
Look at the production Up, you will be hard pressed to tell it has a
front-mounted engine. Its front overhang is virtually as short as that
of the concept, an achievement made possible by an
extremely compact engine. This is a brand-new, all-aluminum 1.0-liter
3-cylinder engine. Not only it is compact, it has the radiator
positioned beside rather than in front of the engine, saving
considerable space up front. On the flip side, the extremely short
engine compartment is
unlikely to accommodate a larger 4-pot engine in the future.
It goes without saying that a shorter engine compartment means more
space can be spent to wheelbase hence cabin space. The Up is 3540 mm
long, about the same as a Fiat 500, but its 2420 mm wheelbase is 120 mm
longer than the Fiat's. That puts its space efficiency ahead of any
European hatchbacks, just shy of some Japanese K-cars. On the other
hand, its 1641 mm width is much more generous than the K-cars' maximum
of 1475 mm. No wonder its cabin feels remarkably spacious for a city
car, with good legroom and shoulder room for both rows. It is capable
to seat 4 average-sized adults without much complaint. Besides, the
251-liter boot is
also large by class standard.
Such excellent space efficiency is also helped by a square, no-nonsense
shape. The Up is designed by Italdesign Giugiaro (before the latter
acquired by VW group). While it is not the most memorable small car
design by Giugiaro – that could be the original Fiat Panda, Uno or
Punto – it is unquestionably a high quality effort, blending Italian
cuteness with the typical self-restraint of VW. A few features
distinguish it from other small cars, most notably the large panel
covering its lower front grille and the kick of waistline near the
C-pillar. The black, glass-covered tailgate with C-shape taillights is
also a signature of the car. Similarly, the interior emphasizes a neat,
simple and function-oriented style. Its center console is mounted high
to ease access, while a wireless touch-screen sat-nav/multimedia device
can be attached atop the center console. Predictably, the dashboard is
made of hard plastic to save money, but it is nicely grained to look
high-quality. Moreover, the dash is dominated by a body-color-matching
panel to cheer up the ambience, while the door panels have their
exposed metal surfaces painted in body color as well, just like the old
Lupo. Overall, the cabin cannot match the more expensive Fiat 500 for
style and quality materials, but it trumps just any other rivals.
One thing I admire the baby VW very much is its combination of
lightweight and "big-car" refinement, something usually mutually
exclusive. The car weighs only 854 kg, but its suspension damps
beautifully on irregularities, and the engine, road and wind noises are
never intrusive. Part of this refinement must thanks to a well
engineered chassis that comprises of 17 percent high-strength steel, 39
percent ultra-high-strength steel and 8 percent hot-stamped steel,
which makes lightweight and high rigidity (a class-leading 19,800
Nm/degree) possible. To save heavy and costly insulation materials, it
uses a stamped acoustic firewall and optmizes the sealing of the cabin.
Structural damping is tuned to interact with other acoustic elements
and deliver a pleasant noise.
The EA211 three-cylinder engine is another example of sensible
engineering. To keep cost under control, it is not overloaded with
technology – just relying on 4-valves head and intake VVT to deliver
reasonable horsepower. A lot of weight is saved by using aluminum block
and by mounting the ancillary components directly on crankshaft instead
of mounting brackets. Weight saving even goes as far as eliminating the
usual balancer shaft. Then how does it deal with the first order
vibration typical to 3-cylinder engines? The answer is by using
lightweight reciprocating parts (pistons and con-rods) and swivel
engine mounts. The whole engine weighs just 69 kg.
Depending on ECU, the 999 cc engine produces either 60hp or 75hp. Both
have the same max. torque of 70 lbft. Predictably, performance is
barely adequate for the 75hp engine, while the lower power option could
be frustrating on highway. Fortunately, the engine is willing to rev
and reasonably refined. It does produce noticeable vibration at very
low rpm, but once it is up to rev the vibration is largely settled. The
5-speed manual gearbox is slick to shift, and it is well matched to the
torque curve to deliver a quiet operation in motorway cruising, at
least for the 75hp model.
As expected, the small car feels nimble and easy to drive around town.
Its
suspension setting is softer than the usual standards of VW, so it
displays noticeable body roll into corners. Compare with Japanese city
cars, however,
its suspension is firmer and body control is better. Highway stability
is also superior. The electric power steering is light and accurate but
lack of feedback.
Being a city car, the Up is very well judged. It is not only spacious,
functional, frugal and affordable, but delivers better quality and
refinement than most other city cars on the market. Nevertheless, next
to Fiat 500 we can't help feeling the VW is a little bit
bland, not just in terms of styling but also the engine and handling.
The most sensible purchase it might be, the Up still lacks the fun and
sparkles that the Italian is renowned for.
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Verdict:  |
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