Does The Up GTI Really Deserve Its Name?

As 'our' Up GTI heads home, we wanted to talk about its name, and if it deserves it...
Does The Up GTI Really Deserve Its Name?

Last week, VW collected the Up GTI that I’d been running as a longtermer for around seven months. And now it’s gone, I’ve been thinking - does this three-cylinder, 113bhp city car really deserves the ‘GTI’ name, or should it have actually been called something like Up ‘Plus’ or ‘Top’ Up?

The reasons why I’m not sure about it being a proper GTI are as follows. Firstly - and I’ve complained about this a bunch of times -the seats. Yes, they’re tartan like ‘proper’ GTIs, but they’re flat and don’t support your body when you’re throwing the car around a roundabout. So instead of eyeing up the next roundabout, you’re still picking yourself up from the passenger-side footwell.

Does The Up GTI Really Deserve Its Name?

Secondly, you can’t completely disengage the traction control, which means you can’t sit in a car park (obviously in ‘Mexico’) with the handbrake up while you smoke your tyres. And let’s face it, this is the only way to say farewell to an old set of tyres in a car that’s geared towards fun.

The driving position isn’t great, either - you sit too high up, so you never really feel like you’re skimming the road. And like I said earlier, the Up was always designed as a city car first, with the whole GTI twist coming in way after it was released.

Does The Up GTI Really Deserve Its Name?

On face value, then, it sounds like the GTI isn’t really much of a GTI at all. But, and this is something I learned over the course of my time with it, it is a car you learn to appreciate as soon as you accept that this isn’t 1984 where cars were ‘proper’ with shouty engines and thin steering wheels.

While the Up might not be a ‘traditional’ GTI, it can be thought of as a reborn ‘city GTI’ that’s fast at slow speeds, fun (so long as you hold on really tight, because did I mention the flat seats?) and iconic in its own right.

Do I think VW could have made a better Up GTI than this? Definitely. But with today’s rules and regulations and the Up’s packaging constraints in mind, it’s still pretty awesome that they gave us something as cool as this Top Up (sorry, GTI…).

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Comments

Anonymous

The plad makes me so happy

02/05/2019 - 16:37 |
8 | 0
CannedRex24

honestly.

Top Up, sounds like an incredible name for this

02/05/2019 - 16:57 |
25 | 0

Just to remind you that you’re out of mobile data too…

02/05/2019 - 18:52 |
9 | 0
Noah Hammerstad

Dude. Imagine going tokyo drift on that thing.

02/05/2019 - 17:09 |
3 | 0
Anonymous

Guten tag Alex, wei gehts?

02/05/2019 - 17:18 |
1 | 0
Anonymous

Better buying an Abarth then?

02/05/2019 - 17:26 |
1 | 0
Chewbacca_buddy (McLaren squad)(VW GTI Clubsport)(McLaren 60

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I’d have the Abarth as a weekend toy, the Up GTI as a daily

02/05/2019 - 19:27 |
0 | 0
Bring a Caterham To MARS

Y’all know what? Reclinable buckets and you’re mostly set. Seats solved, driving position solved, and only a fuse away from the TSC issue solved

02/05/2019 - 17:33 |
0 | 0
Elliot.J99

I know the first sporty Up! concept was named the Up! GT, I think that would have been a better name. (Heck, Up! S would have been good too)

02/05/2019 - 17:57 |
1 | 0
Chewbacca_buddy (McLaren squad)(VW GTI Clubsport)(McLaren 60

In reply to by Elliot.J99

An Up! R lmao

02/05/2019 - 19:27 |
1 | 0
Jakob

As far as performance is concerned, this car is as close to the original GTI as it gets. Now, I’m not quite sure whether the performance of a 40-year-old hot hatch is still desirable these days, but it’s still better than the garbage that you can get for other cars, like “S-line” or “ST-line” or “R-line” that merely are an appearance package. At least this car has some power advantage over the other VW Up trim levels.

02/05/2019 - 19:33 |
12 | 1
Olivier (CT's grammar commie)

In reply to by Jakob

Yeah but damn if this thing isn’t one of the ugliest cars on the market for sale, it just doesn’t feel like it has good proportions and reminds me more of these generic hatch kei cars than anything else. Even the smart is better proportionned.

02/06/2019 - 17:20 |
2 | 3
UnknownCat13

If you want a mad up find the jp performance one. Awd with many powers.

02/05/2019 - 20:28 |
4 | 0

I didnt know this was a thing, but thank you for making me go look it up! Thats awesome

02/05/2019 - 23:23 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

It is possible to shut down the Traction control completly after some update.

02/05/2019 - 21:09 |
0 | 0