The VW Up GTi Is An Unexpected MPG Hero

I'm just back from a 200-mile round trip in 'my' Up GTi, and I can't believe how economical it was on the motorway
The VW Up GTi Is An Unexpected MPG Hero

This week, I drove down to the guys at Turbo Dynamics near Bournemouth to deliver a certain turbocharger belonging to a certain 330d Touring (it’s being transformed into a hybrid turbo as we speak).

Usually for long trips on the motorway, I’ll avoid taking the GTi because it has a tendency to drink through fuel when being driven at a constant 70-80mph; well, it did have a tendency, because as I found out this week, the Up’s 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine has loosened up by what feels like a considerable margin to return some really impressive economy figures….

60.5 mpg on the (dusty) dials!
60.5 mpg on the (dusty) dials!

The reason I’m so impressed with 60.5mpg (driven mainly on the motorway at 70mph), is because I was struggling to break into the mid-40s on the motorway when the GTi first arrived at my house with only delivery miles. The car has now covered 4750 miles, so the engine is beautifully run in and working at full efficiency; the stop-start system also helped achieve +60mpg when I hit traffic as I got back into London.

So it just goes to show that I was wrong about this little three-cylinder-engined warm hatch, because despite what I thought, it’s way more economical on motorways than I originally thought; even with the bike and kayak rack on the roof, both of which produce a fair amount of drag.

As a motorway cruiser, then, the GTi is actually really good; it’s punchy for quick overtakes, is surprisingly economical and, with the volume turned up on the crisp Beats audio system, is a good car to alleviate motorway boredom.

The VW Up GTi Is An Unexpected MPG Hero

Beside my little economy update, the Up GTi is still a car I enjoy driving. I get asked a lot if it’s actually fun, to which I always answer with an emphatic yes. No matter what speed you’re doing, it’s super punchy because it weighs nothing and it changes direction really well, again because of that low weight figure of 1070kg/2359lbs which, incidentally, is almost exactly the same weight of my MX-5.

As an aside, my girlfriend loves the GTi, so we might have to think about selling her Hyundai Coupe which she struggles to park at work. Something like the Up GTi would be perfect because you sit higher, the car is smaller, visibility is far better and it’s still a blast to drive. But we’ll see…

If you’ve got any specific questions about the Up GTi, let me know!

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Comments

HinaXOX

It hurts seeing Phil like this …

09/23/2018 - 14:02 |
32 | 0
Alexander LHeureux

I want one so bad. The UP! GTi is my favourite Volkswagen of the past decade…

09/23/2018 - 14:15 |
8 | 2
Ijal

I want to see Phil again!

09/23/2018 - 14:16 |
76 | 0
llP VeIoclty

Some drag races with the UP will be a fun watch

09/23/2018 - 14:35 |
10 | 0
Anonymous

Up vs phil

09/23/2018 - 14:56 |
4 | 0
michal9495

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

We already know who will win

09/23/2018 - 15:48 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Fuel economy bragging rights! Pop the hood! This bad boy can do 60mpg!

09/23/2018 - 15:01 |
2 | 0
Freddie Skeates

(((smol sipp)))

09/23/2018 - 15:09 |
6 | 0
Ewan23 (The Scottish guy)

I got my 3 cylinder 1.2 Polo to 56mpg lol

09/23/2018 - 15:20 |
0 | 0
Peanut_guy

Thanks for adding KG to LBS. Next is converting MPG to L/100 km. It’s easier to convert lbs to kg (divide roughly by 2) but mpg to l/100 is harder :/

09/23/2018 - 16:21 |
14 | 0

It’s around 3.9l/100km

09/23/2018 - 17:40 |
2 | 0

Or i’d rather convert it to KM/L

09/24/2018 - 05:08 |
4 | 2
CannedRex24

i wouldnt really count on it being real MPG. I would take that 60MPG with a pinch of salt tbh
cause isnt the MPG for the GTi 58 MPG?

i think its just another case of cars kind of overestimating their MPG. a good example of this is the 2012-2017 Swift Sport, which gets around 40-45 MPG irl, but the cars keep showing 50-55MPG

09/23/2018 - 16:39 |
8 | 0

I agree. I am currently driving a Nissan Juke rental car, and the car estimates that I sometimes get 99.9 mpg, which is definitely not true.

09/23/2018 - 17:36 |
4 | 2