We review the VW Up! from price to economy and all its features

VOLKSWAGEN has given the Up! a cheeky up!grade.

More power, fresh looks, a smartphone dock, a bangin’ Beats by Dre version – and just a £20 rise in starting prices.

Quick pub fact: The new 1-litre turbo (90hp) has the same performance as the original Golf GTi.

Now you should all be familiar with this cracking little city car.

It’s a VW. So it’s quality. Well-built, comfortable, easy to drive, cheap to run – and as big as a Polo inside.

It can’t compete with the Fiat 500 for looks – or sales. But starting at £8,995, it is the best little car you can buy. It doesn’t feel cheap.

And that 1-litre turbo zips along. Some old gent in a Jag was too embarrassed to pull over when he saw me in his mirrors (I gave him the old ‘Nescafe’ wave). And the chassis is good enough to take a GTi.

As for customisation choices, even Mr S Hawking couldn’t work out all the combinations.
The dashboard panel, for instance, comes in TEN colours. And there’s 13 body colours, three roof colours, ten decal sets, seven seat trims and 17 wheel sets.

But the coolest change is the simplest. The smartphone dock.

Rather than waste £1,000 on a touchscreen satnav, there’s a USB and cradle to hook up your iPhone.

A free VW app has offline satnav and your phone doubles as the screen for the reversing camera. Neat.

Other new stuff includes auto aircon with allergen filter, rain sensors and that 300-watt seven-speaker Beats sounds system. Pump Up! the volume.

VERDICT: Quality