Published:
27 August 2024Climb into the powered-up Up and you were greeted by seats that had been upholsted in VW's GTI-familar Jacara cloth tartan check. The three-spoke steering wheel was given a subtle flat bottom, too, similar to that of its big brother, the Golf GTI.
The gearknob and door sills were branded, and the dashboard was trimed in a neat-looking red pixel motif that elevated the GTI's sporting feel. The roof-lining was black, which did more for the sporting cause than you’d think. Meanwhile, the cabin’s matt chrome trim was a welcome and effective trick in making the Uo seem worth it's original list price of around £14,000.
With no changes to the car’s architecture, you still got the same deceptively capacious packaging and good ergonomic attention to detail that made finding various controls effortless - although the dials were a touch more stylish within the instrument binnacle than in lesser models.
The Up GTI’s infotainment system came in two parts: one supplied by Volkswagen, the other by you. The former was a 5.0in colour screen that displayed basic functions such as radio and phone, and featured Bluetooth connectivity. The latter was your smartphone, which could be mounted on a neatly integrated cradle atop the dashboard, with a USB socket via which to recharge it and connect it to the car.
Given the physical growth of smartphones generation on generation, it was a bit of an oversight on VW's part, that the frame only accepted devices with screens up to 5.5in. You'd struggle to cram the latest Apple iPhone in there today.
However, should your mobile fit, you can control the navigation functions – and more besides – via the Up’s physical controls by downloading VW’s free ‘Maps + More’ app onto iOS or Android devices. There were physical ventilation controls neatly clustered in the middle of the dash, too, just below the smartphone mount.
