Having just driven Volkswagen's new up! city car in the European city with the worst reputation for its drivers, writes Brian Byrne from Rome, I have just fallen in love with it.
The car, I mean—the city has been a longtime mistress. And I can see why they started the press conference here with a rendition of Dean Martin's 'That's Amore'.
This is a sweetheart car, with a personality that you wouldn't expect to come out of a Volkswagen box. It's a box that won't be bought in Ireland until March 2012, but maybe you might start saving for it. Think somewhere around €11,000 or slightly north.
A new 3-cylinder 1.0 engine is available in a brace of power outputs, but Ireland will be getting the higher power 75hp version, and will also have the BlueMotion technologies package which keeps emissions below the 100g/km.
An option—which I tried, against a dummy, though—is a similar automatic emergency braking system as we have seen in larger Volvos and Fords. It works, but I have reasons not to be interested. (Another time.)
ESP is standard. So is cuteness. And also the biggest boot space in the class at 210 litres. Yet there's no scrimping of space for four people either.
All the Volkswagen up! cars for the market introduction in Ireland in March will come equipped with the 'maps and more' module that provides navigation, trip information, phone and other facilities.
The top of dash unit is a touchscreen system that must be installed at the factory, and will normally cost €400 extra. It is updateable by means of a simple software manipulation, and the maps can be tailored to a user's personal profile and need.
Still, it'll be a small market here in Ireland, but Volkswagen will be offering up a serious option to the Fiat 500, Toyoto Aygo, Ford Ka and Kia Picanto.
The baby car battle continues. More when I'm home.
