2018 Volkswagen GTI
Set for UK sale in early 2018 at an expected starting price around £15,000 following a planned public premiere at next week's GTi fan meet at Lake Woerthersee in Austria, the latest member of what Volkswagen officials recently suggested to Autocar will become a larger and more prominent line-up of powered-up GTi models in future years arrives well into the latter half of the first-generation Up’s planned seven year life cycle, providing the German car maker with its first serious rival to the likes of the Fiat 500 Abarth and Vauxhall Adam S.
Developed in a joint project between Volkswagen’s regular road car department and its high performance R division, the new model is described as being very much in the spirit of the original GTi, with an upgraded engine, greater downforce at the rear and a revised suspension claimed to see it rise well above regular Up models in outright performance and handling terms.
With 113bhp on tap at 5000rpm from a turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder direct injection petrol engine, the Up GTi’s peak power is a significant 30bhp down on the turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine of the Abarth 595 but the very same output as the similarly configured turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine used by the Adam S.
With a kerb weight of 997kg, this provides it with a power-to-weight ratio of 113.3bhp/tonne. It is backed up by 147lb ft of torque between 2000 and 3500rpm.
To give this some historical perspective, the original first generation Golf GTi launched in 1976 ran a naturally-aspirated multi-point fuel injected 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine delivering 108bhp. But with a kerb weight of 810kg, it packed a sharper 133.3bhp per tonne, despite only being endowed with 104lb ft of torque.
Volkswagen is talking up the technical specification of the Up GTi’s engine, which also resides in the entry level version of the recently facelifted seventh-generation Golf. Along with a stop/start and energy recuperation system, it receives a particulate filter that enables the compact three-cylinder to meet the new WLTP (Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure) emission standard.
A further development adopted by the new range topping Up model is a so-called sound actuator. It provides a synthetically generated exhaust note aimed at enhancing the aural qualities of the 999cc unit.
Power is sent to the front wheels via a closely stacked six-speed manual gearbox. Volkswagen claims a 0-62mph time of 8.8sec and a top speed of 122mph. This compares to a respective 0-62mph time and top speed for the original Golf GTi of 9.0sec and 113mph.
A series of stylistic upgrades transforms the look of the Up, providing it with many of the classic GTi cues used by Volkswagen down through the years.
Included is a new front bumper with additional cooling vents – including one integrated into a splitter element long its lower edge, round fog lamps with cornering light function and a plastic honeycomb grille insert. Above it is a GTi badge and characteristic horizontal red feature line in the space between the headlamps.
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