Facelifted VW up! gets revised styling and new turbo engine

Since the Volkswagen up! launched, it’s been a popular choice for city drivers thanks to its nippy engine, funky styling and upmarket interior that belies its size and price. It’s now been updated, with revised styling and a new turbocharged petrol engine to boost its appeal. Now, it's made its public debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.

Outside, the up! gets a revised front end with new bumpers and headlights, which now include LED daytime running lights as standard. There’s also a choice of 13 colours and a range of personalisation options, with nine sticker designs and three different colours for the roof. There are new lights and a sharper-looking bumper at the rear, too.

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Inside, the car retains its upmarket feel, with new seats, a greater choice of colours for the dashboard, a new air-con system and a new multifunction steering wheel also used in the Volkswagen Polo and Volkswagen Golf.

There’s more equipment on offer, too: all up! models now come with LED daytime running lights and remote central locking, while Move up! trim adds a USB port, five-inch infotainment screen and Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity.

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High up! is very well equipped, boasting features you’d normally find on much more expensive cars, including ambient lighting, heated seats and 15-inch alloy wheels. An all-new trim level has been added, too: the up! beats, featuring a BeatsAudio stereo.

Under the bonnet, there’s the same choice of 1.0-litre engines from the current up! range, but there’s also a new 1.0-litre TSI turbocharged petrol that produces 89bhp. This gets the up! from 0-62mph in 10 seconds and on to a top speed of 115mph. Fuel economy figures are still impressive, with the up! returning a claimed 64.2mpg and CO2 emissions of just 102g/km.

The new version of the up! will go on sale in the summer, with prices expected to start at the same £8,495 as the outgoing model.