*Or VAG derivative
We have been a single car household for coming up two years now and whilst this has been "fine" we are starting to creak at the seems a little with sporting events, children ferrying etc
I was hoping an E Cargo bike was on the horizon or the new Bombtrack Mid Tail but that may take a back seat for a while ... (sad face).
The UP! has been a shortlisted car for consideration. It seems capable of (although not ideal) for 80 mile round trips (work) and nipping around town and can seemingly seat 4 adults (we are looking at the 5 door).
I'd like the GTI (roll eyes) for the 6th gear ... obvs ... but its not likely to be one of those (sad face, again). Realistically it would be used for ~ 10k miles a year.
I've read the reviews but if you've had a good/bad/indifferent experience with one or one of the VAG derivatives I'd be keen to hear.
Thank you 🙂
Had the Skoda equivalent - Citigo - as a courtesy car. Perfectly fine as an urban trundler, but would be not much fun for long commutes and not much boot space.
As a big Skoda fan, I'd see what 1.0TSi Fabia you can get for the budget. Surprisingly big inside for 4 adults and kids who will grow, nippy on your own, comfortable on longer journeys. The Fabia feels bigger than the Polo and Ibiza on the same platform.
We've got a 2014 Seat Mii for learner driver duties. It's great, it's done 300 mile in a day trips - not ideal, but no real hassle. Perfect for short trips and would be ok for an 80 mile round trip commute. Parts and tyres are ridiculously cheap too.
Following this closely... we're looking at one for learner driver (and commute) duties as well.
My wife had a High Up for nine years, gave her no trouble in all the time she had it. She has a Polo now but I think she wishes she still had the UP.
Eldest daughter had one when she passed her test and she loved it right up to the moment it was written off by a lad pulling out of a side road into her.
We replaced it with a Fiesta which is better size-wise but eldest still wishes we had the Up.
Other than decent ones aren't cheap, like many cars. 10k miles though, you may want something a little bigger. Can't beat a small car for city commutes or popping to the shops.
Daughter has one, 2014 model in the “Mango” trim. She treats it like a rubbish skip, but it seems to run ok. She bought it to replace the exact same one she had which was written off when someone crashed into it when parked up. MIL also had one and they seem quite a solid car and decent enough drive.
We have a 19 plate Mii (FR line - ooooo fancy!) that we got as a learner/first car and it does that job fine. I went and looked at a fair number and test drove 3 or 4. We looked at all 3 Brands and just bought the best example we could afford.
The FR line is slightly sportier, has a few more BHP and slightly stiffer suspension. Better stereo and a few flashier trim items.
It's also slightly more expensive to insure...
My brother has one, absolutely loves it and does some ridiculous mileage in it, at one point he was doing a weekly Colchester to Catterick commute and just whacked the cruise control on and accepted that was where he was going to be for the next few hours.
It's only cost him tyres and oil changes in the last 4 years
The Wife has a High Up! Lovely little car. Great for city driving, although it did a 25 mile each way commute for a little while. Perfectly fine for two adults. You can squeeze 4 adults in but they have to like each other.
No issues or trouble in her ownership. Cam belts are expensive because it’s a vehicle specific tool kit to change them, not many garages have one, so it’s a main dealer service item.
We had a Citigo and it was absolutely great. Fun to drive, incredibly well thought out design and construction, bigger boot and cabin than the similarly sized Peugeot 107/Toyota Aygo. It was perfectly fine for long drives - you sit there, press the accelerator and it goes. The seats are comfy and inside it was a nice, bright space to be. We had four in it no bother. Can't recommend it enough.
We looked round an Up! recently and took it for a drive.
Bought a Swift 1.0 hybrid 109bhp instead. Fab wee car, and took me on a 600 mile round trip a couple of weekends ago averaging just over 60mpg. The wee battery and motor are great around town - you can really feel it helping out at times. Comfy, better tech, better (full LED) lights etc. More plastic inside - but that makes it easier to clean and more robust. Slightly more road noise, but we plan some damping mats under the carpets to help that out.
We also have a Fabia (estate) 1.0tsi 110bhp. Again, great car and so much more space and comfort when there is more than one of you and more than a short journey. Still small enough to park in small spaces and nip around town in.
Am I convinced the VAG is better than the Suzuki? No. And certainly not worth the premium.
Bear in mind that the Up is taller, wider, and heavier than a MK1 golf, which was considered to be the benchmark family hatchback back in the day. I don't think it will have any issues with the use case scenario you have put forward based on size and driving dynamics.
We've had a Citigo Monte Carlo since 2019. Bought it as we were struggling with kids taxi duties with only 1 sensible car (I also have a kit car in the garage...), and also had both kids that would be learning to drive over the next few years. Great car, I do all the servicing, which is less than £50 a year. Only recurring problem seems to be rust around the fuel filler, ours is now starting to go. That's the main thing to check when buying...
My partner has the GTI version, absolutely super wee car and 4 adults should be fine in the 5 door (hers a 3 door so a pain). We both have a long history of hot hatches going back to the 90s and the Up is high on the list for driving pleasure. The infotainment system and seats are a bit crap and the boot is tiny, but that's it, the rest is superb.
We had an Up for a couple of years. Great for city driving but did not feel like a place I wanted to be driving the M8 to Glasgow and back. There's nothing between you and the vehicle adjacent.
I'd go with the Fabia or Swift idea (probably Swift).
Second hand Zoe or Leaf seems perfect for your stated needs.
Up Gti here and love it. It reminds me of the original Mini the way it goes around corners like a go-kart. It's a lot of fun, good economy and quite a nice place to be. Done a few runs Basel Switzerland - North Lincs in a day and it's fine IMHO. Like all cars in this segment it's small and relatively flimsy if your'e hit by a truck but it is what it is. The 17" wheels look great but are are heavy. The 16" steelies for winter do change the feel for the better.
The boot is small, there is a false floor to get more space and it's fine for what it is. It's a keeper and would only be changed for an e-Up if we did swap it.
My partner had an Up!
Despite my initial misgivings (ie, snobbery) it was a great little car in all bar one aspect: the auto gearbox was horrendous to the point of being dangerous, it was like something out of the 1980s. It'd decide to change gear because you were going uphill and would take so long to do so that by the time the transmission had re-engaged it needed to drop another cog. The only way it was actually driveable was to stick it into semi-automatic and do the thinking for it. I guess it was simply too small a car to have a DSG box.
I'd have another, but I'd want to test-drive an automatic.
We had one for teaching the kids to drive in, and it was so much fun that I ended up keeping it (as a second car).
VW then released the Gti version, so I upgraded to one of those, I still have it and it brings a grin to my face every time I drive it, BUT you have to play swerve the pot-holes 🙁
I've done a week touring and camping in Scotland with my wife, so it's pretty capable at being outside the city too.
I'm lucky to have access to a gen4 Jimny and this has become my go to car now, similar size but no fear of pot-holes.
The Tsi UP! is a great middle ground, if you can find one?
However, if I just changed the Gti wheels for 16", I'm sure it would be more practical.
Had the Skoda equivalent - Citigo - as a courtesy car. Perfectly fine as an urban trundler, but would be not much fun for long commutes and not much boot space.
I picked one up from a retired lady in Cornwall, her son had persuaded her to lease one, but she’d hardly driven it, and she wouldn’t have another car because it was easier to get the bus or a taxi. I think it might have been a couple of years old, and done around 3000 miles.
Driving back on the A30/303/M5, it was perfectly happy keeping up with the traffic, and when I overtook a Discovery somewhere around Clevedon, I checked my satnav and it was humming along happily at around 105 mph…
I’m around 6’, and I found the seating position perfectly ok, and I was quite comfortable after over 200 miles once I dropped it off. YMMV
Had a Citigo "Sport" from new complete with go faster stripes. Great car. Ran it for 6 years and 80k. Only issues were weird fittings on rear door cards/panel (3 door) would squeak if parked on anything other than 100% flat surface. Also the clutch release bearing was going when I got rid of it. Given the amount of Manchester City Centre/M62 roadworks made up that 80k, no wonder the clutch was shagged. False boot floor was a great idea. It also took very badly to upgraded headlight bulbs.
We have a 15 plate Mii. I do a once a week 60mile round trip, plus occasional trips to the shops. I love driving it, its so fun.
Ours is the 59bhp version, so I wouldn't want to be carrying any other passengers! Cheap to insure and run. Radio reception is poor - a known problem with the amplifier built in to the antenna apparently, which I've never been fussed to have fixed. There's a slight rattle from the front which our local garage couldn't trace.
I plan on keeping it for a long time as our second car.
Had a citigo for quite a few years. Great car. Very easy to drive, low maintenance, surprisingly spacious. The driver and passenger seat particularly felt really open. Obviously great around town but also good on a longer run. Did some big trips in the UK and Europe. Super reliable. Nothing to not like really. Was quite a basic spec, stereo was a bit average,
Bought another Skoda just got something with a bit more capacity so we could go down to one car and haul bikes and dogs. Could've happily kept the citigo for another few years.
Second hand Zoe or Leaf seems perfect for your stated needs.
I suspect the OP is looking for a petrol car but you're right that an EV would meet the stated needs. We have an e-UP which would combine the EV solution with the Up request. On a quick look at prices, a secondhand eUp is not that different to a petrol Up, and may have fewer miles. Ours has been fine, no problems, all it's needed in 4 years is a pollen filter and 2 tyres, and it's nice to drive.
We've got a Citigo (wife's car), which is starting with the fuel filler rust which should be a warranty repair but we'll be writing to the ombudsman this weekend as our local dealer can't do any more about progressing the claim and Skoda's "customer service" have just taken 4 long paragraphs to tell us F off and that they're closing the case. If you do buy one (Up!/Citigo/Mii), check it's had the rear wheel arch liners fitted (later ones did) or make a point of routinely cleaning up around the back of the filler.
Although it's still a Skoda and obviously we're not best impressed with them at the moment, my wife much prefers my Rapid Spaceback which is just a nicer more grown up car in pretty much every way, slightly less mpgs (40-45 with me driving, 45-50 for her 😉 ) but lower tax and insurance (despite bigger size/engine/etc - maybe fewer young drivers so less crashes for the model?), loads more room especially in the back (hence the name) and with a pano roof (and 6 gears!) on the top trim levels. I'd recommend it as decent totally unpretentious family car. I've had mine 6 years now and just can't bring myself to change it.
had one as a hire car a few times overseas. great little car and easily bowled along motorways at 80-90 without any trouble. had the seemingly innate VW hatch habit of cocking the inside rear wheel on sharp turns too. (-:
Only recurring problem seems to be rust around the fuel filler, ours is now starting to go. That's the main thing to check when buying...
Thanks for this. We ruled out two cars based on this. Useful advice.
A weird thing… today we test drove an UP that was running great in every way, except you could hear lots of rear tyre noise (it seemed to be mostly driver side). Not used to small cars… does this sound odd? Or usual, depending on tyre choice?
I think only facelift versions had rear wheel arch liners as standard, which contributes to both the road noise and rusting around the filler cap.
also have a feel around the tyre tread. my golf has 'castleations' (sp?) on the driver's rear on the inside of the tyre. sounds like a wheel bearing gone. the tyre is basically fine but i guess my sometime 'enthusiastic' cornering has given rise to this.