The Volkswagen Up! is one of the greatest cars in the world today. It is almost as perfect as its more proletarian twin, the Škoda Citigo. But to truly vaunt that last hurdle into the pantheon of legends, it could probably use slightly more power. And now it will happen, in the form of the Volkswagen Up! GTI.
The Up! GTI will come with a mere 113-horsepower and 147 pound-feet of torque, but if you’re complaining, you’re a crazy person. This thing weighs only 2,200 pounds.
That’s only ever-so-slightly heavier than a Lotus Elise, and that’s a car known for lightness and the absence of mass. So basically, it’s a Lotus Elise with a hatch.
In all seriousness, though, the Volkswagen Up/Škoda Citigo/Seat Mii triplets really are pretty much the best tiny cars around, and are infinitely light and chuckable, with just enough power to get them moving but not enough that you’re not screaming in terror on a highway onramp. They’re also roomy as hell inside, which is inspiring these days for something that both has airbags and can also park on a postage stamp.
They are, in short, the ideal car.
The whole shebang also gets dropped a little over half an inch in GTI form, for that stance lyfe, y0, making it look as mean as iPhone with a razor blade attached to it. For cutting fools, naturally.
And the party carries over inside, with traditional tartan seats and an environment that doesn’t look half bad for something that’s still going to be relatively dirty cheap.
Volkswagen says it’s a concept for now, but it’s confirmed for production. And, of course, it won’t go on sale in the U.S., which is fine. Because this is worth moving to Europe for.