The three door version of the new Volkswagen Up! was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, and now Volkswagen has released the first details on the five-door model. In Germany, the new version will go on sale March 6th with first deliveries arriving in May. Prices will start from 10,800 euro, or about $14,000 at the current exchange rates.
The five-door Volkswagen Up! features the same dimensions as the three-door version, but the difference is the rear doors which open wide and allow easy boarding. The interior also offers more space, with 94.7cm (37.2 inches) of headroom and 79cm (31.1 inches) of legroom. The rear passengers will be even more comfortable thanks to raised seating positions.
As for power, the new Up! will be offered with a 1.0-liter petrol engine with BlueMotion technology offered in either 60 or 75 HP versions. Both of these options are combined with start-stop function and an impressive fuel economy of 4.2 liters/100 km.
Just like with three-door Up!, the new five-door model will be offered with City Emergency Braking - a new safety technology system that automatically actives at speeds of under 18.6 mph and uses a laser sensor to detect the risk of any imminent collisions. Next to this feature, the new five-door Up! will also get touchscreen navigation, Bluetooth, and other entertainment systems.
Volkswagen has released a full army of concept vehicles based on their new Up! platform at the Frankfurt Motor Show. One of the concept vehicles, the Up! Azzura Sailing Team, is a version of the Up! that takes nautical pleasures to a new level.
As an open-top concept with a lack of doors too, the Up! Azzura Sailing Team was penned by no less than Volkswagen chief, Walter de Silva, and Giorgetto Giugiaro with the idea of bringing to life and paying homage to nautical life. As such, the design elements featured in the concept carry some of those nautical characteristics, including an open-cabin with mahogany and maple wood trims, chrome components, and white-blue leather. On top of that, the car has also been dressed in a resin coating to make it waterproof, which would make sense considering the whole point of the concept.
As for the powertrain, the Up! Azzura Sailing Team runs on an electric motor, although nothing appears to be set in stone since the concept is unlikely to ever make it to production.
It’s not rocket science to understand that the Volkswagen Up! Concept is not the poster car for fast cars, seeing as the concept only carries an output of 75 horsepower. What was surprising though was that for all of its capabilities - or lack thereof - Volkswagen has come out with a GT version of the concept that delivers an output of 100 horsepower. Not exactly raging stallions, is it?
In any case, this is what the Volkswagen Up! GT Concept has to offer. Compared to the its standard version brethren, the GT version is a monster on four wheels, at least as far as relativity is concerned.
It carries a turbocharged three-cylinder engine that produces 100 horsepower and 111 lb/ft of torque - a significant improvement from the 75-horsepower output of the standard version - while carrying a 0-60 mph sprint time of nine seconds.
But more than all the numbers, the Up GT! Concept also carries some aesthetic improvements from the standard Up, including a more serious front bumper with LED running lamps, a roof spoiler, twin-chrome exhaust finishers, and a set of 17" wheels as the cherry on top of the proverbial sundae.
Next to the study buggy up!, Volkswagen has also brought the cross up! concept to the Frankfurt Motor Show. The company has promised that even if this was displayed as a concept, it is in fact a near production version and reveals how a cross Up! version will look like.
The Cross up! concept is finished in a "Tornado Red" exterior paint combined with silver elements and dark anthracite on the wheel well extensions and side sill extensions. The roof rails highlight the look in "matte silver." The bumpers have received a new design and is combined with a larger honeycomb grille, larger air intakes, and a silver cross-bar in the bumper. The concept sits on a special set of 16" alloy wheels in cross design.
On the interior, the seats feature a special cross trim with center panels and grey side panels, while the steering wheel, gear shift grip, and parking brake grip are wrapped in leather.
The new Volkswagen up! might have caught all the attention at Volkswagen’s stand in Frankfurt, but next to it there were six other concept cars worth taking a look at. The first of these concepts is called the Volkswagen study buggy up! and unlike the original Buggy launched in the 1960s which was based on the Beetle, the new concept is based on the recently launched Up!
The new study buggy up! keeps the underbody, running gear, and
drive technology of the up!, but adds a completed redesigned roof-less exterior skin, and a lowered ride height (lowered by 20 mm). The study will immediately be recognized as an Up! model, but the bonnet is built much flatter, the bumpers show an independent character, and the roof was inspired by small convertible sports cars. The study is also about 44 mm longer and 31 mm wider than the production Up!, while the height has been lowered by 190 mm. The new buggy sits on a new set of 18" alloy wheels and is finished in a "hot orange paint which was specially created for this vehicle.
Another feature for the new study buggy up! is that it is 100% beach ready; everything on the interior is waterproof, including the controls for the infotainment system.
