Skip advert
Advertisement

Volkswagen Up GTI (2017-2023) – design

The handsome Up is made even more desirable by a selection of typical-GTI design cues

Evo rating
  • An entertaining car to drive, even if it isn’t in the conventional hot hatch manner; high quality interior
  • Some of the interior’s quality should have gone into the chassis

One factor that makes the Up GTI so desirable is its tough and chunky looks. The basic Up, with its clean lines and short overhangs, is a very fine looking car and fits with the very sharp, subtle and elegant designs of other modern Volkswagens. Although, less understated are the VW badges on the Up that look 25 per cent too large, but that does give the impression the car is even smaller than it is.

Advertisement - Article continues below

As for the specific GTI elements – the big, diamond-cut wheels pushed right out to each corner, the red grille highlights, side stripes and its spoiler flicking off the trailing edge of the roof – they make it look like a proper performance car, no matter what its size.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Maserati GT2 Stradale review – can Modena best the Porsche 911 GT3 RS?
Maserati GT2 Stradale
Reviews

Maserati GT2 Stradale review – can Modena best the Porsche 911 GT3 RS?

Maserati’s GT2 Stradale might look like a race track refugee but this supercar is at its best on the road
20 Jan 2026
The new Toyota GR Yaris Sébastien Ogier edition is a rally car for the road
Toyota GR Yaris Sebastien Ogier 9 World Champion Edition
News

The new Toyota GR Yaris Sébastien Ogier edition is a rally car for the road

Toyota has chosen the season-opening 2026 Monte Carlo rally to reveal a new special edition of the GR Yaris. It’s one with a very long name: the Toyot…
22 Jan 2026
Aston Martin’s F1 safety car is dead: Mercedes takes the reins for 2026
Aston Martin Vantage F1 safety car
News

Aston Martin’s F1 safety car is dead: Mercedes takes the reins for 2026

After a five-year stint, Aston Martin is handing the reins to Mercedes-AMG for Formula 1 safety and medical car duties
20 Jan 2026