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

Lotus wants to save its Norfolk factory by developing and building other company's sports cars
Lotus factory
Features

Lotus wants to save its Norfolk factory by developing and building other company's sports cars

The Emira will live on and there's an Esprit supercar on the way, but Lotus has another plan to keep Hethel active
18 Aug 2026
McLaren McL 6GT is a new manual supercar and a complete reset
McLaren McL 6GT
News

McLaren McL 6GT is a new manual supercar and a complete reset

Unbelievably, the design of this new McLaren is more surprising than the reintroduction of a manual transmission…
14 Aug 2026
Ford Focus RS (Mk3, 2016 - 2018) review – the last proper fast Ford?
Ford Focus RS
In-depth reviews

Ford Focus RS (Mk3, 2016 - 2018) review – the last proper fast Ford?

The Mk3 Focus RS looks like it’ll be Ford’s last RS, certainly with petrol-only power, for a while if not ever. Did the legendary badge go out on a hi…
18 Aug 2026