At the end of January, Volkswagen opened up the order books for the brand new e-up! electric car, which has arrived shortly after the whole range was revamped, along with a return of the up! GTI
The new e-up! has the same new features as the rest of the line up, so active lane assist is now standard as is the new VW logo.
Range
The outgoing e-up! had less than 100 miles of range and cost £24,625. This new version starts at £19,695, if you factor in the £3,500 grant from the government. It has 162 miles of range, on the WLTP testing cycle. This increased range comes from a much larger battery, the old e-up! had a small 18.7kWh lithium ion battery, but the new one has 32.3kWh of capacity.
The electric motor provides 82bhp and and 0-60 is handled with in 11.9 seconds. The top speed is 81mph, but considering the speed limit here in the UK is 70mph and this car will be primarily used for city driving that is more than enough for this country.
Being one of the most expensive versions of the up! range, all the possible options are piled in, with the winter pack, which offers heated front seats, heated mirrors and windscreen. You also get, climate control, automatic wipers and lights.
Inside, a leather multifunction steering wheel and leather trimmed handbrake are standard items too. As with every up! model, the infotainment system is pretty unique, you have a smartphone cradle which sits on the dash for navigation, with USB and bluetooth.
The only options are a different colour dash and quilted seats and lots of paint and roof combinations.
