Up! and Away

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Small, sporty cars are the most fun. They may not be the fastest, most comfortable or quietest, but they bring the joy to driving. An SUV may give you comfort and a sense of security but it won’t be as much of a hoot over a windy country road as a little car like this 2018 Volkswagen Up! Gti. And with an auction estimate of $5000 - $7000 you could argue that it’s cheap fun, too. Read on...

Over the weekend myself and some friends took a 500km blast from Hawkes Bay to National Park via the Taihape Rd and back via the same route with a quick spin around Mt Ruapehu and Mt Tongariro. The cars were a 34yo Mazda MX5, a 28yo Peugeot 106 Rallye and a 42yo Mini 1000, and nobody was enjoying that windy, potholed road, known as the Taihape Rd, more than us. We didn’t see any Supercars gingerly picking a route around the many potholes and ruts, indeed the few cars we did see were utes and SUVs ploughing over the rough roads and leaning around the bends, competently, but with little sense of fun.  Our nimble little cars avoided the majority of potholes and revelled in the corners, all while staying within the speed limits.

This much newer 2018 Volkswagen Up Gti has the ingredients to provide a fun drive along our many scenic country roads. The engine is just a 1 litre, 3 cylinder petrol engine, but with a turbo added and a 6 speed manual gearbox. It only pushes out 113hp but it also only weighs 997kg, well under half what a Ford Ranger weighs. This adds up to a car that can be driven in a spirited fashion while remaining within the speed limits. A car that can dance around potholes and glide around corners on the narrowest roads whilst maintaining the smile on the driver’s face. And even near the limit the fuel consumption is meagre compared to the many lumbering, heavy vehicles you’ll pass along the way.

Driving doesn’t just have to be a mundane A to B exercise, it can be fun too. Cars like the Up are there to put the smile on your face and bring back the joy of driving. And with an auction estimate of $5000 - $7000 it might be some of the cheapest fun you can get in a car that can still manage the A to B job during the week.

The auction for this VW Up is on September 25^th at Turners Westgate. More info here.