In the same week that the first right-hand drive models are arriving in UK showrooms, the new Volkswagen up! has added to its growing tally of honours, winning car review website CarBuyer’s Best City Car award, while the Golf Cabriolet has claimed the accolade for Best Convertible.
Commenting on the awards, CarBuyer Editor in Chief Steve Fowler said: ‘The up! is a simply superb city car – it’s got all the attributes CarBuyer users will love: cheeky looks, mature driving manners, plenty of space, low running costs and a tempting price. It makes a great case for not needing anything larger.’
He continued: ‘Volkswagen’s latest Golf Cabriolet is the best yet. It has all the attributes that make every other Golf so brilliant, but with a huge dollop of sex appeal. It has its sensible side, but it sure knows how to let its hair down – it’s the perfect cabrio for CarBuyer users.’
On sale in the UK since last September, the Golf Cabriolet combines familiar Golf features with a more rakish look and an electrically powered fabric roof which can be folded away in just 9.5 seconds. Later this year, the line-up expands to include the fastest production Cabriolet yet, with the arrival of the Golf GTI Cabriolet.
The up! distils Volkswagen’s values of quality, safety and value for money in a compact package, from its modern, clean and efficient engines, through its class-leading safety features to its innovative infotainment system. The three-door model is on sale now, starting at £7,995, while a five-door version arrives before the end of the year. A fully electric version is also in the pipeline.
So far the up! has already won the What Car? Car of the Year for 2012 award and been named Top Gear magazine’s Small Car of the Year.
