NEW CAR COLLECTION - MY OWN VW UP! GTI!!! 

Hello Adam, thanks for commenting! I'm a big fan of Joe so that's a real compliment which is much appreciated :)

K

Adam, Agree but Andrew adds for me, those years of real practical / hand-on experience and knowledge. That's a big plus for me.

Thanks for commenting Leigh. Plenty of people choose not to have the dealer valet a new car. Because VW is a high volume/low profit margin brand, the dealers can't afford the time or cost to detail every new car. Yet to the buyer, the car often means a lot more as it might be there first (or last!) brand new car and they want it to be perfect. Therefore they choose to not have the dealer touch the car (apart from inspecting it as they have to by law) and either do it themselves lavishing the TLC the dealer can't or paying a detailer £200 (ish) for a new car detail which will not damage the paint (like a hasty valeter/hand car wash can) and protect the paint thanks to some often costly potion being applied. Well worth the cost if you ask me but I've got to make a video of the process so will be doing it myself sometime soon :)

Hi runrabbitruntacing, apparently the customers love Mahmoud!

Hi Christopher, indeed depreciation will be interesting. Obviously demand is high now for new and supply isn't great which should help in the longer term but there will be quite a few buzzing around over the next 2 years so prices will take tumble. The guaranteed future values used to calculate the finance payments don't look too good but just like VW under estimating the demand, there is a good chance this has been calculated conservatively too. On the plus side there isn't much to lose and I will use the car so it wont just get parked up and lose money like a weekend car.

VW axing the up! may help to keep GTI numbers low; I'm hoping this may happen before the end of the year as some rumours suggest. I ordered on 29th March...still at the factory.

Hi Paul. Thanks for your comment. You must be one of the very first people to take delivery so congrats. Please that you don't appear to be bored of it just yet :)

Hi zenon, congrats on your new car! Just done my first commute home which is actually first time I've driven one in urban areas and it's a hoot, more so than I remembered!

Thanks man :) The only bit I don't like is front 3/4 as it looks really tall and narrow like a Smart car. Eibach springs and spacers will sort this though, visited Eibach this week and saw the demo car, looked amazing like that

Thanks BWTV, I honestly don't think you will regret it 👍

Should’ve done man, would’ve saved you a world of TT trouble 😉

Hello Alejandro, thanks for posting and glad you enjoyed the video :)

Hi Louisa, thanks for commenting. Glad you are enjoying the material, I know that feeling of watching videos and reading magazines in anticipation of a new car arrival so I'm pleased to have been of service 👍

Thanks for commenting Mary, that's very kind, thanks :)

Hi Tom, thanks for commenting. I do have my eye on the Polo GTI and have already had a close encounter with one in Germany. The thing about the up! is that it breaks new ground for the GTI brand (compact and cheap) while the Polo will always be a cheaper option for a Golf GTI. I can't see many people choosing one over a Golf if they could afford a Golf but I could, of course, be wrong :)

Hello Volkswizard! I ordered a Polo GTI just a few weeks ago, I find the size of the new Polo is perfect for me. Bigger than a Fiesta, but not as big as the Golf, that could be a deciding factor for a lot of people who want a fun little hatchback that's also practical enough for daily driving. Also, this is the first Polo GTI that feels as good to drive as the Golf. I think VW has nailed all of the current GTI models, all of them have the defining characteristics of a true GTI, for me it's just a matter of what size I would like my GTI to be, so I went with the Polo. Cheers!

Hi Darren, thanks for commenting. Yes, the press fleet were out in February notching up miles in advance of the press launch late Feb and have been busy going to magazines etc ever since. They are quite subtle though with front and rear bumpers pretty similar to the TSI but I think people remember the red one from the Grand Tour so it gets a bit more attention (pointing fingers etc) than I was expecting. I'm sure it this wont last for long :)

Hi Brian, yes all the up!/Mii/Citigo derivatives are fun so I knew the GTI could only be more so and I wasn't wrong! If you watch my first video you can see that grin clearly :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WN5i7bXy804.html

You can update the tsi to give an extra 25hp by re mapping

Up! GTI isn't actually that much more than a GTI, £1500 in the UK I think? £500 for a reputable remap which will invalidate the warranty, might be best to spend the extra £1k and get the GTI?

Hi Bob, really sorry to hear that. It will be interesting to see if cars come as late as suspected, if so, I have to agree, it sucks. As said in video, someone ordered a week after order books opened so 3 weeks after I placed my deposit and got their car before me. I had assumed VW wouldn't dare to not supply in the correct order but looks like I was giving them too much credit. I am sure production is more complicated then any of us can imagine but a bit of communication on how this can occur would be welcome. Thanks for commenting.

volkswizard got hacked off with people who had ordered weeks after me getting build dates ...whilst my order went back to July unconfirmed...still ordered myself a Mini Cooper with JCW upgrades be here in 2 weeks that's 4 weeks from ordering!! Impressive car and service...they even apoligised for it taking 4 weeks would you believe.

Hi faisalleeds, the delays are annoying but I do think VW will up production. It's best to quote nine months and deliver in six than vice versa. Whatever, it's worth waiting for 👍

Thanks John. They are pretty slick there and I am ready to be critical if needs be. The issue with deliveries coming in the wrong order is one to take up with VW UK. There will be a good reason which they should share, as communicating with customers is key to a good relationship. Pointing this out at the time the order is placed would be a good start.

Hi Christopher, thanks for commenting. Too right about the garage, it's so nice to get a car to fit in mine without having to watch the mirrors, it goes in first time with no stress and plenty of room front and back.

Thanks Keith 👍 It happened all of a sudden really. Penciled it in for end of month but as is the VW way when it suited VW to deliver it, they did, no chance of any warning from them.

Andrew , Just embrace your VW surprise present ,better than a 9 month plus wait. That woman was so lucky to get her met grey full spec'd car ,that colour combo is my preferred spec. £19500 variety . Maybe I can exercise that purchase, if VW surprise us by bring us the Clubsport /Clubsport S Limited Edition.

Andrew , one thing that always pisses me at collection of a new car, is tyre pressure setting.PDI seem to be mostly useless Were yours correct, to the lable on drivers door . What have you set yours to at Front / Rear in general use.(bar)

2.7 bar front 2.4 rear - there is also a comfort setting which is a bit lower but having just checked my pressures, I can tell you 2.7/2.4 will be much more comfortable than they have been for the last 2 weeks....

Hi 3DFX. Thanks for commenting. Easy answer is that I still have the GTI Clubsport S which is too special to use daily. The Up! GTI gives me a little bit of GTI that I can use every day (and no sadly, Honda took the 'ring record with the Civic Type R in early 2017 but VW will be back I am sure).

volkswizard Hi Volkswizard! Iknow Honda TOOK it with Type-R. Im a Clubsport owner myself! - BUT didnt you heard that Honda record was a FAKE ?? So back to Clubsport S it went !!! Im so glad not owning a Type-R for braging rights anyways... Ohhh the Embarassment... Hehe ;)

Totally agree, the styling of Civic Type R is a joke and all to go just a little bit faster than a plain looking Golf. It doesn't even ride comfortably on the road in comfort mode while the Clubsport S is smooth. I'd always feel that driving the CTR on the road was compromised just so it could break the record, I don't feel that way about the Golf, only that it's too fast to fully enjoy on the road.

Even worse, I thought it had a red roof. If you get a chance to see one with a black roof, you will see how the back paint doesn't stretch right across to the end of the panel. There is a couple of mm of body colour which you can see with the white cover on and that is what made me worry! The black roof on Edition 40 was the same - I can only assume they can't paint it 100% precisely so allow a bit of tolerance.

Me, I am biased :) but the recent press reports of the Swift compare it to the up! GTI and it doesn't come off well. Jake Grove's review in current issue of CAR is worth a read (then go buy the up! 👍)

volkswizard, thank you for your reply, much appreciated 👍

Hi David, no that's just dirt. The plastic cover on the roof wasn't a perfect fit around the aerial mast so a small area has some dust on it. Car had never been washed at that point so it's from the time in transit from Slovakia.

Hi, with options it was £14500 but most dealers would have given some money off back then. I also got £1800 scrappage discount.

If you don't need the space then it's fine, mpg seems the same or better than the Bora which was a surprise as Bora was good!

volkswizard my mum has the high up with the 75bhp setup and it's a really fun car on corners and back roads compared to my Jetta, the Jetta is a motorway king though, so comfy and does 57mpg easy at 70mph. The Up GTI is a lot faster than my 105bhp 1.9tdi so might be worthy investment.

Hi Lotusdriver, thanks for commenting. I know, it's all a shambles but I have fingers crossed that they come through early, I am not sure tracker is right as mine is still in German according to it!

Hi Jacob, I think that's what impressed me. OK there are some old bits like door handles and key and dash and door plastics are nasty but the accountants have been clever with their savings compared to other compact rivals which just ooze cost cutting.

Hi Jacob, you aren't the first to say that. I am pretty sure James has been in the UK all his life, we are a very diverse country in the UK!

Hi Sean. Up! GTI will be the daily drive, not going to be too precious over it. As was said in the 'Smith & Sniff' video it's a car you can use 100% of, 100% of the time (or similar). Don't worry, it will be worth the wait and may even come early 👍

Today I was stuck behind a beautiful Golf R , Merc Amg, Audi Rs4 and others . I was in my 56mph truck . The Up! Gti should be well suited to our busy roads.

Hi Mr. Be. Thanks for commenting. Both are good cars but it's very different to the up! GTI, I explore the differences here; www.motoringresearch.com/car-reviews/volkswagen-up-lupo-gti-test/

Hi HAPPY_T6_CALI, thanks for commenting. Hope you enjoy yours too, any road trips planned?

volkswizard For the moment our road trips concern our travels with our VW T6 California... 🚐

Belgian as well, except mine's a naturally aspirated (but it still snappy tho)

HAPPY_T6_CALI I've ordered mine January 31st and the delivery date was June 11th and now July 4th. White with black details and 3-doors. All the options except sunroof and rear view camera.

Hi SuperRobbo92, thanks for commenting. I'm not sure who's got what right now, a lot of demos have been sold but there should be new ones arriving soon too. There will be people fed up with the wait cancelling orders so might be worth contacting your local dealer to join a list, Lee Evans at Cheltenham VW is taking a list and has just sold a cancelled order for July delivery. 01242 851609. I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed :)

volkswizard I've got a couple dealerships within a 20 mile radius so may get in touch with them at some point to see what their situations are like re the Up! GTi.

Hi Raj, it's true! VW have done a good job of giving up! GTI the bits that make Polo and Golf a GTI but not xenons. Would I have paid £750 extra for them? Not sure. One benefit is that in a crash, replacement of parts will be cheap which will also keep insurance low. The LED daytime running light bulbs are better than the usual halogen ones at least!

Thanks Azehiate Hanif! Nice to have a 5 door if you need the extra doors but I think the upswept rear window line looks nice on 3 door and Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo don't get this and don't look as good. You must be enjoying yours to do those kinds of miles, nice to hear enthusiast feedback from a 'high mileage' owner :)

Thanks wizard . Can't praise this car enough, I went to dealership to buy a golf R and came away with this little go-kart instead !

It's hilarious, why does it feel so quick ?

Lightweight and lots of torque, good recipe ;)

Thanks! Greetings from the UK :)

Thanks Charlie - just to clarify, it's red (free), 3 door (free) with options of black roof, climate control, park and cruise pack and passenger seat height adjustment. A great package :)

volkswizard that’s exactly how I would spec an up gti, I’m 18 and this is currently one of my dream affordable cars, can imagine insurance is quite cheap at 1 years no claims being a 1.0 3cyl

1st reply! Thank you!!

Patience, it IS worth it!

That's Mahmoud, a salesman with a very strong personality, think he does well judging by his GTI PP company car :)

Hi K Mack, thanks for commenting. I don't think this is specifically a quality issue with the up! as I've seen this on numerous cars (you could say all cars are built to a price!). What is an issue with the up! is the angle of the front bonnet, on most cars it's nearly flat but this is much closer to 45 degrees and perfect for chipping. On the plus side it's small so repainting shouldn't be too costly but PPF may be a better move, thanks for the heads up :)

Cant disagree with any of that but compared to other cars I find the paint on the 'UP' particularly fragile. I'm pretty handy with 'paint correction' and it's definitely thinner than other - more expensive VW's i've owned. Its not a criticism as they are great little cars, its just something any potential buyers should be aware of, but as you said you could apply PPF or repaint which cant cost much due to the tiny bonnet! Enjoy your car...

I've hard worse comments :)

Hi Brian. Thanks for commenting. There is a pleasure to using a most of a car's performance most of the time especially when that car is designed for this i.e. a GTI.

Is it not a bit small for the USA? I think you like larger cars over there, the Up would look like a toy! Be great fun on the canyon roads though.

I am not that sentimental about cars TBH so that was pretty emotional for me! Had a new Up! GTI to take my mind off things which helped 👍

Hi Benjamin. You pay a deposit up front, usually £500-£1000 then you get a delivery date (so when you pay the deposit it's pretty unclear when the car will come). The usually delivery period for factory order is 12-16 weeks but I am not sure how Up! GTI deliveries are going right now as some took well over double that. Then when it's arrived and only then you pay the balance. I paid a few mins before driving away. If you are doing finance this should be arranged before ordering really as there might be incentives in place that might be removed as was the case when the Up! GTI was launched. I doubt you will have to pay the full finance deposit then though. If you want finance, try www.motionfinance.co.uk if you are in the UK. I got them to quote on Up! GTI and they were very close to the VW Finance BEFORE VW took away the special deal.

volkswizard hey, thanks for that detailed response, that’s cleared a lot up for me, it’s shame VW don’t contribute anything anymore for the Up! GTI, better get my funds together and order ASAP. In terms of finance options, I’m going with VW’s ‘Contract Hire’ because I can get it with maintenance, servicing and tires included! Thanks again, love the videos!

s1hl3 2019

Hi Andi, that' s a good idea. Now the car is here there is a lot of content to produce. Might start with a 'new car detail' film first, then video vs Lupo GTI then full depth review and a few others planned too :)

Hello Stefano, thanks for commenting. Hope you enjoy yours :)

Ha! Lucky I edited the roof bit as that was 5 x longer than shown! Hope you liked the rest of it :)

volkswizard Thanks for shortening lol......rest of video was good mate, personally I hadn't thought of stating a limited prep when picking up a new car before.

£13750 for the 3 door and discounts can be had if you are prepared to wait :)

Painted !

That's great to hear, the options list can be a little vague in terms of pictures and/or info.

Hello Turbo_Sheep, thanks for commenting. I am sure one day you will :)

Hi Lazonby Bear. I do still have the Lupo GTI, in fact I have two at the moment. Planning to make one perfect car out of the two. There will be a comparison video soon, do not worry :)

Excellent

Congratulations on the new car, it is lovely

Thanks a lot :)

volkswizard just out of curiosity what's the engine bedding in process on these up GTI s

Unforeseen change of circumstances means I will be moving 25 miles from work rather than the current 4, hopefully to an area where I can leave a GTI on my drive without fear of it getting stolen. Up! was/is perfect for the shorter commute and the odd longer journey but not suitable for what I will be needing it for. Still love it but I wont if I sit on the M40 in it day in day out.

Hello Reddylion, thanks for commenting, glad you like the up! GTI over there too :)

volkswizard ya vw polo gti, even two door one, but don’t even see one two door in India, vw up is coming here soon, I am waiting for updated polo and India specific vw ameo sub compact sedan 2019. Tdi with 7 speed dsg.

I think new Polo is 5 door only now.

volkswizard ya.. new one , which is still not here in India, me recommending everyone not to buy vw in India until latest is launched here, polo gti sold in India has 2 door.

volkswizard by the way how is the build quality, engine etc of your new up.. when compared to Hyundai etc...

Good idea!

I've just emailed BOTB suggesting they do it, be interesting to see if they do, might even buy a ticket myself!

volkswizard I’ll definitely buy a ticket if they do

Me too!

It's alright, I've got a handsfree :)

Somewhere in between which VW deem to be the best compromise

volkswizard thanks for the info :) I'm very tempted to get one of these. I currently drive a 2014 seat Leon sc FR 1.8 (180ps). Do you think the up will be a lot more fun to drive ?

Thanks Speedbird787, that's very kind of you, glad you enjoyed it :)

Hi David, thanks for commenting. You are 100% correct, its cheapness doesn't detract nor will its impending ubiquity. It's not a car to buy for exclusivity or status, it's a car to use and enjoy without guilt or worry and enjoy the 'pep' whenever the roads and mood allow without being irresponsible as you would have to be in a modern performance car like the Golf R to find its limits on the roads. Boxed ticked!

They do stick it on well, I'm pleased the paint can handle it as some non-original paint may not!

Hi Rid300, weird as I don't think I can disable it and the likes have been adding up. Try again and let me know :)

Just checked a box that might be it, let me know if it works, thanks :)

volkswizard thanks, it works now.

Thanks for commenting Curt :) Rental red isn't it?! 6th Gen officially - there are some facelifts that VW call 'GP' for example 6N2 but because these were not completely new models they aren't counted.

Thanks Peakwanderer. I don't think I can switch this on or off so that's a bit odd. "Likes" having been adding up so it seems to be working. RU-vid does work in some weird and wonderful ways. Let me know if you are still having trouble - but only if it was for a 'like' :)

Of course I'd give you a like :-) I can't see them though, I get the buttons, just no totals, it must be something in the settings of your channel. ?

Have a look now, there was a setting, why this would be unchecked I don't know but I've checked it so fingers crossed :)

Working now, 15 likes including mine, thank you :-)

Thanks for the like and heads up :)

Hi Enfant Terrible? Are you a fan of Misha Charoudin's by any chance? :) There are numerous differences to the TSI, certainly enough to cover the modest extra cost (in the UK it's not much more). The brakes work really well so disc or drum does it matter? The engineers have only changed what they had to in order to keep costs down and as a result it's a bargain, hence why if you order now you wont see a car until Feb/Mar 2019, says it all doesn't it? :)

Enfant Terrible so when did you drive one?

Hi Nicky, thanks for your comments. It's pretty sad that VW valeters are so poorly regarded, by now you'd expect something to have been done about this following poor customer feedback to VW UK but they don't seem to be interested in standardising good practice across the network. I've no experience of Cheltenham VW's valeters apart from seeing some of the new cars there and they all look pretty good, certainly better than my brand new Lapiz blue Golf R from another dealer which was dreadful.

Hi DjStiv3 , thanks for commenting. If you buy a car to look at then fair enough (although a 1998 Mk4 GTI isn't all that is it?!). If you buy them to drive (it is a GTI after all) then there really is no contest.

Don't worry, I'll ignore it either way. I do approve these comments but have let yours get published because I'm hoping others will say what I can't say...

mob mentality lol