The Volkswagen up!

What Car? Car of the Year 2012.

Even before it had hit UK roads, the new Volkswagen up! has claimed top honours at the prestigious What Car? awards, being named Car of the Year for 2012 as well as best City Car.  Taking the Car of the Year title for the sixth time makes Volkswagen the most successful manufacturer at the What Car? awards since they began in 1978.

It was a highly successful night for the manufacturer overall at the motor industry’s annual ‘Oscars’ held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, with the Golf returning as winner of the Small Family Car category for the sixth time overall and fourth consecutive year, and Volkswagen also taking the coveted Safety Award.

Commenting on the awards, What Car? editor-in-chief Chas Hallett said: ‘The Volkswagen up! sets new standards for a car at £10,000.  It’s a city car that can seat four adults, while offering new levels of refinement, quality and maturity at this price; none of its rivals feels quite so grown-up.  Buyers will be looking for even more for their money than ever in 2012, so the up! is a worthy winner of the What Car? Car of the Year.’

Meanwhile the Safety Award was in large part the result of the availability of Volkswagen’s innovative City Emergency Braking system on the up!.  Although safety features are no longer the preserve of larger, more expensive models, the judges were impressed by this particular example of ‘big car’ technology filtering down to a smaller model.  The system uses sensors to scan the space ahead, then applies the brakes automatically if it detects that the car is about to hit an object in front.  Hallett added: ‘It works well – particularly in town, the up!’s natural environment – and the biggest achievement is that Volkswagen is offering the technology at a respectable price on its smallest model.’  City Emergency Braking costs from just £225.

The up! is available for test drive now, with prices starting at £7,995 (RRP OTR). To make an appointment please phone our showroom on (01970) 626666 or to find us please click here.