time has finally come to say goodbye A2 and hello Up!

venusinfurs

Member
Well, after my car troubles of rough engine and starting off a few weeks ago, that never really 100% resolved even with the clean of the throttle body i decided to part with my Audi A2 and finally purchase a VW Up! i have had my eye on for a while, i do 50 miles a day commute so had to move on at some point to something newer.

The A2 has been a fantastic car in the 4 years of ownership, i kept it longer than any other car from 68k to 118k and barely had a problem with it.

I struggled to find a suitable replacement for the A2, small car with good build quality with tardis like properties, good economy and ride quality were all on my wish list... which narrowed it down to the VW Up and it's siblings.

I can't tell you how amazing the ride quality is compared to the Audi, i've never had a car that is so refined and soaks up the bumps in the road so well.

So, i'll list the things i don't miss from the Audi A2, it wasn't perfect car, but it was ahead of it's time looking modern even today, no one could believe my car was 14 years old. Dont take this list the wrong way, at the end of the day the A2 is 14 years old and the VW Up practially new. A comparison is somewhat unfair.

1) Ride quality, harsh and crashing - see above, ride quality of the Up is brilliant.

2) Pet peeve here, windscreen dribble due to one wiper, what a difference 2 wipers makes.

3) Noisy 1.4 litre engine, even at speed lacks refinement - 1 litre engnes have surely came a long way, once up to speed, quiet as anything.

4) Regular oil top ups, cost me a small fortune in oil in top ups over the years.

5) Obtrusive b pillars, actually quite dangerous at times, i count 3-4 times over the years a car has been rendered nearly invisible by them.

6) Wear of soft touch buttons.

7) Poor accelleration from standing, particuarly given the aluminium construction... the VW Up! shifts off the mark pretty well, and certainly feels nippier than the A2.

8) Paying for road tax :D (i have the bluemotion up)

Quite a short list really considering. And i'm sure i will have a similar list when i move on from the Up! in the future - just to be fair ;)

I highly reccomend the Up! in your shortlist of cars for a future replacement.
 
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Is the Up still only available with the 1 litre petrol? I might be tempted if there was a bigger petrol or pokier diesel...
 
you get two versions of the 1 litre engine,its no rocket ship but 60 or 75 bhp high up makes the daughters one roll on quick enough,Just no Turbo :)
 
Not forgetting the all electric E-UP! The instant torque that electric offers can make them pretty fun to drive but the price tag can be a hard pill to swallow .

Cheers Rob
 
I've just had a nosey on the Up owners forum and there's a 1.2 TSI Up, but only in Brasil, with no plans to bring it to Europe. Bah! I drove the Up 75 as a hire car and I didn't like the weedy engine at all. I'll stick with my re-mapped 75tdi for now :)
Russ
 
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