It was an easy point to miss in the VW Up GTI's long awaited return to the UK market; as the world was in raptures about its favourite tiny hot hatch being revived, so its increased price was relegated to a secondary importance. But the figures are there, in black and white for all to see: what was a £14k city car is now a £16,500 one, and the PH test car was £17,985 as tested. Which is a lot of money, and arguably forces a reassessment of the Up's claim to greatness. Because that's approaching Fiesta ST money...
We've been here before with VW, and with a car that perhaps didn't enjoy the level of popularity that the Up now does: the Lupo GTI. At launch in 2001 it cost £12,995; not only is that more than £20k now, with adjustment for inflation, but the Clio 172 Cup arrived a year later for the same money. And made the Lupo look as much fun as a sponsored walk.
The relative expense - plus, you would have to assume, the greater variety of hot hatches available 20 years ago - meant the Lupo remained a rare car, with the UK never exceeding more than 1,000 registered examples. In comparison, more than 1,300 Up GTIs were registered in 2018 alone.
A perceived as a lack of success notwithstanding, the conceptual link between Lupo and Up GTI is obvious enough. Both are small and stylish VW hot hatches, the GTI makeover modest by the standards of tiny pocket rockets. 'Condensed Golf GTI' works as well now as it did 20 years ago, it seems, the Lupo still smart and reasonably modern looking for a car launched in the 1990s.
Despite different powertrains, performance is similar between Lupo and Up as well, with around about 120hp shifting the best part of a tonne. What the Lupo loses to the Up in turbo torque, it surely makes up for in the superior eagerness of a naturally aspirated engine; even the most ardent Up fan would have to concede its 999cc triple is not the most enthusiastic of petrol motors.
With a less than stellar reputation when new, Lupo numbers are dwindling. Which is a shame. At the most recent report, the UK only had 500 GTIs left registered - so only about half its 2005 peak. All things considered, then, this one is a bit of a find.
This Lupo has covered just 40,000 miles in 17 years; there's a service for every one of those years, too, and a cambelt change in 2017. Its only apparent deviation from standard is an Avon Tuning remap; unlike the Up, where a remap might liberate quite a few turbocharged horsepower, here it's good for just 7hp and the same in pound foot. So it's not going to be transformative.
Otherwise it looks like just the Lupo GTI you might have plumped for in the early 2000s if a Saxo or 106 was a bit too lairy and the SportKa not upmarket enough. That all of those cars have enjoyed a resurgence in values recently shows not only how rare they're becoming, but also the renewed appetite for relatively simple, back-to-basics hot hatches. For all its faults, the Up GTI is about as close to that ethos as anything brand new can hope to achieve. But with a Lupo as good as this available for a third of the price of that test car, perhaps the old school is looking more tempting than it ever has.
SPECIFICATION | VOLKSWAGEN LUPO GTI
Engine: 1,598cc 4cyl
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 125@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 112@3,000rpm
MPG: 38.7 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 178g/km
First registered: 2003
Recorded mileage: 44,000
Price new: £12,995
Yours for: £5,995
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