VOLKSWAGEN UP GTI

Celebrate the sporty city car before it's too late, urges Jonathan Bryce

-  Jonathan Bryce

Take the Volkswagen Up GTI at face value and you might see it as a slightly disappointing hot hatch. With 113bhp and a 0-62mph time of 8.8sec, it wouldn't take much to beat it in a straight line. The interior is finished in hard and scratchy plastics and you're so surrounded by glass that you feel like you're the centre of an art exhibition. But consider this. When you drive an Up GTI, you're in one of only 4000 jollying around Britain's B-roads.

If it's exclusivity you're after, find an all-white GTI and you will be the talk of the town. It really isn't like anything else on the road, with no direct contenders pitted against it. Sure, there are cars like the Ford Fiesta ST and the Suzuki Swift Sport, but they're both from the size above and nowadays considerably more expensive to buy new.

The Up is available in both three- and five-door bodystyles, with the five-door a more popular choice among buyers. While the added practicality does make it easier to access the rear seats, you aren't robbed of leg room with the three-door equivalent, because their dimensions are identical.