is there an actual point of the UP Gti?

[Diddums]

Slow car fast > fast car slow.


You'll learn a million times more about braking, carrying speed through corners and generally being a more proficient driver / have more fun in a slow car than you ever will in a fast car.

Yes fast cars are fun but they're so situational it's borderline pointless on public roads.

 

[Nasher]

People don't get that though. They look at 0-60 times and use that to judge if a car is "fast".

In reality a car that can do 0-60 in 5 seconds isn't going to get much distance from one which does it in 8 on the road. If the one which does it in 8 corners and brakes better, it will keep up easily.

 

[Kenai]

People don't get that though. They look at 0-60 times and use that to judge if a car is "fast".

Exhibit A - The GT86

"We want something that's a proper drivers car, a car you can have fun in without going mad"
*Toyota presents the GT86*
"OMG ONLY 200BHP LOL NOT BUYING, TOO SLOW, SHOULD HAVE BEEN TURBO AND UNDER 6 SECONDS 0 TO 60"

 

[Nasher]

So then people turbo it thinking they are too pro for only 200hp, it changes the balance of the car completely. So they fit bigger tyres and upgraded suspension for more grip. But then you can't throw it around anymore without pooing yourself, defeating the whole point in it.

 

[Stephanie Peterson]

Its why i have the mk4 mx5, learning to drive properly and use momentum to carry speed is worth a load of crap HP.
Lightness in cars is mighty important too, everything quick these days seems to be 500 or so kilos more than my ND. You just cant keep chucking power at stuff to make it all interesting.

 

[stuman]

Being cheap to buy/run/maintain is also a big factor, you don’t fear everything with the threat of a massive repair bill, so end up driving it harder for longer.

 

[Dogbreath]

not technically saying it should have less power, but what was the point of the tsi seeming as from what i can tell its the least desired model or uncommon anyways, the fact they went along and turbo'd the car over other 1ltr cars in its class or other models under VAG was impressive enough, in real world 8.8 & 9.9 seconds to 60 will hardly be noticeable, plus i think the gti is heavier? i watched a carwow video and it just about beat the slow mk2 gti golf.

I'm still confused about the point you are trying to make, you seem to be questioning purpose of a car model that fits between the slowest and fastest in the range? Was the Focus ST pointless because Ford made a Focus RS?

 

[ultralaser]

I think the UP! GTI is a great little car and has just the right amount of power to make a small car feel fun, and at the smaller end of the market as little as 15 BHP makes a big difference to be fair, anything north of 100 BHP in a car that size makes for a fun drive. I honestly think most of us have got it wrong looking for powerful cars in a country we can never really use that power, hot hatches like the S3 or Focus RS on UK roads make little sense. But throwing around a little UP! GTI is perfect.

 

[NVP]

Redacted!

 

[ExoMale]

I'm still confused about the point you are trying to make, you seem to be questioning purpose of a car model that fits between the slowest and fastest in the range? Was the Focus ST pointless because Ford made a Focus RS?

not at all, i see why they made the gti, i just dont see why they didnt use the slower version as the flagship in the first place, i dont know the age gap between the tsi and gti.

as for the focus, which era you speak of? 170hp - 215hp in the mk1/2 is a big difference, 225hp-300hp in the mk3 is an even bigger difference, the fact the new rs is awd while the st is fwd makes it irrelevant, but the power differences are still big. the st is meant to be the affordable every model with the rs models offering even more fun, but less every day and affordable, there is hardly much difference between the up tsi 90hp and the 115hp gti to put in the same comparison as the fords, if the gti up had 130hp minimum then it would seem more relevant, its just my opinion on how i look at them.

 

[Dogbreath]

170->215bhp is a smaller increase in percentage than 90->115. Given the low weight of the car it represents a useful improvement in power/weight.
The TSi was not the flagship model because TSi is not the flagship brand, GTi is. I still fail to follow the logic here,

 

[Akagi]

Why shouldn't it exist? It's a peppy 3 cylinder turbo chuckable shoebox with a cute face. Why wouldn't you want one? I love them.

 

[carrot1401]

I had one on order but cancelled as it was taking too long (and was a slightly larger investment than I wanted to take on at the time)

However, I will get one in the next couple of years. They've already stopped making them, it was effectively the last hurrah for the petrol up I believe (future ones will be electric only)

 

[Meaker]

I had one on order but cancelled as it was taking too long (and was a slightly larger investment than I wanted to take on at the time)

However, I will get one in the next couple of years. They've already stopped making them, it was effectively the last hurrah for the petrol up I believe (future ones will be electric only)

They cant be scrapping the petrol up, it's got to be a huge seller for them.

 

[carrot1401]

They cant be scrapping the petrol up, it's got to be a huge seller for them.

Maybe but the margins are pretty low from what I heard (especially the gti) compared to t-rocs and polos and other things. They could make the up electric only and keep the citigo/mii as the petrol options, which then covers both bases

 

[ExoMale]

170->215bhp is a smaller increase in percentage than 90->115. Given the low weight of the car it represents a useful improvement in power/weight.
The TSi was not the flagship model because TSi is not the flagship brand, GTi is. I still fail to follow the logic here,

im not talking about power to weight, im talking about the power on its own, its a given a lighter car with less power will have similar or better ratio to a heavier more powerful car, but these cars are not even about that anyways.. if you fail to see the logic then you dont really understand, im not talking in riddles, the point was the tsi 90hp couldve been made the flag ship gti which are the words i originally used, i never said or implied a tsi brand car to be flag ship, ive never even driven an up, but even they have more power n/a options than a 107 etc which i have owned and they are as nippy, so in my opinion the 90hp low powered turbo wouldve been enough and had the potential to become the gti.

thats all im saying from my own views of car models.

 

[Meaker]

It's the same engine basically tuned up.

They upped the power to have the same power/weight as the original golf GTI for marketing and it's a nice boost on the motorway along with a 6 speed manual. Makes a decent difference there.

 

[adam cool dude]

Living in rural Lincolnshire these type of cars are great up here on these type of roads. My Saab 9-5 is remaped to 275BHP and 420NM and is a rocket ship in a straight line yet wouldn't know which way my little 120BHP Suzuki Ignis Sport went on these narrow little B-Roads.

As for the UP! Gti with the Suzuki Swift Sport existing I do not see the point of having that over the Suzuki.

 

[Akagi]

Living in rural Lincolnshire these type of cars are great up here on these type of roads. My Saab 9-5 is remaped to 275BHP and 420NM and is a rocket ship in a straight line yet wouldn't know which way my little 120BHP Suzuki Ignis Sport went on these narrow little B-Roads.

As for the UP! Gti with the Suzuki Swift Sport existing I do not see the point of having that over the Suzuki.

I dunno, depends how brave/stupid you are. I chuck the Ovlov round Sussex's country lanes like its an Up GTI at times. (As long as there is good visibility of course!)

 

[adam cool dude]

I dunno, depends how brave/stupid you are. I chuck the Ovlov round Sussex's country lanes like its an Up GTI at times. (As long as there is good visibility of course!)

You are going to end up in a ditch one of these days.