Volkswagen up! GTI

The GTi emblem has been the hallmark of the Volkswagen history since the Golf GTi, the forefather of the hot hatch hierarchy, and as hot hatches get even faster, the GTi legend continues to evolve into new and exciting ways. From the people behind the hot versions of the Golf and Polo, here comes the smallest addition to the GTi family.

2018 Volkswagen up! GTi

2018 Volkswagen up! GTi interior

This is the new Volkswagen up! GTi and starting at just 16,975 Euros (1.02 million PHP), it's surprisingly the most affordable hot hatch you can buy in case you don't have enough funds to buy the Golf GTi or the Polo GTi. What that is is a GTi for everyone who want to taste hot hatch heaven and hell in such a reasonable budget.

So, what do you get in a car as reasonably priced as a family car? Well, for starters, you'd get a choice of three or five doors, some basic GTi identity implanted on the up!'s compact looks as well as the interior styled to look like those American Eagle polo shirts you bought at the mall, and the powertrain that is classic hot hatch mantra.

The GTi version is powered by a very small 1.0L turbocharged three-cylinder engine that is as smaller as a box of a toy robot big enough to your toddler to play with. It produces about 115PS of power and 200Nm of torque and it is mated exclusively with a 6-speed manual gearbox, which is great news for speedo boys. Of course, it may not be as powerful as its GTi brothers or even its chief opponent, the Corsa OPC/VXR, but lack of power aside, the up! GTi is surprisingly accessible in the dynamics stakes, meaning that such handling will be popular among first timers.

It does 0-100kph in less than nine seconds and it will keep going up to 196kph. I know this is very irrelevant for a hot hatchback like this because speed is not measured when it comes to discover what is a hot hatch and the only way to measure how a hot hatch works is its dynamics.

Like it said, the up! GTi is surprisingly accessible in the dynamics stakes, meaning that such handling will be popular among first timers. Thanks to the dynamics heavily inspired from its big brothers, the VW up! GTi really handles like its big brothers but in a more convincing way that will leave drivers happy on the road and on the track. With all that spark in the up! GTi's life, there are some drawbacks to consider and being a hot hatch, it can a lot harsher to drive on normal traffic conditions and being front-wheel drive, there is a tendency to understeer, which is bad for people with arthritis and muscular pains. 

Behind the drawbacks, the up! GTi really is fun and just by looking at the 16,975 Euro compact, you have the tendency to say that you are feeling jealous because you would definitely want to drive this car someday and I couldn't agree more. For a price like this, this up! GTi will make people scream "shut up and take my money" to the dealership to try one and that's the magic of making a hot hatch that draws inspiration from the original Golf GTi. There's nothing exciting or harsh about it but it is great for rookies who want to experience the GTi magic first hand.

Photo: Volkswagen