Volkswagen LUPO (1999 - TO DATE)
MODELS COVERED: (3dr hatch 1.0, 1.4 petrol, 1.4, 1.
6, 1.7 diesel [E, S, SE, Sport,GTI])
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
The
Volkswagen Lupo Citycar suddenly turned Volkswagens reputation for staid design on its head. With its wacky interior trims, cutesy face and jaunty colour schemes, the Lupo acted as a precursor to the even more extrovert Beetle range, showing that the bosses of Volkswagen had something other than sensible shoes in their locker. What the Lupo brought to the Citycar sector was a palpable sense of quality a factor that had been sorely lacking in many of its rivals, although the Volkswagen was based on the impressive
SEAT Arosa. As a used buy its at the expensive end of the sector, but few rivals have such an upmarket appeal.
Until the Lupo arrived, Volkswagen interiors were renowned for quality and were about as much fun as a thumb in the eye. All that was about to change. Instead of the usual rather boring layout, its all rather a shock. In a rush of blood to the head, the German designers decided on silver-rimmed Italianate twin instrument dials featuring Allen bolts and soothing blue backlighting at night.
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Its all rather funky, creating the kind of car that makes you feel good about yourself. Yet at the same time, it all feels comfortably sensible too. Theres the unrivalled
Volkswagen build quality as well as a host of nice detail touches that set the Lupo apart from sensible Citycars: the expensively textured dash plastics, the soft-return grab handles, the standard
seat and wheel height adjustment. Its all screwed together with just the same kind of quality youd find in a £25,000 Volkswagen Passat. And, just like the Passat, twin front airbags are standard on all models uniquely in this class. Standard power steering is nice too, and new buyers also got a three year unlimited mileage warranty and twelve years of anti-corrosion cover which will be of benefit to used purchasers.
Accommodation? Well, its much as you would expect. Theres plenty of room at the front but really comfortable only for kids at the back. Dont go expecting too much of the boot either, its one of those items that makes you laugh aloud when you first encounter it. Rear seat passengers will find their heads uncomfortably close to both the tailgate window and any close-following traffic.
Used Lupo prices are around £300 to £1,000 more expensive than the ostensibly similar SEAT Arosa upon which it is based. This premium shows how much customers are willing to pay to get those cheeky looks and the classily classless Volkswagen badge. Opening values for Lupo models begin at £2,800 for a 1999 S-registered 1.0 E, but its wiser to pay that little bit extra for a 1.
4 E, prices of which kick off at £3,000. An automatic option for this model will cost around £200 more, whilst the 1.4 S models command from £3,200 for 1999 S-plated cars. Expect to pay at least £3,700 for a 1.
4 Sport, whilst the dizzyingly economical diesel cars start at £3,100 for a 1.7-litre SDi E or £3,300 for an S model. The GTi starts from £6,200 on X-plates. Insurance for the Lupo is inexpensive, with the 1.
0-litre car rated at Group 3, the diesels Group 4, the mainstream 1.4-litre cars Group 5 and the 1.4 Sport Group 6.
The Lupo, along with its SEAT Arosa sibling, is one of the best-built small cars anywhere. Interior fittings, so often manufactured down to a price in most Citycars, are childproof and well made. As with most cars which spend a lot of their lives in the urban sprawl and crawl, check the clutches on manual cars and also inspect the bodywork and wheels for signs of parking damage. Aside from that, if you can find a nearly new car with warranty outstanding and a decent service history, youll have one of the best, if not the cheapest, small cars about.
(approx based on a 1999 1.0E) Parts for the Lupo are quite reasonably priced; in fact you could say theyll keep the wolf from the door. An exchange clutch assembly retails for £120, and an exhaust system with exchanged catalyst is around £330. Front brake pads are less than £40 a pair, whilst rears are less than £30.
A new radiator is £90 and one of those cute headlamps retails at just £65.
For most Lupo models the emphasis is on miserly fuel consumption. The entry-level 1.0-litre version that most will choose returns a more than respectable 48.7mpg in mixed use.
Dont expect fireworks on the move however. Sixty is 18.4s away in this base variant on the way to just 91mph. Still, the engines reasonably willing and anyway, you dont buy a car like this to be first away from the lights.
If you do need a little extra oomph, the next model up (the 75bhp 1.4) manages 0-60mph in 12.0s en route to 107mph. If thats not enough, youre either shopping for the wrong car or you need to try the 100bhp 1.
4-litre Lupo Sport, which makes sixty in 10.0s on the way to 116mph. The diesel cars are outstandingly economical. The 1.
7 SDI engined models return a combined fuel consumption figure of over 64mpg, although acceleration is rather limp. A zero to 60mph time of 16.8 seconds is not going to quicken the pulse. The 1.
4TDI is a quicker proposition, reaching 60mph in around 12 seconds, but these models are relatively expensive and hard to find. In terms of handling as well as power, this is not a three-door for enthusiasts. Volkswagen admit that the ride is biased towards comfort, which would make the Lupo an excellent motorway car were it able to be just a little more refined. The automatic options make particular sense if you plan to be doing a lot of city driving.
On a pure value for money basis, the Lupo is embarrassed by the broadly similar SEAT Arosa. Most will pay a premium for those appealing looks, the bold interiors and the Volkswagen badge on the nose. Whilst a used Lupo is nothing if not relatively expensive for what it is, at least theres a great deal of forethought and quality built into the design. The best buy is probably the 1.
4-litre S model with the automatic gearbox, but if youre really interesting in recouping some of that upfront price, the diesels are attractive. Its a cheeky car with pricing that some may see as cheeky. Still, for the class-conscious, the Lupo may well be too chirpy to resist.
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