It took top honours in Ned’s top seven cars of 2017, and now the Volkswagen Up! GTI is proving to be one of the most important new cars launched this year. This is why.
In case you couldn’t tell I’m quite a fan of small sporty cars, especially those with a famous three letters behind the name. In fact, I happen to like them so much so, that I awarded the new Volkswagen Up! GTI the top spot on my annual ‘top seven cars of the year‘ list. I also awarded it to the Mk1 Golf GTI, but I make the rules, OK"
Why did I crown the Up! GTI the winner" No, not because it?s the only car in history to have two sentences in its name. Have a little think about that one…

No, it’s because it has the recipe to make a properly fun little machine. Modern hot hatches are number obsessed. Be it horsepower, cornering G-force, transmission shift times, and not to mention the time it takes for them to cover a certain 13-mile race track in the heart of Germany. This baby GTI bucks the trend, however, with a tiny 3-cylinder turbocharged 1.0-litre engine and lashings of retro-infused style. Just look at it, cute, but aggressive – kind of like a kickboxing kitten.

Now those of you who regularly read ESM will know that we started talking about this car almost a year ago when it was merely a concept. Then when the top brass at VW gave it the go-ahead, I had the audacity to give it the top spot on my cars of the year list. Now, in the next stage ...