Watch: The Up! GTI Races the Wrong GTI

Since the Up! was announced, nearly, it was compared to the MkI Golf thanks to its diminutive size and its equally diminutive power figures. But the MkII Golf is also a fair comparison point.

The 8 valve GTI made round 110 hp and weighed in at a just 2,000 lbs (give or take a golden retriever). The Up! GTI, on the other hand, weighs in at nearly 2,200 lbs (that’s 2,000 lbs plus a large man, rather medium dog, for those keeping track at home), but does make around 115 hp. So maybe this isn’t the “wrong” GTI, as my headline so flippantly suggests.

Regardless, the Golf loses in both the standing quarter and the much less useful and interesting roll-race, which is an annoying internet fad on par with planking and that dance that you do alongside your car (which our in-house youth consultant [Google] informs me is called the #InMyFeelings challenge). That likely comes down to a few things, but the difference in torque is a nice easy differentiator, so let’s look at that: whereas the Golf makes nearly 125 lb-ft, the Up! makes more like 150 lb-ft, so that explains why it can outmuscle the lighter car.

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