Volkswagen Up

'Simplicity was the name of the Up's game, and you could tell that simply by looking at it'

- Chris Haining

THE VOLKSWAGEN UP has been absent from our data pages for a little while now, but the recent arrival of such small, affordable new cars as the Citröen C3 and Dacia Spring make it look like VW's baby left before its time.

Okay, having been on sale since 2011, the Up was getting on a bit. But while its Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto rivals have each been through several iterations since then, the Up disappeared with no direct replacement.

Simplicity was the name of the Up's game, as you could tell simply by looking at it: basically a box with rounded edges, containing seats for four and little else. It was more about common sense than being mean, though.