Electric mobility needs to become affordable. With this principle in mind, Volkswagen is offering the revamped e-up! on the European markets at very attractive prices. In Germany, where advance sales began in September 2019, the compact electric vehicle costs just €21,975, with two subsidies reducing the price even further: Volkswagen covers €2,380 of the costs and the German government a further €2,000 (as of October 2019). For employees who use an e-up! as a company vehicle, only have to pay tax at 0.5% of the list price rather than 1% – a further financial benefit that almost constitutes a salary increase. With its low price, attractive leasing and financing rates, and low running costs, a brand-new e-up! may even be of interest to customers who are considering a used vehicle.
Compact dimensions, great equipment. Even in the basic version, the 3.6-metre-short e-up! is a fully equipped vehicle, complete with four doors as standard. Together with the e-up! lettering, blue trim strips at the front and rear indicate the electric drive system. The front of the car sports the new Volkswagen logo in a 2D look, with C-shaped LED daytime running lights – another identifying feature of Volkswagen’s electric vehicles. Honeycomb grilles adorn the air intakes. The door handles and the exterior mirror housings are painted in the car body colour, with three plain and three metallic shades to choose from as well as a pearlescent finish; the colours Costa Azul Metallic and Red are new.
Space and comfort. The Climatronic air conditioning system, central locking system and new Lane Assist lane keeping system are fitted as standard on the revamped e-up! The same is true for the six airbags – two front, two curtain, and two side airbags. All four seats have occupancy detection and the front seats have integrated head restraints. The seat covers are in Fusion design, and the floor mats are edged with decorative stitching.
The height of the driver seat can be adjusted, and the backrests of the rear bench seat can be folded down in a 40:60 ratio. Depending on the rear seat position, the luggage compartment can hold between 251 and 959 litres of luggage. The variable luggage compartment floor (standard in the German market) snaps into place at both levels, with only a simple hand movement needed to adjust it. A net and a bag hook on the glove box keep shopping bags in place.
The Composition Phone radio system with six speakers, Bluetooth interface and DAB+, as well as the maps + more smartphone docking station are fitted as standard. The maps + more app transforms the customer’s Android or iOS smartphone into a versatile tool that is intelligently connected to the car and the internet. It features a redesigned user interface, and the dashboard can be personalised using widgets. The user controls functions using buttons and controllers or, in many cases, handwriting input.
With the maps + more app, both drivers and passengers in the e-up! can listen to music from the radio or a streaming service, talk on the phone, and navigate offline using 2D or 3D maps, including voice input and speed warning. The app shows driving data such as the energy recovery balance, battery status and range. It also helps when looking for charging stations and enables up to three charging and air conditioning timers to be programmed. The integrated Think Blue.Trainer helps the driver maintain an economical driving style.
More striking with style. The revamped version of the e-up! style, which starts at €23,000 in Germany, looks even better. The roof and exterior mirrors are painted in contrasting black or white, while the sill panels are in the main colour of the vehicle. The front features aluminium sill panel mouldings with e-up! lettering, the rear side windows and the rear window are tinted. The e-up! style comes with 15-inch alloy wheels in Blade design fitted as standard (optional in the basic version). 16-inch wheels in Upsilon design are available as optional equipment. The striking look of the e-up! style continues in the vehicle interior, with seat covers in the new Cross design, featuring a shark skin design for the upper area of the dash panel and blue background lighting.
Three equipment packs to choose from. A choice of three equipment packs makes it possible to further refine your e-up! The winter pack includes heating for the front seats and windscreen, as well as heating and electrical adjustment for the exterior mirrors. The driver assistance pack includes an acoustic Park Distance Control, a cruise control system and the Rear View camera system. The comfort pack integrates a height-adjustable front passenger seat, a rain sensor, automatic headlights with Leaving Home and Coming Home functions, and a second remote control key.
Individual options round off the option list. These include the multifunction steering wheel with leather trim, to match the handbrake handle and selector lever knob. At speeds between 5 and 22 km/h, especially in city traffic, a speaker emits a synthetic electronic engine sound to alert pedestrians to the vehicle.