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"Rome, Italy\u2014The Italians love small cars. They are masters at creating little gems like the Fiat 500, and the residents of Rome buy more Smarts than anywhere else. So, it was a brave decision of VW to enter the lion&amp;#039;s den and launch its diminutive 139-in.-long Up! in the congested, and in many cases crumbling, streets and byways of the Italian capital.   The Up! started life in 2007 with a boxer engine mounted in back driving the rear wheels, but in the four years since it has morphed into a more traditional front-engine, front-wheel-drive product. Nevertheless, it still has some interesting technical features including a pair of new 3-cylinder 1.0-liter engines producing 59 bhp/70 lb.-ft. of torque and 73 bhp/70 lb.-ft. As an interesting footnote, an engineer who previously helped develop the Bugatti Veyron&amp;#039;s quad-turbo W-16 had a hand in the inline-3&amp;#039;s design.   Both EcoFuel and compressed natural gas versions will come later, but not a diesel as the additional cost\u2014about $1400\u2014can&amp;#039;t be offset through improved fuel economy on cars costing as low as this; the cheapest is $12,600 here in the UK. However, there will be an electric version around 2013 and don&amp;#039;t discount a sportier forced-induction variant at some future point.   A 5-speed manual transmission is standard with an automated version debuting next year along with the 5-door model.           Eye Candy, or Eye Broccoli?   Visually, the Up! is typically Wolfsburg sober. It doesn&amp;#039;t have the cheeky flair of Fiat&amp;#039;s 500, for instance, but it does seem that the design team has rediscovered its Pantone chart with some models offered with bodywork matching interior trims and finishes. It adds some flair and whimsy to a brand that often seems to design monochromatic interiors. Speaking of which, there are Up! white and Up! black models on offer.   My driving partner for the day just about tops the right side of six feet, me more comfortably so; nevertheless, there was plenty of leg and shoulder room in the front seats. Looking behind, those in the back might be less pleased with the limited leg room, although they do sit slightly higher to get a better view of the world outside. Trunk space varies from 8.8 cu. ft. to 33.5, depending on the selected rear seat combination.   The fact that the Up! range is fitted with a laser-based City Emergency Braking system that scans the road 32 feet ahead and, below 18 mph, automatically applies the brakes to prevent rear end collisions, tells you this car is not about performance.           Slow, But it Seems Quicker   So, the 59-bhp Up! hits 62 mph in 14.4 sec. and runs out of puff at 100 mph whereas the more powerful model achieves 13.2 sec. and 106 mph. The headline figures for the claimed fuel consumption, translated to U.S. mpg, are 52.2 and 50 mpg, respectively.   While this might seem sloth-like on paper, it is less apparent on the road: The combination of the car&amp;#039;s compact dimensions, and a thrumming exhaust beat as you accelerate, deceives you into believing you&amp;#039;re traveling quicker than you are. OK, so both engines need to be kept in the optimum sweet spot for power delivery by hanging onto the revs, ignoring the upshift indicator and changing gears only when you have maxxed out that ratio, but it delivers a peppy drive around town, beating queues away from traffic lights.   Ride is constantly an issue with German cars here in the UK; their suspensions tend to be too rigid and unforgiving. This can be further aggravated in small cars like the Up! with their short wheelbases and narrow tracks. But, on the evidence around Rome the Up! didn&amp;#039;t unduly betray these shortcomings; its ride, for the most part, was fluid and body control was well maintained, or so it seemed circumventing the Coliseum in rush hour.           What can detract in urban cars like the Up! is feather-light steering, but in this respect VW has made its smallest car have the same weighty helm input as a larger car.   VAG plans building 280,000 a year split between the Volkswagen, Seat (Spanish) and Skoda (Czech) marques and they will sell every one. Although it will be intriguing to see how the traditionally cheaper Seat and Skoda versions vary in terms of content, as they will all be assembled on the same production line.   There&amp;#039;s no doubting its build quality, but I look forward to driving it under a less contrived setting than Rome, here in the UK. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a17693/2012-volkswagen-up-1/>