Seat Car Launches

THE very best city cars might be small, but they are also practical, with room for four adults in reasonable comfort, and five doors for practicality.

But although from the front, the VW Lupo (it means Wolf) looks great, with a perky, strong face, from the side or the rear, it looks as though the designer ran out of ideas and just cut it off short.

This makes the interior very small with virtually no legroom in the back if there are normal sized people in the front.

It’s no match for the Daewoo Matiz or the Daihatsu Cuore, which will both hold four adults in reasonable comfort, and they are also both much cheaper.

The Lupo is built on the same production line as the SEAT Arosa, and shares its body size, all its running gear and most engines.

Like the Arosa, it is based on the old Polo platform, but is shorter and narrower.

Its fine for two, with good SEAT adjustment and a decent driving position. But that rear legroom, and a miniscule boot only big enough for a couple of bags from Tesco, are a joke.

The entry level one litre model is very slow and even in such a small car, its 50bhp is simply not enough to give half decent performance.

Other models available are a 1.4 with 75bhp, a 1.7 direct injection diesel with 60, and a 1.4TDI turbo diesel with 75.

A 1.4 Sport with no less than 100bhp was added to the range later, followed by a 1.6 with 125bhp from the Polo GTi.

Standard equipment in the E trim level is good, including height adjustable driver’s SEAT, split-folding rear SEAT, two airbags and a stereo system.

Next up the scale is the S, which adds opening rear windows, tilt and slide front SEATs, electric front windows, central locking and body coloured trim.

The Lupo has a comfortable ride yet the suspension is taut and the chassis excellent, giving great roadholding and handling.

Interior styling, with metal bezels around the instruments and other similar touches, give an air of something different and unusual.

And of course, it comes with the same attention to detail and good build quality as every other car from the VW range.

The problem is that it’s simply too small to suit many owners, with that tiny boot and small rear legroom.

It is very easy to drive, park and manoeuvre, but I think others are more practical and much cheaper new or secondhand.

A ’99T-reg Lupo 1 litre is down to £3,200, when it originally cost £7,840. A ’99T Daewoo Matiz is better value at £2,000 and is also more fun to drive and much more practical, despite its smaller engine.

Insurance starts at group 3, servicing is every 10,000 miles and economy should be about 50mpg for the 1 litre or 65mpg for the diesel.

Pay around £3,350 for a ’99 V-reg 1.0E, £6,400 for a 1.4S from the same year, or £6,700 for a ’01 Y-reg TDi 1.4.

FORECOURT FACTS

Model: Volkswagen Lupo

Driving: Excellent ride quality and plenty of feedback from the steering. Limited space not good for passengers.

Performance: 1.4, GTi and turbodiesel models all offer nippy performance, diesel feels sluggish and 1.0 is best suited to town travel

Economy: Fuel consumption good from all engines. 1.7 SDi averages 64mpg

Safety: Twin airbags, ABS on some models

Recommended buy: 1.4 Sport or 1.7 diesel

Alternatives: Ford Ka, SEAT Arosa, Toyota Yaris, Daewoo Matiz

Hit:

1.4 performance.

Build Quality.

Superb economy.

Handling and ride.

Stylish interior.

Miss:

Small rear legroom.

Tiny Boot.

High prices.

Gutless 1.0 and SDi diesel.

Low practicality.

IT WAS the little and large show from SEAT in the Used Car awards, with the Arosa city car and Alhambra people-carrier being recommended at opposite ends of the market.

The judges selected the Arosa alongside the Ford Ka and Toyota Yaris as their most recommended small cars on the second-hand market.

SEAT vehicles are basically nothing more than Volkswagens with different badges, and significantly lower prices. For example, whilst the least expensive Arosa is just £5,995, you have to pay £7,440 for the equivalent Lupo.

Their build quality is such that they both retain the same value over two or three years, making the Arosa a snip at just £3,000 for a pristine three-year-old example. The one-litre version offers a 90mph top speed, making 70mph cruising an effortless affair, with economy of 45mpg.

There is a sporty 1.4-litre version with 117mph performance, but the pick of the bunch is the 1.4-litre turbodiesel, with a combination of a 105mph top speed and 60mpg economy.

Even with a second-hand mileage of 60,000, it will be good for another decade, with the benefit of minimal running costs, including a lowly insurance rating of group 3.

Also worthy of special mention in the Used Car awards was the SEAT Alhambra people-carrier, which is basically the same vehicle as the Volkswagen Sharan and Ford Galaxy models.

Again, whilst the least expensive VW Sharan costs £18,395, the two-litre Alhambra S is just £15,995, despite boasting a generous specification.

It is superbly well built and comes with an excellent range of engines, including the 1.8-litre turbo and gutsy 2.8-litre V6.

Cream of the crop again is the diesel, which comes in two states of tune, offering a choice of 115bhp and 130bhp with the very latest diesel technology.

Choose a second-hand Alhambra 1.9 TDi with the more powerful of the two engines and you get a fabulously well appointed vehicle capable of carrying up to seven people with 115mph performance, and 40mpg economy.

Although a SEAT is a Volkswagen in everything but name, it cannot command VW prices, and the benefit to the buyer is ultimate quality at a discounted price.