VW up! automatic

2 Aug, 2012 11:46am Jack Rix

You can now order the Volkswagen up! with a more efficient automatic gearbox for an extra £595

An auto-equipped version of the Volkswagen up! city car can be ordered now on both three and five-door versions of the Move up! and High up! models, excluding the BlueMotion package.

Called the ASG, it isn't the same DSG twin-clutch gearbox fitted to other VWs, but an automated version of the five-speed manual that comes as standard on the up!.

Costing an extra £595, the ASG 'box weighs just 3kg more than the manual, and is significantly more compact than a traditional torque converter auto, it's also more efficient than the manual.

The Move up!, which uses the less powerful 59bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, returns 64.2mpg and 103g/km - 1.4mpg and 2g/km better than the manual. The 74bhp High up! returns 62.8mpg and 105g/km - a 2.7mpg and 3g/km improvement.

There are no wheel-mounted paddles for changing gear, but the driver can make manual shift by pushing the gearlever up and down. To get moving the driver simply selects D to drive or R to reverse - and there's no P setting for park once you stop, just neutral.

A three or five-door Move up! with an ASG 'box costs £9,675 and £10,040 respectively, while a three or five-door High up! will set you back £11,110 and £11,475 respectively.

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Submitted by alanjenney on Wed, 2012-08-08 20:28.

Many other single-clutch automatics have been panned with jerky or ponderous changes. I would be interested to know how the ASG compares similar transmissions, as well as to the DSG in terms of the smoothness of power through gear changes.

Submitted by David on Tue, 2014-05-20 11:00.

Worse automatic gearbox ever on Motability car requiring hand controls, too erratic and car rolls back when stopped in traffic. Requires brake to be depressed when starting. If your pull/push accelerator/brake control is on the same side as the key, starting is very awkward trying to turn a key and push down a lever on the same side of the steering collum.

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