The German automaker Volkswagen has introduced an optional 5-speed automated manual gearbox for the tiny Up! city car that came out a few months ago in Europe, along with its two sister cars, the Seat Mii and the Skoda Citigo. For now, this new gearbox is available exclusively for the Up! and adds an extra 595 pounds to the price tag in comparison the standard version of the car that comes with the regular five-speed manual transmission.
This new optional feature is already available on order in the United Kingdom, and most likely it will arrive in other European markets as well where Volkswagen is selling its city car, which is available with two power outputs: 59 hp and 74 hp.
Known as the Automatic Shift Gearbox (ASG), it manages to lower CO2 emissions and it also improves the car’s fuel efficiency. It can be ordered for the three- and five-door Move Up! and High Up! versions, not taking into consideration the BlueMotion Technology versions. The starting price for the Volkswagen Up! with the optional ASG begins at 9675 pounds.
When it is equipped to the 1.0-liter 59 hp Move Up!, this new Automatic Shift Gearbox improves the fuel efficiency of the car allowing it to return 64.2 mpg UK in the combined cycle, with CO2 emissions standing at 103 g/km. This is a little bit better in comparison to its manual gearbox sibling that returns 62.8 mpg UK and emits 105 g/km of CO2.
However, it is important to mention that the Up! with this optional gearbox is a bit slower than the one with the manual transmission. While the latter sprints to 62 mph in 14.4 seconds, the former needs 15.3 seconds to perform the 0-62 mph sprint for the 59 hp Move Up! As for the 74 hp High Up!, it will do it in 13.9 seconds with the ASG, as opposed to the manual model that does it in 13.2 seconds.
For those that want the most economical Volkswagen Up! as possible, there’s the Move Up! BlueMotion Technology which is capable of returning an impressive 68.9 mpg UK with CO2 emissions standing at 95 g/km. This recently introduced ASG transmission is 3 kg heavier than the manual gearbox, with a curb weight of 30 kg. It’s being controlled by two electromechanical actuators that are engaging the gears, while the clutch is being controlled by an additional electric motor.
Source: Volkswagen
