Faults:

Very few problems.

New clutch fitted at 100,000 miles.

Coolant leak at 135,000 miles (to be expected).

General Comments:

My yellow Lupo is an excellent vehicle, that maybe has not always received the loving care that it should, but nevertheless has continued on its merry way without issue.

Few mechanical problems. Just the clutch and coolant leak.

Roomy cabin - Can take 4 nicely.

Handles well on country roads.

Engine noisy on motorway - so, turn up the excellent radio!

Good fuel consumption.

Strongly built - I was struck very hard in the driver's door by a Leon. My door was jammed, but I survived!

Waves from other nice Lupo drivers.

Faults:

So far I Have not had any really bad faults with this car. I have noticed that the material on the seats has started to bobble and doesn't seem to be wearing to well. Apart from odd rattles from the rear of the car, nothing mechanical has gone wrong with the car yet!

General Comments:

The driving position, for myself, is very comfortable. But I wouldn't say it would be for anyone over 5'9" as it may start to feel slightly cramped! I was surprised by the room inside the cabin, especially in the rear seats. From the outside of the car it doesn't look possible to fit 4 grown adults into it... but I was proved wrong. The acceleration is pretty quick, but on the 1.4 model it struggles doing more than 80mph without sounding like an airplane about to take off. It almost sounds like it needs a 6th gear! The dash board is bright and clear and has the bonus of being blue and red!! Overall, a fun car to drive and very cheap to run. Handles well and comes in a color called fantasia green, the best color of the lot!!

Faults:

This is a continuation of two previous reviews.

The disks have been changed twice since the last review - in both occasions they had become warped.

The rattles are everywhere now.

The engine mounts have been changed - the engine was leaping out of the car when you switched it off.

The suspension is creaking, but at a recent service I was told everything was fine.

The steering pump is making some concerning noises - but I was told it was fine at a recent service.

The indicator stalk is starting to wear out. This is my second one - the first was replaced soon after getting the car.

The passenger seat height adjuster makes a loud clunking sound when used - but seems to operate fine (for now).

After a recent timing belt change and 60K service, my Volkswagen dealer put insufficient oil in the car. A week after the service I was alerted to this fact by the low oil pressure warning light. Although I stopped immediately, arranging an oil top up after allowing the engine to cool, I am left wondering what damage was done.

General Comments:

The car still pulls like no other car I've owned including a Golf GTI - it has close to 200NM of torque peaking around 2000 rpm.

In my opinion the chassis of the car cannot accommodate the engine's power.

The seats and carpets have worn well and still look as new.

The bodywork has survived a two winters and still looks glossy.

The running gear especially the rear drums have rusted quite heavily considering the short term of ownership.

And this is the final Volkswagen I'm going to own. I have had many and they were once very, very good. Now I've bought a nice, sensible Honda Jazz.

In the two and a half years of ownership the car has over £2500 in servicing and parts, and it depreciated down to around £3000 at time of sale.

Overall the Lupo cost me £10 500 to own and run it for the time I had it. Or 16p a mile - rather high!