Volkswagen Lupo road tests and consumer car reviews

Volkswagen Lupo 1.4E 2000

I have had my 2000 Lupo 1.4E for 4 years now and experienced a range of problems. 1) Annoying problems with electric windows: When closing the drivers electric window, it goes up almost half way then suddenly opens fully meaning I have to close it in steps. On rare occasions locking the drivers car causes both windows to fully open. The electric sun roof is almost impossible to close, it closes almost fully then opens again. 2) Not at all easy for changing light bulbs! It took me almost 1 hour just to replace the front offside side light. I had to remove the air intake pipes and their supports, to access the headlamp unit! How anyone would cope if they neded to change light bulbs by the roadside! Cramped badly organised engine compartment makes simple maintence jobs very difficult. 3) Tyres are expensive and not always in stock. Due to their less common dimensions. 4) Door hinges on both side jump and jolt. Hinge is already worn. 5) Engine warning lights often come on but there is no physical problem with engine. 6) Gears are difficult to engage especially changing down and going into 1st from neutral. 7) Boot is so tiny it will not even take a single standard size suitcase! So what’s the point of even having a boot? On the plus side the car is very easy to park, light to drive and very economical. The 1.4 petrol engine is ideal for the size of the car. However, I would not consider buying another Lupo.

Volkswagen Lupo 1.4 Sport 2005

This is my second Lupo having previously owned a year 2000 1.0e. I bought the Sport when I heard the replacement for the Lupo was going to be the Fox which I am not keen on. I have piled the miles onto this car and it now stands at nearly 70000miles. In the time I have owned this car it has been a joy, I believe that there is no car in this class or the class above that has such a fine interior or standard of fit and finish. Everything about the car seems to be of higher quality than its rivals a good example of this is the Ford Ka that we also own, both cars cost roughly the same when we bought them but the Lupo stereo has a good quality sound whilst the Ka sounds tinny, the carpets in the Lupo are well fitted the Ka’s are not. My time with the car has not been entirely trouble free, at 65000miles the pedal box broke but this was repaired without any drama by the dealership and with no cost to me. The ride is very good for such a small car and it holds the road very well too. I would say the car is a little small for passengers but this is not a major problem for me as I seldom carry passengers or luggage, for a couple the Lupo would prove very practical. My car is fitted with a 1.4 16V 100PS petrol engine which endows the little Lupo with a pleasing turn of speed whilst still returning 42mpg which ithink is very good as I do not drive with economy in mind. The dealership experience is still an area that VW needs to work on, I have one dealer that impresses me and they alway service this car now but I have tried two other dealers that did not impress me. I would also say that the servicing cost do seem a little on the high side for a city car. Overall I think this car is brilliant and would heartily recommend them to anyone.

Responses to this review

Hi, my pedal box has gone in my 1.4 petrol standard Lupo (not Sport). It’s an 03 plate, has done 60k - VW say they will not repair as it is over 5 years old and does not have a full service history. Was this the case with yours? ie over 5 yrs old and without a VW history? Rick Blake from Surrey

Hello, my car was serviced religiously at the Volkswagen main dealer. It is a known fault and I think the manufacturer looks favourably on cars that have maintained a full service history. You may want to check out www.clublupo.co.uk for further advice - James Bransby from Warwickshire

Volkswagen Lupo 1.4 SE 2003

I bought this car in November from the VW dealer as an approved used car. It had 7000 miles on the clock. However, I’ve never used it for more than 2 weeks worth of consecutive days, because it’s always been in the garage. In fact, it was in the garage for the whole of December. Electrical niggles are the order of the day. I’ve been through 3 alternators, a new ECU, battery and FULL rewire in 3 months and 2000 miles... Lucky it’s under warranty. I don’t fault the effort VW put into trying to fix the problem, but they simply can’t diagnose it. The dealer (Heritage in Salisbury) has been top notch. It’s a lovely car to drive, and it’s a real shame. I picked it up from the garage this Monday and it went well all week until this morning, when on the way to work I experienced the same problem. I’m taking it back to the dealer this afternoon to get my money back. Absolutely useless piece of junk.

Volkswagen Lupo 1999

I have had my Lupo for 5 years now. It is 9 years old. It is the best car I have ever owned. Reliable and fun to drive. I have been lucky and had very few mechanical problems with it. However mine is a basis e spec Lupo so is a basic entry level VW, so I can’t comment on electronics. However I always say the less on the car the less to go wrong!!

Volkswagen Lupo 1.4S 2003

I’ve had my Lupo for 7 months now and in those 7 months I’ve used my car for only 3 months. It has been stuck in the garage with electrical faults; the mechanics don’t know what it is and it will never be found out, DO NOT BUY THESE CARS

Volkswagen Lupo 1.4S 2001

Very unreliable, constantly breaking down on me. Suffered lots of electrical faults - most of which even VW couldn't diagnose, understand or even fix! DO NOT BUY! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!