A couple of weeks before turning in the GTI, a fellow VW driver struck up a conversation at a gas station near my home in Detroit. "So, do you regret buying one of those now?" he asked.

The idea of a 6' 4" Stuck folded into a little Volkswagen ... GTI but equipped with the safety features and conveniences that 21 st-century drivers demand? It has. That car is called the Up!

It’s got just 113bhp, will only just dip under nine seconds for the 0-60mph sprint and costs less than an entry-level Ford Focus, yet that hasn’t stopped the VW Up GTI being one of the most ...