Sensible Secondhand Reviews: 2012 Skoda Citigo 1.0 MPi SE (Seat Mii/Volkswagen/VW Up!)

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

A excellent review as alway Sir, i had one of these as a loan car when my Fabia was in for repair. I never realised these were a wet timing belt! So just learnt something new!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The Up! TSi models certainly have a wet timing belt. This one is an early Citigo, but it was in lovely condition. Not my sort of colour, but some people like yellow. I wouldn't have this engine, however, it was simply too slow.

[@MrIain73]

@@lloydvehicleconsultingwell said the engine is sluggish they are crap these cars

[@TommyRogic18]

I think, if I remember rightly from my 1.0 59bhp base model VW up that the timing belt on the MPI is standard rather than those dreadful wet things on newer TSIs. Was quoted £380 plus £40 for the water pump at a VW specialist.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, the TSis were only ever available in the Up!, never in the Citigo or the Mii. Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting.

[@dyfnwalmoelmud8362]

They have two belts, but it's it difficult to get a definitive answer as to how often the belts need changing.

[@mattw8332]

Great review. Yellow really suits it. I discounted these and their badge engineered counterparts on my last car purchase because I`m not so keen on the somewhat austere “German-ness" feeling of the interior on VAG cars. A bit hard for me to put in words.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The interiors are a bit plain on the standard models of the Up!/Citigo/Mii, but I suppose it keeps the costs down. Very typically Teutonic, as you say.

[@dominicjackson2498]

My mum runs a 2017 Up GTi as her “daily”. Not many problems although a flat battery recently which VW told her was down to the tyre pressure monitoring system using a lot of power and it not being driven enough. I believe the Up GTi is a 1.0 three cylinder turbo petrol rated at about 115 bhp. I once had a base engine 65bhp Up as a courtesy car and found it really rather slow after being used to a Bora 130bhp. The blanking plates are for things like heated seats that the top spec GTi has.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Absolutely right, the very late petrol Up! had a 64 bhp version of the 1.0 engine (recently discontinued). The earlier Up! GTi had the 1.0 TSi with the six speed gearbox and around 113 bhp. I can't remember if the later ones after the reintroduction (they were out of production for about a year) had a slightly differently tuned engine or not.... The 59 and 64 bhp versions are extremely slow.

[@nygelmiller5293]

Actually, I always looked the look of the SEAT No best - also in YELLOW! This is a deceptively interesting car. Given the constraints small cars have, due to their lack of size, they sometimes need to be more INVENTIVE. For it's size, the original Mini had quite some space for bags of shopping. Then, as you mentioned, came the Citroen C1, and also the Daewoo Matiz - where the boot was so slim, you'd have to turn shopping bags SIDEWAYS to get them in, so they more quickly filled the width of the boot. But THIS car is a wonder of deception! Although cunningly disguised to look like losers like the C1 and the Matiz, with almost NO boot space, this one is in fact the OPPOSITE, and has a simply unimaginably decent boot! I don't know much about the larger 5 door Fiat 500, but the 3 door - just like this car, is one where the front seats push right forward, so getting in the back is EASY. One final point, I 'he pointed out that as far as shopping bags are concerned - the original Mini was excellent, but THIS car not only TOPS that for room even for some LUGGAGE, but, like the old Mini does also have room for a SPARE WHEEL. Whilst the Fiat 500 is a charming car, it DOESN'T have THAT! So IF my eyesight was still as sharp as it used to be, and I was fit to drive, I'd buy one of these excellent cars! Luckily, I can however see perfectly to read these interesting REVIEWS of the cars!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The Mii/Citigo/Up! was a big investment for the Volkswagen Group, probably why they kept these in production until very recently, although the Skoda and Seat versions were discontinued much earlier. The Mii was not a big seller for Seat at all, for some reason. Apart from being really slow, they are actually quite nice to drive, and feel a bit better made than the C1/107/Aygo, which was a direct competitor in 2012 when this car was made. The 500s are not as space efficient as these, but the Panda, which is on the same platform, is much better in that respect.

[@nygelmiller5293]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting a revelation that the Fiat 500 was NOT as space efficient! I do know that is of the boot - but as far as the interior is concerned, at 5'7' tall , I personally found the 500 adequate for myself. I can't get over how tiny the engine lid seems! It seems SMALLER than on the original Mini! A brochure, (in the days when they HAD such delightful things), claimed the front of the original Mini was just 18" long. I imagined that to be JUST the bonnet lid, but got a tape measure out - and found that was the whole length of the front!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I have driven two of the 2007-2015 Fiat 500s, one manual (which was better), one automatic (which was awful). I fitted in those absolutely fine, but the rear space and boot size aren't the best.

[@lordstiffupperlip3095]

Hello Joseph , Are they still in production for other markets ? do you know what engine the Up GTi had ?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

We will cover the Up! properly at some point. The Up! was the last one of these in production, and has just been discontinued.

[@alaricbragg7843]

Thank you for the great video and interesting car! I have never seen a Skoda like this, I don't think they came to New Zealand. Almost like the original Mini in terms of simplicity and charm, do you think? Did this replace the Volkswagen Lupo?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The Lupo was discontinued in 2004-5, I think. In between the Lupo and the Up!, they sold a car made in South America called the Fox.

[@alaricbragg7843]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Thank you for the information.

[@matthewilott8930]

I thought about getting one of these as a first car, but heard bad things about the single clutch automatic gearbox.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, I am not really a fan of robotised manual gearboxes myself... Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting!

[@PORRFNK]

Even the manual box is quite bad, and dont even get me started on the automatic. There is no real difference between the facelifted lockout and the earlier models. The facelifted models have a larger/better clutch.

[@garethstonelake4994]

These are not wet belts , dry cam belt on the 1.0 MPI engines.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Already discussed this at length in the comments section...

[@nygelmiller5293]

Can I ask, please, what a WET timing belt?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It's a timing belt that is actually inside the engine, rather than being mounted externally on the side, which means that it shares the engine oil with the other components.

[@MrIain73]

There sluggish there crap there overpriced there absolutely atrocious these cars keep clear them my advice is to you. When you put the de mister on to clear the windows don’t clear because the heater is in the middle the dashboard. The suspension is far to soft there just rubbish

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I suppose you could just buy a Suzuki Celerio instead...

[@MrIain73]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting nope bought something better than Skoda Citigo discontinued. I always wonder why they discontinued them

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It's actually a really easy answer...

[@MrIain73]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting what’s the really answer then ?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo never sold nearly as well as the Up! It was even the same with the electric versions. They were both discontinued long before the Up! finally finished production last year.