New Volkswagen up! BlueMotion

Seriously? Table tennis “really” is an Olympic sport? Right then... competitors best treat themselves to a Volkswagen up! The Move up! 1.0 BlueMotion version, in particular, as this best suits the needs of ping pong lovers. Why? Because the Olympic Games take place in London, of course - and this city car is exempt from the congestion charge. Low carbon emissions of 96g/km clearly has its advantages. This also enables the up! to be taxed for free, saving competitors enough money for a new table tennis bat. Now, its low emissions suggest that the up! has excellent fuel economy. This ball lover, in fact, averages 68.9mpg and returns a medal winning 78.5mpg on the extra-urban cycle. Even through cities - where cars tend to be least efficient - this eco-champion returns 56.5mpg. Not bad for only £9,330.

The Volkswagen up! BlueMotion has nippy handling, a free-revving 60PS engine, and small proportions. These characteristics make it perfect for city work, and preferable to large cars under these conditions. Also, despite being the size of a ping pong ball, the up! has a decent 251-litre boot. Easily enough for a few bats. Folding the rear seats flat increases capacity to 951-litres, which is roughly twice the “seat up” capacity of a Ford Focus Estate. Not bad for a city car. This up! also keeps Olympians cool on their way to the tournament as it has standard air-con. This complements the electronic stability programme, MP3 facility, electric windows, and the optional leather-look seats. No wonder table tennis players love it.

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