THE Up! was Volkswagen’s replacement for the Fox, which – unlike the Up! - was a little short of charm.

No such problem with the Up! however. It is deliciously compact, slotting under 3.5 metres in length, and yet it in no way looks flimsy or delicate. This is a small car with a genuine toughness about it.

If it was lacking in any department it was under the bonnet, where it really needed something with a little more oomph.

Now the people at VW have recognised this and introduced a higher-powered 90PS version of its turbo-charged three-cylinder petrol engine.

The four-seater is offered in either three- or five-door configuration. The front has a new bumper, which gives the up! a mature look and works with the revised radiator grille and bonnet to give the car a purposeful stance. The new LED running lights are an additional styling cue, while the Up!’s angular door mirrors and rear bumper has also been redesigned to give the diffuser a dramatic look.

All up! models now include, as a minimum, Volkswagen’s Composition media system, electric front windows and remote central locking.

The revised Up! range now also includes the Up! Beats model, tested here. Created in conjunction with Californian electronics company Beats Audio, and joining the Take Up!, Move Up!, and High Up! trims, the Up! Beats features a 300-watt seven-speaker sound system, including a subwoofer in the boot. External styling cues include bespoke colour combinations, Beats graphics and, depending on the colour of the car, red or black door mirrors

The result is a car that starts to win you over immediately. It’s a small car with a personality but not one that has been manufactured by slapping a load of coloured plastic on it.

The charm offensive continues on the inside. Behind the wheel you will be sitting in a well-shaped, comfortable chair looking out over the smart instruments and the minimalist but attractive dashboard.

Perhaps more crucially, the Up! is also remarkably space-efficient. Head and legroom are all very generous, and width is not a problem either. And you can actually fit human beings in the back seats too. There’s still 251 litres of boot space on offer, expandable up to 951 when you leave the back-seaters at home.

The new 1.0-litre 90PS three-cylinder petrol may be small in capacity it is big on heart and character, resulting in a delightful thrum and a happiness to rev that suits the Up’s youthful appeal. The gearbox is super-slick and easy to use and the pedals all have that oiled efficiency you expect from a Volkswagen.

It feels like a smaller Polo, with sturdy build quality and even a relatively prestige feel in top trim versions. It’s all underlined by how quiet it is at speed. City cars just aren’t normally that hushed.There’s lots to like and little if anything to dislike.

Easy to park, it comes with decent steering and even a pleasing ride quality.

And it drives like a bigger car too. It feels grown up; the steering, although electrically assisted, isn’t overly light and responds with accuracy. The ride is surprisingly grown up too, something which is a challenge for smaller cars.

This is a thoroughly modern city.car that is cheap in all the right places – namely in your wallet - and feels expensive everywhere else. Living with a small car was never so easy.