Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion car review

Model tested: Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion 1.9TDi 5dr Match
Price as tested: £16,750
Range price: £12,245 - £25,345
Insurance group as tested: 6
Insurance group range: 4-18
CO2 emissions as tested: 119g/km
CO2 emissions range: 119g/km – 255g/km
Company car tax %: 22%
EuroNCAP result: *****
Date and place tested: April 2008, Horsham, W. Sussex
Road tester: Andy Goodwin

Volkswagen’s BlueMotion badge was first introduced at the launch of the ultra-efficient diesel Polo last year, and Volkswagen plan to offer nine BlueMotion models by the end of 2008.

Andy Goodwin has just driven the Polo’s big brother, the Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion, which is the most important of the batch, thanks to the Golf’s wide appeal and sales success across the UK.

Volkswagen hasn’t taken the Toyota approach of designing advanced hybrid technologies, instead sticking with the formula it used to create the Polo BlueMotion – using a tried and tested diesel engine in the most efficient way possible.

View more pictures of the Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion

The results are a Volkswagen Golf which has a combined fuel consumption of 62.8mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of 119g/km. That means it will be exempt from London’s Congestion Charge from October and falls into tax band B – just £35 a year.

The standard 1.9 TDi Golf manages 55.4mpg and emits 132g/km.

Filled to the brim with diesel you should be able to drive for 745 miles without visiting a garage forecourt.

How has this been achieved? The computer which controls the 1.9-litre diesel engine has been tweaked to use as little fuel as possible, while still offering good performance.

When you pull up at traffic lights the engine idles more slowly than in a non-BlueMotion Volkswagen Golf, helping to cut down on fuel use.

Lie down next to the car and peek underneath and you will see flat panels lining its underbelly. Making the bottom of the car smooth helps air to slide under it more quickly and efficiently.

The front bumper is also smoother and the suspension has been lowered to give the Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion a more slippery shape and help reduce drag and conserve fuel.

The Golf BlueMotion also has lengthened third, fourth and fifth gear ratios, allowing it to travel further with less effort from the engine and special tyres which have low rolling resistance.

Driving the Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion feels very similar to any other diesel Golf, only the extra-long legged gears affect driving style.

You need to be travelling at around 50mph before you can select fifth gear, and even then the engine will be just above idle speed. Accelerate from 50mph in fifth and it’ll crawl up to speed, but because the engine speed is low, a gearchange is more appropriate.

Performance is actually improved compared to the standard 1.9TDi Golf, the Golf BlueMotion accelerates from 0-62mph in 11.3 seconds, and onto a top speed of 116mph. 

However, this latest version of the Volkswagen 1.9-litre diesel engine is starting to show its age. The best in class are now almost as refined as their petrol equivalents, but you will be in no doubt you are driving a diesel in the Golf BlueMotion. It's fairly loud, especially when the engine is cold or under acceleration.

Driving the BlueMotion we found it a compulsive habit to set the dashboard trip computer to display its fuel consumption reading and see how high we could get the number to rise.

After 45 minutes of A and B road shenanigans we saw our consumption reach the high 50s, just under Volkswagens claimed economy figure of 62.8mpg. Drive it smoothly and it should hit this easily.

The Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion is offered in both S and Match trim levels. Both come with decent levels of equipment, including CD/radio, electric front windows, six airbags, ESP, ABS and brake assist.

The Match specification adds 15-inch alloy wheels, body-coloured body trim, leather steering wheel and gear knob, alarm, cruise control, iPod connection and rain sensing windscreen wipers.

When it goes on sale in May the Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion S will start from £15,565; £520 more than the standard Golf 1.9-litre TDi S. The Golf BlueMotion Match will cost £16,750.

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