Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion 2011 review

The Volkswagen Golf Blue Motion is certainly a fuel miser of the highest order, better than a Prius and almost the most fuel efficient car in Australia. That honour goes to Ford's smaller Fiesta Econetic hatch, but not by much which is rated at 3.7 litres/100km, the BlueMotion's is 3.8. With just over 750km on the clock, our test vehicle still had a third of a tank of diesel left and the trip computer claimed it was good for another 310km. That's impressive.

We were also impressed by the car's sporty appearance and comfortable seating, but still baulk at the prospect of having to buy a manual (there's no auto). If you are a commuter and you do a lot of kilometres, most of them on the motorway, then this is the car for you. But, if you live in the city, and often get caught in traffic, pushing the clutch in and out and having to change gears all the time is likely to become tiresome.

TECHNOLOGY

What's even more irksome, is the fact that Volkswagen actually removed the 1.6-litre 77TDI diesel with a 7-speed DSG transmission from its inventory to make way for this car. The BlueMotion features the same 1.6-litre turbo diesel but with several refinements to improve fuel economy.

The 1.6 delivers 77kW of power at 4400 revs and 250Nm of torque between 1500 and 2000 revs. It's paired with a five-speed manual gearbox, with gear ratios that we're told do a better job of keeping revs in the torque band where it is most efficient.

The engine management system has been revised to reduce idle speed and a visual prompt tells the driver when to change gears for maximum economy. A stop/start system is also part of the setup that shuts down the engine at traffic lights, provided the car is put into neutral and the energy normally lost during braking is diverted to the car's battery.

Although the Golf Blue Motion is rated at 3.8 litres/100km, motorists are unlikely to achieve this figure in daily driving. We were getting 5.1 litres/100km, an excellent result and one of the best. But it's not that far ahead of the of the 77TDI model that we had for several weeks, rated at 5.1 but returned a steady 5.5 litres/100km.

DRIVING

The gearing in the Blue Motion model is very tall, with higher than normal stall speeds in each gear — so you need to be vigilant. Not sure why they don't fit a 6-speed which would provide a tall final gear, but zippier performance in between. With a 55-litre fuel tank and economy of 3.8 litres/100km, the car has a theoretical range of 1447km.

Like other Golfs it has seven airbags, plenty of driver assistance systems and a maximum five-star safety rating. But the spare wheel has been replaced by a reinflation kit to reduce weight, which is down to 1234kg. The car is well equipped and comes in four colours including environmental blue, but misses out on Bluetooth which remains optional.

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF BLUEMOTION

Price: from $28,990
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel
Power: 77kW at 4400revs
Torque: 250Nm from 1500revs to 2500revs
Transmission: Five-speed manual, front-wheel drive.