It鈥檚 All Just Serious Business

Buying a current-generation hybrid has all of a sudden become an almost pointless exercise. You can now buy a German built Golf that uses less fuel and costs thousands less. The Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion is the most fuel efficient Golf of all time. Its 1.6-liter, four-cylinder turbo-diesel 77kW engine (250Nm of torque) uses 0.1L/100km less fuel than the all-mighty Prius and it doesn鈥檛 even need to carry around batteries and an electric engine. Volkswagen may be building hybrid and electric vehicles in the near future, but while it perfects that technology the German powerhouse has managed to showcase just how fuel efficient conventional vehicles can be if the right supporting technologies are applied. Previously the most fuel efficient Golf was the Golf 77TDI, using 4.9L/100km. The BlueMotion essentially makes use of the same underpinnings except it harnesses fuel-saving technologies such as better aerodynamics, start-stop engine system and brake energy recuperation.

As a vehicle, the Golf BlueMotion is just a Golf. It drives like a Golf, it handles like a Golf and is just as practical as one. Volkswagen鈥檚 entire marketing campaign for the BlueMotion is based around the tag line 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to be enviro-mental when you can be enviro-normal鈥? A clever play on words that is meant to highlight the fact that the Golf BlueMotion is not a car that compromises on features and practicality just to be fuel efficient. The German company will not be advertising the BlueMotion against the Prius. It believes the BlueMotion can stand on its own feet and prove its credentials without needing to put down the competition directly. Available as a five-door, five-speed manual only, the Golf BlueMotion is likely to only attract certain buyers. It will no doubt lose sales as a result of not being available as an automatic (DSG) and may also be disadvantaged by lack of multimedia support. Volkswagen says the idea of its BlueMotion cars is to be as fuel efficient as possible and that the 3.8L/100km figure was only achievable with a manual gearbox.

If you鈥檙e wondering why it鈥檚 not a six-speed manual, it鈥檚 due to the more appropriate gear ratios of the five-speed manual. Its fifth gear is so tall that it鈥檚 actually more fuel efficient in the BlueMotion application than the standard six-speed generally fitted to the Golf range. So, what鈥檚 so different about the Golf BlueMotion and the Golf 77TDI that it replaces. Start-stop technology has been available in many other vehicles for some time, but for the majority of first-time users it will come as a bit of a shock when their vehicle turns itself off each time it stops. It will take a few hours to get used to, and the most important thing to know is that it will instantly turn back on when you engage the clutch. It does this so quickly that there is no need to wait for the engine to re-engage before driving away. By the time you鈥檝e engaged the clutch and selected first gear the Golf BlueMotion is ready to go. Given how long one can spend in traffic, this system helps save fuel when stationary but can also be switched-off if needed.

When the Golf BlueMotion is decelerating via the brakes, brake energy recuperation technology uses the kinetic energy of the vehicle to charge the battery. By doing this more intensely when the vehicle is decelerating as opposed to at all times, it eases the load of the engine which has to keep the battery charged. It鈥檚 unclear just how much fuel each one of these technologies saves individually, but it鈥檚 the total as a whole which manages the remarkable 3.8L/100km figure. The BlueMotion will also suggest perfect gearshift times for maximum fuel efficiency when driving. This goes a long way to helping you get the maximum fuel saving. Visually the Golf BlueMotion is an attractive vehicle. There are small BlueMotion badges on the grille and tailgate which, from a distance, can make the car appear to be a special-edition sports model. The lower stance and the more aggressive styling (thanks to the bumpers) make the BlueMotion look much sportier than it really is.

If the 15-inch wheels didn鈥檛 give it away so easily, it could actually look rather mean - for a hybrid-beater. The rear is also home to smoked lights and a roof edge spoiler in GTI design. Sit inside and you鈥檒l instantly tell this is a Golf. There are no gimmicks that will tell you how many trees you鈥檝e saved or whether a penguin is thanking you from the North Pole. It won鈥檛 even draw smiley faces if you drive economically. It鈥檚 all just serious business. Nonetheless, the no nonsense approach means soft-touch plastics around the dashboard and doors, comfortable seats in a unique BlueMotion cloth trim, a leather steering wheel and low tyre pressure indicator. Like all Golfs, it can comfortably fit four adults for long distance drives and five if necessary. It鈥檚 also as safe as they come thanks to all the electronic nanny controls you can think of (ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, EDL, ASR & ESP) plus seven airbags.