VW Golf Bluemotion 1.9 TDI

OW that the credit crunch is hogging the headlines, green issues have taken a back seat. Saving money seems to be the priority, rather than saving the planet.

If the frugal superminis in this week’s group test are too small for you, our long-term Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion could fit the bill. Helped by optimised aerodynamics, longer gear ratios, engine refinements and low-rolling-resistance tyres, this MkV car delivers impressive economy and CO2 emissions.

Nevertheless, it’s still a challenge to keep the mpg figure on the trip computer as high as possible – in fact, it’s my new pastime. No longer am I flooring the throttle when I hit the open road, or trying to be first away from the lights. Now I’m last, but my driving is so efficient that I can be smug and let everyone else waste their fuel as they rush away.

The highest reading I’ve achieved on a trip is 70mpg. Pretty impressive, and while journeys seem to take longer, I’m not stopping at the fuel pump quite so often. Our overall average during the car’s time with us was 55.5mpg – not too bad when you consider most of the 4,450 miles we covered in it were in town.

This largely urban-based driving did turn out to be the cause of our only problem, though. The diesel particulate filter – a piece of technology that cleans the soot out of your emissions – malfunctioned, meaning the dash warning light kept coming on. According to the logbook, this meant the filter was at fault – and the only solution was to drive at 40mph for about 15 minutes or so. That’s easier said than done when you live and drive in a big city!

Given that many BlueMotion owners are likely to reside in congested areas, this could be a flaw in the concept – although the problem hasn’t arisen since.

My only real niggle has nothing to do with the green technology – instead, it regards one of the gadgets inside the car. I really like the iPod socket in the armrest, as it keeps your MP3 player out of sight, with no telltale wires on view for would-be thieves to see.

But I’ve just got an iPhone, which unfortunately doesn’t fit. The only option is to buy an unsightly aftermarket device.

Yet this hasn’t really detracted from my enjoyment of running the Golf. This car proves that you don’t have to make many compromises to go green.

Volkswagen has now launched the MkVI Golf, which sadly means our MkV has been returned. But the outgoing car has undoubtedly converted us to green technology, and we look forward to driving the even more economical MkVI BlueMotion when it joins the new line-up later this year. I just hope engineers at the firm can iron out the eco model’s problems with choked-up city centre running.

In the meantime, I want to keep lecturing everyone about my new-found love of fuel economy. We all enjoy saving money – and there’s no easier way to do it than by feeding less of your hard-earned cash into the fuel tank!

Second opinion

The main appeal of the Golf BlueMotion is that it doesn’t make you feel as though you have had to compromise to go green. You appreciate the VW’s longer gearing – added to keep revs and fuel consumption to a minimum.

On a recent late-night dash from London to Cardiff, I found this incredibly useful. The five-speed box’s tall top ratio meant the engine was really refined throughout my journey, while there was no need to stop and fill up.

While you can’t escape the dreaded diesel clatter when the engine is cold, this is a small price to pay for driving a car as accomplished as the Golf MkV, with the bonus of the BlueMotion tweaks squeezing out extra mpg.
 
Tom Phillips
Staff writer