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our test drives or view them all

Poetry in BlueMotion

THERE’S a new economy star in Volkswagen’s Golf stable – the estate with environmental BlueMotion technology powered by a cracking 1.6 turbodiesel.

I had one of these low consumption, high efficiency models on test and was stunned by its balance of performance against fuel use and emissions.

Hardly a "budget" car in BlueMotion guise, the £19,880 cargo carrier in SE trim with a 104bhp 1.6 TDI ticked every box for the average family or environmentally aware motorist.

It averaged an amazing 67.3mpg on the combined cycle and on test in the Highlands I recorded a remarkable 69mpg on a 182-mile round trip from Moray to the west coast.

Driving normally around town, the economy fell back to a still impressive 55mpg.

What impressed me most was that despite its modest 1598cc capacity, the 1.6 TDI BlueMotion delivered a strong performance with good pulling power and acceptable overtaking prowess.

Rest to 62mph may look leisurely at around 12 seconds, but in practice the well-spaced five-speed manual gearbox makes overtaking easy with a medium load – although the fully loaded car struggled in the vital 50mph to 70mph overtaking slot.

Torque is generous enough at 250 Newton metres from 1500rpm – but you have to be sure that you’re in that “sweet” rev band to 2500rpm to reap the benefits of the little engine’s pulling power.

Emissions are excellent – only 109g/km, making it cheap to road tax at £35 a year. Insurance should be affordable too with a Group 18 rating in the new 0-50 group listing.

At 4.53 metres it is substantially longer than the 4.19-metre Golf hatch, but the estate drives like the latest Golf 6 and shares all the BlueMotion hatch’s technology and build quality.

There’s a feeling of substance with this 2.45-tonne compact estate, and its load area is big.

The 505-litre boot area, 155 litres bigger than the Golf hatch, is easily expandable to 1,495 litres (1,305 litres in the hatch) with the rear seats folded flat.

It’s a well designed load area too – the rear seats fold to create a solid and flat platform that is both deep and wide.

There was a time I would have recommended Volkswagen buyers to avoid the BlueMotion badge because of the relatively higher cost compared to the mainstream model. Now I’m not so sure.

It’s true that you can save £410 by buying a non-BlueMotion SE 1.6 TDI Golf Estate, but it will also average nearly 5mpg less and emit at 119g/km instead of the environmentally cleaner test car that managed 109g/km.

It’s not much and both cars will cost £35 a year to road tax despite being in different bands.

The BlueMotion SE is in Band B while the standard SE is in Band C – but the more efficient car is a tad easier on the environment and that may swing a planet-lover’s final choice.

There’s no doubt the BlueMotion range is a far better choice now than it was a few years ago. It offers better value and it’s hard to see much difference between BlueMotion and non-BlueMotion versions.

What you get with the “greener” model is stop/start, brake energy recuperation, low rolling resistance tyres, hill holder, and a visual dash reminder to ensure you are in the correct gear.

A bonus is a multi-function computer to help you keep an eye on the car’s efficiency and fuel economy.

I’m not a lover of stop/start. In the Highlands it saves very little, if any, fuel even when driving a lot in Inverness, Elgin or any other of our larger conurbations.

What rankles with me is all that stopping and starting of an engine is bound to increase wear, adds stress to the diesel’s internals, and in the end could lead to premature failure.

Manufacturers will argue the toss. Me? I’m not convinced – and many automotive engineers working for the big names in the industry privately agree with my viewpoint.

One put it succinctly: “We’re just doing what the marketeers want – paying lip service to the environment.”

Setting aside the estate’s practical cargo features, the general layout of the car is of a high standard.

In common with the Golf 6, it has a “sound absorbing” five-layer windscreen, a soft touch dash, and an instrument and switch layout that is crisp, clear and easy to use during the day and when it’s chucking it down on a dark night.

Seating is supportive and the standard cloth covering on my SE had a look and feel of a hard-wearing material that will stand up to heavy family use.

Noise levels are low. The 1.6-litre TDI is unstressed so there’s none of the “bark” some high output diesels have under power.

Road noise is well controlled too, thanks in large part to good body sound deadening and the 16-inch alloys and their low rolling resistance 205/55 section high profile tyres.

The car is relaxing to drive over a distance and extremely comfortable.

The SE specification also gives you plenty of gear. Standard features across the range include a superb electronic stability programme, ABS and front and side airbags – but you also get cruise control, automatic lights, handy drawers under the front seats, a 12-volt boot socket, armrest with storage, and a very good Volkswagen RCD310 radio and CD unit with MP3 compatibility.

After a lengthy exposure to the SE trim BlueMotion Golf Estate, I began to like its feel, its performance and overall efficiency.

I could have done without its stop/start feature – but at least you can switch that off.

Is it worth another £410 over the standard SE? Yes, but only if you are a committed environmentally aware driver or need to get every last mile out of a gallon of diesel.

What I also discovered is that while the differential is relatively small at under £500, BlueMotion models are in short supply so an ordinary SE is likely to be available with a better discount and therefore potentially cheaper still.

You pays your money...

Frankly, considering high fuel costs and environmental issues, I think Volkswagen and other manufacturers should not give us a “more efficient” choice – it complicates life!

They should simply integrate BlueMotion and similar planet assisting technology into their standard fleets and we’d all soon be accepting it as normal practice.

The idea of charging someone a premium, no matter how affordable, to drive a more efficient car seems almost fraudulent.

Be that as it may, the latest BlueMotion technology applied to the Golf Estate makes it one very good buy!

Rating: 7.5/10

FINAL THOUGHT: Early Volkswagen BlueMotion technology cars had a lightweight feel and cost a substantial premium over their mainstream sisters. But the Golf Estate BlueMotion, with its excellent 1.6-litre TDI, breaks the mould – only £410 more expensive than the “ordinary” version, it is both cleaner and more frugal in BlueMotion guise. A good buy for the environmentally conscious family estate driver.

Volkswagen Golf Estate SE BlueMotion 1.6 TDI

• Price: £19,880
• Capacity: 1598cc
• Power: 104bhp
• 0-62mph: 11.9 seconds
• Maximum speed: 118mph
• Economy: Combined 67.3mpg; Urban 54.3mpg
• CO2 emissions: 109g/km
• ESP: Standard
• Insurance: Group 18 (New 1-50 insurance grouping)