VW Golf Bluemotion
£13,697
Miles per gallon: 62.7
Seats: 5
Good for: Moderates
Bad for: Motor heads
It seems the new Golf I've been testing this week has a defect. Very un-VW I know, but I've been driving for more than an hour and the fuel gauge hasn't moved. I wasn't expecting the kamikaze dive of the BMW M6's pointer, but I was hoping for at least a pulse, a flicker of life to show that the 30 miles I've covered have been completed at some cost. After all, the car's a diesel - it must be running on something other than used chip fat and synthesised jelly. But no, the needle is glued to the letter F, the thing is kaput, and at a totally inappropriate moment the needle will become unstuck, plummet faster than the house price index and leave me stranded.
It turns out there is no mechanical problem, and after another 20 miles or so the needle moves half a degree south before making its nest there for the rest of the week. You see, this Golf is fitted with VW's BlueMotion technology (the specification first appeared last year on the Polo). The BlueMotion 1 achieves an astonishing combined fuel economy of 75 miles to the gallon. On the open road the Polo can now do 90 miles to a single gallon and in the process produces a scant 99 grams of carbon per km - which means it ducks below the magic 100 figure and is thus exempt from tax.
This same technology has now been rolled out across six of VW's other products - including the Jetta, Passat and the Golf. VW's binge-drinking brigade - its Touaregs and Phaetons - have so far been left propping up the bar. But who knows, we might one day see a 4x4 gas guzzler reduced to teetotal status.
At the heart of the BlueMotion movement is VW's belief that there is still plenty of life left in diesel. At a time when other manufacturers are putting their energy into petrol/electric hybrids and alternative fuels, VW is proving that with a bit of clever tinkering, diesel still has a big part to play in our immediate motoring future.
Essentially, BlueMotion cars have been fitted with an automotive gastric band. A combination of revised aerodynamics, optimised gear ratios, a new turbocharger and harder tyres all lead to a reduction in loading on the engine, which in turn leads to a rise in efficiency and lower carbon emissions. As a drive, the car doesn't have the zip and zest of its heavyweight equivalent, and the engine is noisier, even at higher speeds. But within a day or two you get used to it. What you don't get used to, however, is looking at your instant fuel consumption figure and seeing a number in the 60s. The car's 1.9-litre engine, coupled with a 55-litre tank, has a theoretical range of 750 miles. That's Land's End to John O'Groats without a single fuel stop.
At the top of the Golf tree - there are 35 different Golf models currently available, and that doesn't include the nine Golf Plus variations - is the fire-snorting, juice-gurgling 3.2 V6 4Motion R32 sportwagon. And though these two polar opposites share the word Motion, that's where the similarities end. It seems clear in these days of eco doom which Motion we should be passing.
