Review: VW BlueMotion range

The BlueMotion label is applied by Volkswagen to the most fuel-efficient models in its range. Until recently the only BlueMotion models available in the UK were two diesel-powered variants of the Polo supermini, launched in September 2007. The most frugal of these, the Polo BlueMotion 1, achieves a remarkable combined-cycle CO2 rating of 99g/km, according to government figures - qualifying it for Band A zero-rated road tax.

However, as our recent review of the Polo BlueMotion found, these gains in fuel efficiency do not come without pain. The car is spartanly equipped and expensive to buy when compared with its siblings, and changes to the engine and gearbox to promote frugal running have made the car awkward around town - with neither third gear nor fourth being entirely comfortable when driving at 30mph, for example.

The UK BlueMotion range has now expanded to include larger Volkswagens: the popular Golf hatchback and estate, the family sized Passat saloon and estate, plus the rarely spotted Jetta saloon and Golf Plus (a Golf hatch with a more roomy interior).

All of these new BlueMotion cars use the same engine: a 1.9 litre turbo-diesel developing 104bhp. An oxidation catalyst and particulate filter are also fitted as standard to reduce the output of harmful nitrogen oxides and soot.

CO2 output from this engine varies according to the size and weight of the car that it must lug around, with the Golf posting a combined cycle score of 119g/km, the Golf Estate and Jetta 122g/km, the Golf Plus 127g/km, the Passat saloon 136g/km, and finally the Passat estate 137g/km. Given that these are not small cars, these official figures are all highly impressive, equating to between 63 and 54 miles per gallon.

The changes made to achieve these stats include lowered suspension and revised radiator grilles to reduce aerodynamic drag; taller gearing in third, fourth and fifth gear for more economical steady-speed running; and low-rolling-resistance tyres.

Volkswagen has not yet adopted some of the more complex fuel-saving techniques used by rival manufacturers, such as a stop-start facility to prevent the engine running while the car is stationary.

On the Polo, the aerodynamic changes are easy to spot, but these newer BlueMotions are much more subtle. Changes to the grilles, for example, have been made using hidden blanking plates rather than the Polo’s flat slab of plastic. The biggest clue to the nature of the Golf and Passat models we drove was the BlueMotion badge on the boot.

Drivers will be similarly hard-pressed to notice anything out of the ordinary behind the wheel. We tested the BlueMotion Golf, Golf Plus and Passat estate and found them to be reasonably refined and pleasant to drive. The diesel engines can be loud and raucous when pressed, and the long gearing means rapid 50-70mph acceleration is not their forte, but most drivers will be satisfied with the relative pace and peace on offer. The diesel engine’s torque means that acceleration is brisk in the lower gears, making the cars nippy around town.

The gear ratios are altered compared with equivalent standard cars, but the changes create a more harmonious result than in the Polo, due mostly to the larger engines. The Golf BlueMotion turns over at 1,100rpm at 30mph in fourth gear, which is perfectly tolerable unless you want to accelerate or climb a hill, while 70mph equates to a relaxed 1,900rpm in fifth. The Passat has slightly shorter gearing to compensate for its larger size and greater weight, with about 1,150rpm showing on the clock at 30mph in fourth, and 2,050rpm at 70mph in fifth.

These ratios mean that at a steady 50mph, where most drivers would expect to use fifth gear, all of the BlueMotions will tend to lurk around the labouring point of the engine, meaning lots of cog-swapping on slower dual-carriageways. We are surprised that VW has not fitted six-speed gearboxes, which could offer a better compromise between in-gear go and long-legged cruising.

The lowered and stiffened suspension is a more successful alteration, offering a firm ride and flat cornering at the expense of some noticeable jostling over poor road surfaces.

All the larger BlueMotion models offer a multi-function trip computer display between the main instrument dials, which can show instantaneous fuel consumption or cumulative consumption for the current journey. While this display is common to other VWs, the BlueMotions gain a gear-shift indicator to show when a gear change would help to reduce fuel consumption.

This indicator comes in the form of a small numeral - about 8mm high - at the bottom of the computer’s LED matrix display. Most of the time it simply shows the current gear, but when a change would cut consumption it switches to an upward or downward pointing arrow alongside the number of the suggested gear.

This is not a bad idea, particularly as the indicator is not stupid: it will not suggest an up-shift while you are accelerating hard, for example, but will wait until you lift off to give advice. However we still found it lacking. The prompt is only really noticeable if you go looking for it, and its suggested downshifts come too late - appearing only after the engine starts to labour.

In truth the indicator has the air of a tacked-on half measure. If it were much larger and placed higher up on the dashboard it would be more useful and more effective.

All the BlueMotion models we tried came reasonably well equipped, boasting features - such as air-conditioning and alloy wheels - that are practically compulsory for maintaining residual value. All have the usual Volkswagen high-quality interiors with soft-feel plastics and clever cupholders.

Our test drives were really too short to verify economy, but by the cars’ own measurements we saw miles per gallon in the mid-fifties over 90-minute journeys of country roads and dual-carriageways.

Volkswagen has given all its BlueMotion models a premium price. In the case of the Polo, we feel the price hike is too large to justify a purchase at the recommended retail price, but the larger cars fare better. While the increase between a Polo SE TDI and the similarly equipped Polo BlueMotion 2 is £1,110 (nine per cent), the rise between a Golf Match TDI and Golf Match BlueMotion TDI is a much more acceptable £515 (three per cent).

For the extra outlay the Polo BlueMotion 2 achieves a 13 percent improvement in fuel economy, with CO2 emissions down from 119g/km to 104g/km. The Golf trims 10 per cent from the Match model’s 132g/km down to 119g/km. The improvements for the Passat and Golf Plus are 12 and 13 per cent respectively.

As well as reduced fuel bills and lower CO2 emissions, BlueMotion drivers can also look forward to reasonable car tax bills and reduced rates next year. Golf BlueMotion models fall into the current Band B (£35) and next year will go into the new Band C (£30). Golf Plus, Golf Estate and Jetta BlueMotion models are currently Band C (£120) and will fit into Band D (£90) from 2009. And Passat saloon and estate BlueMotion models will move from today’s Band C (£120) to next year’s Band E (£110).

The Golf BlueMotion’s current Band-B rating means that it, like the Polo BlueMotion, is due to become exempt from the London Congestion Charge from 27 October 2008.

All in all, we think that while the Polo BlueMotion remains an overpriced oddity, the rest of the new BlueMotion range is made up of good cars that deliver worthwhile fuel savings in return for very modest sacrifices in price and comfort.