Golf misses mark but no need to feel blue

When Volkswagen South Africa sent out its press release late last year for the new BlueMotion Polo and Golf, it caused more than a ripple in motoring circles.

For here was a diesel vehicle that, on paper, was producing fuel economy figures and CO2 emission numbers that even hybrid vehicles would be envious of.

Even the petrolheads in the MotorMania office appeared to be impressed, and believe me, it takes a lot to impress them.

I think I even threw in a couple of "incredibles" myself when seeing the Polo had a claimed fuel consumption of 3.4 litres per 100 km and the Golf 3.8 litres per 100 km.

For the Golf this equates to roughly 1300km from its 55-litre tank and being the mathmaticians we are, we got out the calculator and worked out we could travel to Durban and back on a single tank of gas.

We even blurbed it on our front page on the final issue of MotorMania for 2010: "Joburg to Durban and back on a single tank"

Up for a challenge, I volunteered quicker than a first grader on his first day at school, to put the vehicle to the test and attempt the return trip.

Thankfully my offer was turned down as I would still be somewhere in the Free State, out of gas and a couple of hundred kilometres from home.

Why? Well, because no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get anywhere near the manufacturers' claimed figure, and believe me, I tried!

The N14 from Roodepoort to Pretoria is an ideal highway to test a vehicle - long flat stretches, the odd hill, good condition road, and fortunately over the Christmas period, very little traffic. The perfect place to put Volkswagen's claims to the test.

In a scene straight out of "Driving Miss Daisy" I set off . Speed cruise was set at a sedentary 100km/h, air conditioning was switched off, braking was kept to a minimum and unnecessary acceleration banished for the 60km trip. The result? A very credible 5.0 litres per 100 km - very good but still a long way short of that claimed 3.8 litres.

And for a full tank of gas I achieved a shade under 950 kilometres - 350 short of what I was hoping for.

Around town I achieved in the region of 6.0 litres per 100 km, which is also pretty impressive in the urban environment.

So what's the secret to these figures?

The Golf has a new turbodiesel engine that produces 77 kW of power; there are low-rolling resistance tyres, revised gear ratios, a gear-shift indicator, a regenerative braking system and a stop-start system.

The fact that I didn't get near the claimed fuel figure shouldn't detract from the fact that it is a top-notch car.

It has that typical German built quality - solid, heavy doors, fine interior finishes and plenty of comfort features.

It's basically a full-house when it comes to extras with one-touch electric windows all-round, on-board computer, hill-assist and MP3-CD player all part of the package.

The diesel engine, while extremely quiet, does suffer from a bout of turbo-lag.

On the open road though, it gobbles up those kilometres with ease and the cloth seating provides a comfy ride both front and back.

While a hybrid vehicle may attract those Saturday afternoon tweed-jacketed types with extra cash, the VW Golf BlueMotion will appeal to a wider range of motorists while being kinder to our environment.

Golf BlueMotion 1.6 TDI

Engine: 1600 cc diesel turbo

Power: 77 kW at 4400 rpm

Torque: 250 Nm at 1500 rpm

0-100 km/h: 11.3 seconds

Top Speed: 190 km/h

Fuel Consumption: 3.8 litres/100km (claimed)

CO2: 99 g/km

Price: R265 600

We like:

Environmentally friendly Good consumption figures (even if not what is claimed)

We Don't:

Turbo lagLeather seats would be nice

THE RIVALS:

FORD FOCUS 2.0 TDCi

Price: R286 500

Power/torque: 100 kW/320 Nm

Fuel economy: 5.6l/100km

CO2 emissions: 148g/km

TOYOTA AURIS X 2.0D

Price: R249 000

Power/torque: 93 kW/310 Nm

Fuel economy: 5.4l/100 km

CO2 emissions: 144g/km