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15/08/2011, 21:20
Car Review by DEREK OGDEN and MURRAY HUBBARD
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While the war on global warming rages, automobile manufacturers around the world quietly (as much as marketing departments will allow) go about cleaning up their act. In the automotive world, it seems, blue is the new green. Led by the Germans – Mercedes-Benz has BlueEFFICIENCY, while BMW weighs in with EfficientDynamics powering more than one of their luxury vehicles.
Now Volkswagen has joined the club with BlueMotion, found in the new Golf range, among others from the automobile giant
VW has started with the powerplant, a 77kW 1.6 litre TDI four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine plucked from the previous Golf Trendline and modified to perform with optimum fuel efficiency while cutting exhaust emissions. The maker says fuel consumption has been cut from 4.9 litres/100km to 3.8 litres/100km and carbon dioxide emissions have gone from 129g per kilometre to 99g/km. This gives the Golf BlueMotion the ability to go more than 1400km on the 55 litre full tank of fuel compared with a little over 1100km with the Trendline.
It’s all down to the modified motor mated with a five-speed manual transmission with tall gear ratios in third, fourth and fifth for fuel saving, stop/start technology, brake energy regeneration, improved aerodynamics and low rolling resistance tyres. According the manufacturer, ‘Blue’ is meant to represent the elements of the environment to be protected – air and water – while ‘Motion’ is the act of moving forward into the future. Blue is also the VW corporate colour. Keep up the good work, lads. The only thing to do now is clean up your manufacturing and recycling processes.
BODY STYLE
Despite its soft environmental credentials, the Golf BlueMotion is no shrinking violet. Aerodynamic upgrades to the body have given the hatchback an aggressive stance on the road. A sports styling kit makes further improvements and shut-off sections of the front grille help reduce cooling system drag with less heat being rejected by the engine. Ride height has been lowered by 15mm to further reduce drag, while modifications to the underside of the vehicle iron out airflow. As in all good looking sports cars, 15in low rolling resistance tyres of the new Golf fill out the wheel arches. To further reduce weight the car comes with a tyre repair kit rather than a spare wheel.
POWERTRAIN
Running gear modifications help to make the BlueMotion the most efficient production Golf ever. Low fuel consumption and emissions are built on a foundation of the 1.6 litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine with improved engine management software and reduced idling speed. The standard five-speed manual transmission has also been modified, lengthening the gearing in third, fourth and fifth gears which decreases engine speed and improves efficiency. These revisions to the gearbox work in conjunction with a multifunction computer which shows recommended gear changes for optimum economy.
SAFETY
While weight continues to be the enemy of fuel economy, there has been no skimping on safety, the Golf BlueMotion sharing features fitted to all Golfs. These include standard ABS antiskid braking with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist, electronic stabilisation program), hill start assist, seven airbags including front side and side airbags (head airbag system for front and rear passengers) and a knee airbag, belt pre-tensioners and belt force limiters, plus seatbelt warning indicator and head restraints that counteract the risk of whiplash (front seats) and three rear head restraints with three point seatbelts for all passengers.
INTERIOR DESIGN
Based on the Trendline specification, inside the BlueMotion passenger cabin is an extended multi-function display with gear-shift indicator, titanium inserts in the dashboard and doors and chrome accents on mirror and window lift adjustment switches and the rotary light switch Unique to BlueMotion are cloth upholstery and driver’s seat with height adjustment. Everything else is standard.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
There is a guiding hand to fuel efficiency from the Golf BlueMotion. Optimum gear changes are suggested by an upward or downward arrow flashed up on the dashboard instrument cluster. The alternative is listening and reacting to the engine note. Here the pair don’t always coincide. The stop/start system means the engine cuts out when the car is stationary, the transmission is in neutral and the clutch released. Here’s the chance to play a silly game with a driver unaware of the system. He or she can be called on to panic at the traffic lights, thinking the car has stalled.
The motor fires into life once the clutch pedal is depressed. This will only happen if the seat belt is fastened, and the driver’s door closed. When the brakes are applied, kinetic energy is harnessed to charge the battery. There’s no recognisable fade to the brake feel. Alternator control lowers voltage during deceleration, or when driving at a steady speed can switch off the alternator completely, reducing engine load and improving fuel consumption. All these effects encourage a restrained driving style and a self satisfied feeling knowing fuel, and therefore money, is being saved and the environment treated with respect. I must have been doing something right because the best fuel consumption I recorded on the car’s trip computer was 3.6 litres per 100 kilometres in a mix of driving, but mostly motorway. VW claims 3.8 litres/km under similar conditions.
SECOND OPINION: MURRAY HUBBARD
After five days in the BlueMotion Golf we had covered just 128 km and the computer read out revealed we had 870 km left in the tank. Of the 128 km, 75 km was on the M1 returning from Brisbane to our Gold Coast home. The rest was in the suburbs. We decided to visit Murwillumbah in New South Wales to take in the finalists and winner of the Archibald Prize for portraits at the Tweed Valley Gallery, a drive that would add almost 200 km to the odometer. Even going via the Numinbah Valley and up over the caldera into New South Wales and then returning via the coastal highway the Golf was full of surprises. By the time we returned there was more than 300 km on the clock ... and our range was extended to 970 kilometres. The next day we return the Golf to VW, again cruising at 100 km to 110 km/h on the M1 and by the time we entered the dealership driveway we had chalked up 388.5 kilometres for the week. The trip to Brisbane covered 76 kilometres at an average 77 km/h and used just 3.5 litres/100 km. After 388.5 kilometres the vehicle’s computer was telling us we now had a range of 1000 km, with the fuel gauge still showing just a tad over 3/4 full. Those figures tell us the Golf is a fuel miser around town and absolutely stingy on the open road. What we really liked about Golf BlueMotion is we did not try to drive frugally and the diesel engine and gearbox technology technology is tried and tested. This does not feel like a car that is a bridge between fossil fuel cars and electric and hydrogen vehicles. It simply drives like a `normal’ Golf with some higher gearing - and there’s nothing wrong with that.
PRICING AND SPECIFICATIONS
Golf BlueMotion 1.6 litre TDI $28,990
(Pricing does not include dealer or government charges)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 1598cc
Configuration: In-line, front transverse
Compression Ratio: 16.5:1
Bore/Stroke: 79.5mm x 80.5mm
Maximum Power: 77kW @ 4400 rpm
Maximum Torque: 250Nm @ 1500-2500rpm
Fuel system: Simos common rail
Ignition system: Compression
Fuel type: diesel
Emission level: EU5
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: 5 speed
Automatic Transmission: N/A
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4199mm
Wheelbase: 2574mm
Width: 1785mm
Height: 1479mm
Track: 1540mm (front), 1513mm (rear)
Turning Circle: 10.9m
Kerb Mass: 1234kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 55 litres
Towing Ability: 1200kg (braked), 640 (unbraked)
Towbar load limit: 75kg
CARGO AREA:
Load volume: 350 litres (rear seat upright), 1305 litres (rear seat folded)
RUNNING GEAR:
Front Suspension: Independent MacPherson struts with lower A-arms. Anti-roll bar. Sports suspension lowered approx. 15mm
Rear Suspension: Independent four-link with coil springs. Anti-roll bar. Sports suspension lowered approx 15mm
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc. ABS anti-skid with electronic brake force distribution, brake assist. Electronic stability program, brake energy recuperation
Steering: Electro-mechanical power assisted rack and pinion
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 11.3sec
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: diesel
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 3.8 litres/100km, CO2 emissions: 99g/km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 9/10
Air Pollution Rating: 6/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
3 years/ unlimited kilometres
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