Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion returns 31 km per litre

Golf BlueMotion

Advancements in automotive technology are best measured not by performance and power figures, but by efficiency. Take the humble Volkswagen Golf for instance. The previous generation Mk6 model, in its most economical guise, the BlueMotion, was lauded globally for getting over 26 km per litre. Fast forward a few years and the basic Golf Mk7 1.6 litre TDI, sans any special alteration or equipment, returns the same figure.

The Mk7 Golf BlueMotion on the other hand, previewed in concept form in Paris last year and shown now in Geneva in full production guise, is significantly better still, managing over 31 km per litre. That’s better than VW’s own three-cylinder Polo BlueMotion from 2010. CO2 emissions have been reduced too, from 99 grammes per kilometre to just 85.

With its 50 litre tank and a theoretical 1,500 km range, motorists who do an average of 15,000 km yearly will quite possibly only need to fuel up ten times in a year. Providing power to the wheels is a 110 hp 1.6 litre turbodiesel engine from the new EA288 family. The 16-valve units delivers 250 Nm of torque from 1,500 to 2,750 rpm.

Various weight saving measures (it’s now 63 kg lighter), engine tweaks (reduced engine friction), super low rolling resistance tyres with higher air pressure, longer gear ratios in the five-speed manual transmission and specific aerodynamic modifications (amounting to 10% less drag) are to thank for the remarkable fuel efficiency.

Marking out the BlueMotion Golf are a drag-sapping roof spoiler, lateral air guide elements on the rear window, a masked front grille, a C-pillar spoiler and 15 mm lower ride height.

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Hafriz Shah

Preferring to drive cars rather than desks, Hafriz Shah ditched his suit and tie to join the ranks of Malaysia’s motoring hacks. A car’s technical brilliance is completely lost on him, appreciating character-making quirks more. When not writing this ego trip of a bio, he’s usually off driving about aimlessly, preferably in a car with the right combination of three foot pedals and six gears.

 

Comments

  • terndy on Mar 06, 2013 at 4:35 pm

    Its rim looks like cheapo, certainly the first thing to be changed

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 32
    • green on Mar 06, 2013 at 6:35 pm

      this car is Green.. Should be have some taxation reduction. :)

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 2
      • badang on Mar 06, 2013 at 9:28 pm

        The total cost of ownership (TCO) of vw in bolehland really makes the money saved from low FC worthless. Better settle down with normal cars

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 1
        • crank on Mar 07, 2013 at 9:19 am

          Plus we’ve got lousy diesel which would eventually screw up the entire engine within a couple of years. After the first year, you’ll see black fumes from the exhaust.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
          • KeretaRakyat on Mar 07, 2013 at 11:15 am

            Nope, I guess not even finishing a full tank, the engine will go kaput!

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
  • Algojo on Mar 06, 2013 at 4:40 pm

    Can go Hatyai without refueling!… 666…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Xefron on Mar 06, 2013 at 4:43 pm

    Car with good FC is expensive.So irony.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • crump on Mar 06, 2013 at 4:48 pm

    Where got saving, monthly installment already makes the cost of ownership are more less same with other cars

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 30 Thumb down 9
  • Sam Loo on Mar 06, 2013 at 4:54 pm

    Hidden due to lowcomment rating. Click here to see.

    Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 162
  • vincent on Mar 06, 2013 at 5:14 pm

    Those hybrids can go fly kite, at least this is more powerful and better FC and safety too.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 3
    • Have you driven this car? How come you get to conclusion that this car is more powerful than any Hybrid? Have you driven the Audi A6 Hybrid for that matter?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 16
      • Don’t remember A6 Hybrid can achieve that kind of mileage.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • 0-100 km/h is accomplished in 7.5 seconds and top speed is 240 km/h. Average fuel consumption is quoted at 6.2 litres per 100 km and CO2 emissions at 145 grams per km.

        (6.2 litres) / (100 km) = 16.1290323 km / l

        http://paultan.org/2013/02/27/audi-a6-hybrid-launch/

        Nope.. confirm tak boleh..

        Criteria is “power” and “FC”. If it’s just powe, your comment makes sense, but it doesn’t.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • ahmad loy on Mar 08, 2013 at 9:30 pm

        This VW model enough powerful and very much better FC..the 5 doors plus bonet half lighter than previous..slightly lowered and longer..the pedal very very responsive..notice to the previous golf and current polo sport owner better settle down yours now..put deposit once launch..choose color the blue one or light maroon.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • I rented the Mk 6 Golf 1.6 tdi bluemotion in the UK in 2011.Drove for a week covering >1000km.London-Lake District-Warwick-Stratford upon avon-Cotswold-Bath-Stonehenge-Oxford and back to London and still had 3/4 tank left.Truly very economical.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 30 Thumb down 2
    • sorry I meant still had 1/4 tank left-used 3/4 tank to travel the 1000 km

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • reyust on Mar 06, 2013 at 5:25 pm

    31km per litre..wish i can afford to buy one

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • sam Loo on Mar 06, 2013 at 5:40 pm

    This low RV piece of shit !
    New camry with 4speed gearbox better !

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 51
    • Go away with ur Camrys lah! that thing is ugly and looks cheap also out of date so pls don’t compared with other cars! cant even beat Preve lolx

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 1
  • Carlover on Mar 06, 2013 at 5:49 pm

    Germany tech! always better…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 7
  • kambinganas on Mar 06, 2013 at 5:54 pm

    Even if they sell it here, we won’t be able to achieve such figures due to our terrible fuel quality. Not even sure if this engine can even take it in the first place without all kinds of detuning that would also drop performance.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 1
  • Gavin on Mar 06, 2013 at 6:06 pm

    Guess you’ll see this very soon in Singapore with their new tax structure based in emissions

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Then, how Singaporean wan to travel in Malaysia with our crappy diesel fuel?

      that y any car maker dont dare to bring diesel car into singapore eventhough BMW SG dont ever to bring 320d..

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 3
      • bro. even BMW Malaysia sell diesel 3 series in our country. no problem la using our diesel

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
        • Cos they remove the particulate filter for bolehland spec cars to survive the crap diesel. Warranty also only 3 yrs if im not mistaken. After that it is purely down to one’s luck.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
        • klata-klata on Mar 07, 2013 at 12:29 am

          I drive a 320d. BMW prepares its diesel engines exported to Malaysia to cope with the Euro-2 quality fuel here without sacrificing any of its 185hp and 380nm torque. It is effortless with a lot of grunt and return easily 50mpg or 5.4L/100km average.

          Modern Diesels should enjoy tax incentives like in Singapore for being fuel efficient. More so in Malaysia for savings on fuel subsidy.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
          • You’re been so lucky to achieve such a low FC. Yeah, let’s hope that the road tax will be lowered to for these kind of fuel-efficient cars.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • Gavin on Mar 07, 2013 at 7:44 am

        I think it’s not an issue once or twice a month, because the DPF is regenerated when travelling on highways burning off any collected soot particles.

        The regeneration can only take place when the conditions are right such as highway cruising (speeding) because a high exhaust temp can be sustained for complete regeneration.

        City stop and go and frequent engine off will interrupt the cycle and eventually give an alarm that the filter is blocked. So that’s why BMW decided to get rid of it since there are also no laws concerning this.

        That’s probably why the 320d’s are actually more powerful than advertised

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
        • Just FYI. Regeneration condition can be artificially created.

          1) High rev loads.
          2) Artificial heating – put electric heater near the DP.
          3) Fuel injection into exhaust pipe, this one is more complicated to explain. You can look it up if you’re interested.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
          • Gavin on Mar 07, 2013 at 9:49 am

            Regeneration is i think already handled fully by the ECU.

            forcing false regeneration without the right conditions will just serve to clog the filter even more instead of cleaning it out

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
          • True, but it’s the current way of cleaning up DPF. I know Mercedes is using the 1st and 3rd method. Renault, if I am not wrong, is using the 2nd method. BMW, no clue.

            But, have you ever thought of what if the users never run their diesel car in highways.. will it die? :)

            Oh yea, I also forgot to mention, there is an alternative 4, during servicing of the car, they can heat it up and remove the soot.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Apekgoh on Mar 06, 2013 at 6:44 pm

    Manual box can buy…. Diesel dirty also 320d sell also, why can’t bluemotion

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 10
    • Hidden due to lowcomment rating. Click here to see.

      Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 345
  • Jab, Strong, Fierce! on Mar 06, 2013 at 7:07 pm

    This is a no-brainer winner to me. Just look at those figures! Both MPG consumption and CO2 emmission values are impressively jaw dropping and this push the questions for the need of all these gimmicky hybrid. Here’s are some comparison

    Golf Bluemotion
    -88.3mpg
    -85g/km CO2 emissions
    -1.6L, 109bhp four-cylinder diesel engine connected to a five-speed manual gearbox with longer gear ratios

    Prius
    -77mpg
    -71g/km CO2 emissions
    -1.8L 134bhp combi four-cylinder gasoline engine with electric motor connected to conventional CVT

    and the Golf did it without battery support! Most green & efficient title would be stripped off from Prius if VM decided to chuck in one LOL. Well done VW for lifting the bar a notch higher!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 2
    • Carl Wong on Mar 07, 2013 at 12:01 am

      I thought the CO2 emissions for Toyota Prius (Not Plug In) is 89g/km? This new Golf Bluemotion is a Turbodiesel and not even a hybrid yet? 85g/km of CO2 emissions is even lower than a Prius!!

      Just for fun/reference, what is the 0-100km/hr time for the Golf Bluemotion? If it’s less than 10 seconds it can again beat the Prius!!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • Its a diesel, its the rolling acceleration matters( real world type of overtaking btw 50kph – 70/90kph). anyway, most petrol/petrol hybrid are diff to achieve its fc figures in the real world unless u’re willing to drive at only 2,000-3,000rpm which is way below its peak torque for a petrol but for a diesel …thats where its peak torque is. Esp when u’re driving wt 4-5 passenger, u’ll need to rev the petrol/petrol hybrid(batt will assist but once it dried up, just the petrol) …but diesel, since the peak torque is btw 2k to 4k, its does not need to be rev hard. 2k-3k rpm is enough to pull all those weights in the real world

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
      • Jab, Strong, Fierce! on Mar 07, 2013 at 9:35 am

        The current “JC08 Test” yields 71g/km while the previous “10-15 Mode Test” produce 61g/km for the Prius. The Bluemotion does the century sprint in 10.5sec and the Prius in 11.6sec. Not bad, not bad at all..

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Prius would already lost the most green & efficient title if they count production pollution as well. Why? Battery are polluting, especially when so much is needed in comparison to a normal car.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Objectivity on Mar 07, 2013 at 11:58 pm

      Need to be careful about fuel economy figures given by manufacturers, some of them have been caught manipulating them (it is possible even if based on standard procedures). For example Hyundai were caught over-stating their EPA fuel economy figures and had to compensate their customers. There were also some controversy on Ford hybrid’s EPA fuel economy claims which resulted in lawsuits.

      I recommend that you double-check with Fuelly.com, which publishes real-life fuel economy figures by actual owners.
      http://www.fuelly.com/car/volkswagen/golf/2013
      http://www.fuelly.com/car/toyota/prius/2013

      Bear in mind that in western countries, highway driving tend to be a higher percentage than we have in Malaysia, where traffic congestion is a bigger problem. In such situations, hybrids have a very big advantage because their engines do not idle while the car is not moving. When a hybrid is sitting in traffic, it produces ZERO emissions compared to diesels.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • pleaseteachme on Mar 07, 2013 at 8:51 am

    this might be a silly question & I really dont know… if this car sell in our shore… can we use the diesel which currently sharing with the lori hantu one? if no why?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Gavin on Mar 07, 2013 at 12:04 pm

      If the car manafacturer releases it to sell in malaysia then yes, chances are they will remove the diesel particulate filter to prevent clogging.

      But still i would get diesel from the petrol station instead of siphoned diesel from elsewhere, you don;’t know what they stuffed into it.

      If you mean subsidized diesel meant for fishermen/agriculture etc. in theory yes you can use

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • pleaseteachme on Mar 07, 2013 at 1:50 pm

        thanks for the explanation… yeah I mean the diesel in petrol station which currently being used by Lorry Hantu… huhu… bad english…

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • KarthikM on Mar 07, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    Bringing this car here would be great.. But there are a few problems..
    First our diesel quality is poor, so it would definitely screw up the engine.. Second even if they’re gonna bring in the ‘good’ diesel it’s surely gonna be expensive.. More that petrol I presume..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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