Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion shows in Paris

You’re looking at the parsimonious member of the new-gen Golf family, and the most economical Golf to date. It’s been unveiled in Paris, and as with all of Volkswagen’s fuel-efficient models of recent years, it’s been given the BlueMotion moniker – and isn’t it worthy of it, for this diesel-powered hatch returns a fuel consumption figure of 3.2 litres per 100 km (15% improvement over the previous Golf BlueMotion) and emits only 85 grams of CO2 per km (14 grams less).

The diesel mill in question is a 1.6 litre TDI from the newly developed EA288 family, producing 110 PS, while a peak torque of 250 Nm is available from just 1,500 rpm up to 2,750 rpm. It’s mated to a five-speed manual. Naturally, Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems are carried over from the standard Golf. The engine benefits from reduced internal friction, a thermal management system, oxidation catalytic converter, diesel particulate filter and a NOx storage catalytic converter, amongst others.

But its frugality and astonishing theoretical 1560 km range are not just down to what’s under the bonnet. There’re super low rolling resistance tyres with higher air pressure and longer gear ratios. It’s lighter, too – the body sheds 37 kg and the running gear 26 kg.

Along with other aerodynamic enhancements including lateral air guide elements on the rear window and special underfloor panels, the frontal area of the Mk7 Golf has been reduced by 0.03 square meters. With a drag coefficient of 0.27, this yields a 10% reduction in aerodynamic drag. Ride height has also been lowered by 15 mm.

VW bills it a concept, but says it’s pretty much production-ready and will launch in the UK next summer.

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