Volkswagen Golf 6 1.6 TDi BlueMotion
Once upon a time, Golf was all about GTi and all was good in the world. And then the people from green descended upon us and all was changed in the interests of climate control and our own safety. The fun of Golf was being diluted “for your own good.” And life would never be the same in the kingdom of the hot-hatch.
The hybrid concept is draped in the concept of greenwashing. An attempt to appear environmentally friendly. The trouble is the hybrids only work out under specific city driving conditions with lots of stop start driving where their energy storage pays off. The total environmental cost when considering the so called “cradle to grave” impact makes the hybrid as eco friendly as a 60’s muscle car.
Enter the economical diesels and small petrols. On test here we have VW’s BlueMotion. The concept is simple. Efficient small turbo-diesel, Regenerative braking, Stop- Start system, Low Roll Resistance Tyres and a BlueMotion badge on the back. It works, from a fuel consumption perspective anyhow. Expect real world results of around 4l per 100km, it is rated at a belief defying 3.8! All this and it puts out 77kw and 250Nm from the little 1.6. Acceleration 0-100 time is a claimed 11.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 190km/h. All well and good. There is a downside and the downside is called turbo-lag. Unbelievable lag. In the interminable time it takes the engine to spin up to 2000rpm where the useful stuff happens, you will get a regular opportunity to re-examine your life, your choices and the existential dilemmas. Seriously, you could take a power-nap before the powerband kicks in.
Jeeves will be proud to drive you about in your Jaguar
Jag has a diesel. Travesty you say? Not so fast. Unless fitted with a howling exhaust system, you aren't going to hear the delicious snarling howl of your V8/10/12 anyhow, you are after torque not power. The diesel has it. Gobs of torque. Predictable, effortless, tarmac ripping, honeyed torque. Think Louis Armstrong. Subtle, cosseting yet unforgettable. 600Nm of torque with 500 of it available within 500ms from idle! Mated of course to a not too shabby 202kw. Curiously it delivers all of this effortlessly and quietly. Almost silently in fact, while still managing to return 6,8l/100km.
This leaves you with a practical hatchback with Golf’s usual level of quality and build. Not too bad a compromise. Certainly a better choice than a hybrid. On the other hand the only way to let the world know is that badge on the back and those special aerodynamic wheels. On the other hand you do get a full size Golf that only spews 99g of carbon per km. That and gaudy blue fabric inserts in the seats. The car is sparse on standard features. Bluetooth, full climate control (air-con is included), floormats, PDC and Satnav will cost extra, but MP3 compatibility and a couple of chrome surrounds around the twiddly bits are thrown in.
