A diesel car that only needs to be filled up 10 times a year? Hard to believe, but that’s the claim made by VW about its new Bluemotion Golf. It’s able to achieve this (according to VW at least), by delivering fuel consumption of an eye-popping 88.3mpg, and having a cavernous fuel tank that can hold 11 gallons. As a result, the German car giant says this, the third incarnation of the Bluemotion, can travel a whopping 9,60 miles without even glancing at a petrol station. From a motor breakdown cover advice point of view, not too much attention needs be given to ‘ensure you have enough petrol for your journey.’
The first Bluemotion arrived to the glee of fuel-conscious motorists everywhere in 2007, offering an also-impressive 68.8mpg. This was followed by a 2009 version that upped the economy once more, to 74.3mpg. The fact that the boffins at VW are close to 90mpg with this latest version is a testament to their unflinching focus on every aspect of the car’s design – in order for it to use less diesel.
A more aerodynamic, lighter body, a lower ride height, a lighter running gear and a modified drivetrain are among the reasons that the Bluemotion has such eye-catching credentials.
But the fuel economy figures given out by manufacturers are seldom the same as what can be achieved by the average user. Nevertheless, the motoring press has been highly impressed by the car’s fuel performance.
One nagging complaint relates to an annoying vibration that persists in the car, but at 88.3mpg (or even in that ballpark), most cost-conscious drivers would forgive this as a foible. Some also suggest that VW’s other fuel economy projects are called into question given the Bluemotion’s figures; VW’s hybrid and natural gas vehicles will not surpass 88.3mpg by very much – so are they worth the time and money?
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