There are several options available to you if you want to save money on travel. You could become a hermit and stay at home more often, take up cycling everywhere or you could spend £20,335 on the new Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion.
That last one might seem a tad counterproductive, but hey, it’ll do wonders for your social life and you can go places without the embarassment of wearing lycra. Plus, the 2013 Golf Bluemotion is the most economical cars on the planet, capable of 88.3mpg on the combined cycle with emissions of 85g/km. That lst figure isn’t quite low enough for congestion charge exemption, but certainly low enough to qualify for free road tax.
The new Golf Bluemotion’s figures put on a par with Kia Rio 1.1 Ecodynamics, Hyundai i20 CRDi Blue and a version of the Peugeot 208 with a name so ludicrously long we can’t be bothered to type it out, but the Golf is a larger car, so the fact it can compete with these shining starlets is commendable. Actually it’s nothing short of amazing.
The 2013 Golf Bluemotion achieves its remarkable fuel economy thorugh several factors, including a comprehensive weight loss program. There’s 26kg less weight in the running gear (all the undergubbins) and 37kg less in the body. VW has also fitted low rolling resistance tyres with higher air pressures, longer gear ratios in the six-speed manual ‘box plus a few aerodynamic tweaks. It has a smaller front, which reduces drag by 0.27 – a 10 per cent improvement on the previous car.
The Golf Bluemotion’s engine has also been fondled for better efficiency. The 1.6-litre 110PS unit actually produces 5PS more than in non-Bluemotion models, but reduced internal friction, better thermal management and exhaust gas recirculation all help boost efficiency.
Prices for the new Golf Bluemotion start at £20,335 for the three-door model, rising to £20,990 for the five-door. Order books are open now and deliveries are expected in August.
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