Anyone seriously looking at the new Bluemotion Golf.

[neil]

As the title suggests.

[Russ59]

Certainly worth considering, the economy figures are impressive to say the least, but I still wouldn't sell my GT TDI to buy one

This has probably already been posted elsewhere but for those who haven't seen it - Volkswagen Golf Blue Motion

[Buller_Scott]

nah.

1.9 tdi is bomb proof. just got to get around the issue of a turbo that's about as tiny as

besides- are diesels really for laying off? i hate to allude to anything, but i thought they utterly, brutally annihilated the petrol boys, come le-mans?

i love it: "horsepower sells cars, torque wins races".... funny how many people THAT is lost on...

[kaanage]

If it had been available this time last year, I would have given it a good hard look but probably still gone for the 103 kW CR. One of those with the Bluemotion additions would certainly have been my choice.

[poyta]

Nah, too gutless for my liking. If they made a big capacity hybrid turbo diesel then yes because you would still have the power / torque that I desire but would return fantastic economy if I chose to take it easy. This is more the direction they should take to try rather than just decreasing the capacity.

[gldgti]

You can't have the best of both worlds, anyone who says you can has overlooked something. The bluemotion is very much a volkswagen idealistic car, harkening back to the older times of VW, like during the 70's. Its very much an "oil crisis" thinking car - but these days, the "oil crisis" is far more complicated than low oil supply. Its about lowering the overall impact that the vehicle makes on the environment as a whole. This means the car comes with efficient but sound technology, with relatively low tech manufacturing processes and inexpensive (both financially and environmentally) materials.

The Bluemotion golf is the exact modern equivalent of the Golf GLD of the 70's. It has a tough, reliable, proven powertrain, engineered to deliver excellent economy, at the expense of EXCESS, not practicality.

I hardly think its fair to say that the new bluemotion is gutless, rather that its more practically powered. I dont care who you are, you dont need more than 77kw/250nm in a car thats golf sized. You only want more.

Europe, as is always the case, is far ahead in mindset than us primitive Autralians (I reckon we lag behind in attitude by about 10 years or so) and people are more than happy to accept less power for improved economy, and all of the advantages that owning a reliatively simple vehicle entails.

Some of us have even adopted that thinking from the outset.... When will everyone else catch up, is what I wonder. The sooner more of us come to appreciate the energy and costs involved with manufacturing all the so called "wonders" of todays latest technologies, the better off my grandchildren will be. And yours.

[Transporter]

You can't have the best of both worlds, anyone who says you can has overlooked something. The bluemotion is very much a volkswagen idealistic car, harkening back to the older times of VW, like during the 70's. Its very much an "oil crisis" thinking car - but these days, the "oil crisis" is far more complicated than low oil supply. Its about lowering the overall impact that the vehicle makes on the environment as a whole. This means the car comes with efficient but sound technology, with relatively low tech manufacturing processes and inexpensive (both financially and environmentally) materials.

The Bluemotion golf is the exact modern equivalent of the Golf GLD of the 70's. It has a tough, reliable, proven powertrain, engineered to deliver excellent economy, at the expense of EXCESS, not practicality.

I hardly think its fair to say that the new bluemotion is gutless, rather that its more practically powered. I dont care who you are, you dont need more than 77kw/250nm in a car thats golf sized. You only want more.

Europe, as is always the case, is far ahead in mindset than us primitive Australians (I reckon we lag behind in attitude by about 10 years or so) and people are more than happy to accept less power for improved economy, and all of the advantages that owning a relatively simple vehicle entails.

Some of us have even adopted that thinking from the outset.... When will everyone else catch up, is what I wonder. The sooner more of us come to appreciate the energy and costs involved with manufacturing all the so called "wonders" of todays latest technologies, the better off my grandchildren will be. And yours.

That's very truth mate, and for what I remember, it was always like that.

[kaanage]

I hardly think its fair to say that the new bluemotion is gutless, rather that its more practically powered. I dont care who you are, you dont need more than 77kw/250nm in a car thats golf sized. You only want more.

Europe, as is always the case, is far ahead in mindset than us primitive Autralians (I reckon we lag behind in attitude by about 10 years or so) and people are more than happy to accept less power for improved economy, and all of the advantages that owning a reliatively simple vehicle entails.

Some of us have even adopted that thinking from the outset.... When will everyone else catch up, is what I wonder. The sooner more of us come to appreciate the energy and costs involved with manufacturing all the so called "wonders" of todays latest technologies, the better off my grandchildren will be. And yours.

I need to tow occasionally so I prefer having a bit more reserve torque from the 2.0 litre capacity. But that doesn't mean that I'm not interested in minimising my fuel consumption.

While Europeans have always been less spec sheet conscious than most other developed areas of the world (hence the continued use of long stroke, SOHC, 8V engine designs until relatively recently), I hardly think the technology behind the Bluemotion traffic start-stop system and the alternator rotor voltage control to minimise loading can be described as simple systems and they would work just as well for an upsized engine model. And since the Bluemotion Golf has the new CR engine rather than a PD one, it debatable how "tough, reliable and proven" it is at this point.

As for the Australian mindset, I think we are doomed to be a halfway house between Europe and the US - just look at all the SUVs in the suburbs.

BTW, I manually start-stop my car when city driving and it makes a fair difference (around 5%, more in my previous petrol engined cars), plus I feel most cars are over-tyred these days for fashion rather than functionality - I intend to reduce my tyre width when the OEMs wear out. So I'm quite aware of the mindset you espouse (I did look long and hard at a Fiesta Econetic, too).

But the alternator rotor voltage control and Bluemotion body kit are the things that I really would have liked to be available as options on "normal" VW variants.

[neil]

The only thing holding me back at looking further is the manual transmission only for the bluemotion.
I do love my DSG and would prefer not to go back to manual.
Also have grown to love the boot,so simple to open with a push of a button.

For me its all about Safety and fuel efficiency.
Might compare the bluemotion with the up and coming Volt.

[gldgti]

I need to tow occasionally so I prefer having a bit more reserve torque from the 2.0 litre capacity. But that doesn't mean that I'm not interested in minimising my fuel consumption.

While Europeans have always been less spec sheet conscious than most other developed areas of the world (hence the continued use of long stroke, SOHC, 8V engine designs until relatively recently), I hardly think the technology behind the Bluemotion traffic start-stop system and the alternator rotor voltage control to minimise loading can be described as simple systems and they would work just as well for an upsized engine model. And since the Bluemotion Golf has the new CR engine rather than a PD one, it debatable how "tough, reliable and proven" it is at this point.

As for the Australian mindset, I think we are doomed to be a halfway house between Europe and the US - just look at all the SUVs in the suburbs.

BTW, I manually start-stop my car when city driving and it makes a fair difference (around 5%, more in my previous petrol engined cars), plus I feel most cars are over-tyred these days for fashion rather than functionality - I intend to reduce my tyre width when the OEMs wear out. So I'm quite aware of the mindset you espouse (I did look long and hard at a Fiesta Econetic, too).

But the alternator rotor voltage control and Bluemotion body kit are the things that I really would have liked to be available as options on "normal" VW variants.

Fair comment of the bluemotion options on other variants - and I would be surprised if it takes too much longer for that to happen really. But I do think these are simple measures to implement - its not technologically taxing or resource intensive, just more thoughtful. The CR diesel is a bit newer to VW than other companies, but its not new technology at all, especially in the european sector. Importantly, the CR injection system is a basically simple setup - far less complex to manufacture than the PD system.

My main point really though, is that I wouldnt look upon the bluemotion vehicles as even remotely a comparison to say the Volt, Prius, or Insight. The bluemotion is intended in every sense to be a normal, but conciencous car. It isn't expensive to build, doesnt contain several hundred kg of lithium cells (I shudder at the thought of the new lithium mines that are about to be opened all over the world - its happening in WA right now) and will very likely be a good car on the second hand market in 20 years, just like my own current car, and pretty much all VW's. The other vehicles I've mentioned look alright on paper, just as long as you forget to consider the massive shift in industry required to get them in production, and all of the extra resource and energy costs associated with doing so. Ontop of all of that, when we are still burning coal to make electricity to charge up the "Volt" or to make the hydrogen to fill up the "Insight", it turns a so called green car into an abhorrent affront to the whole concept - Its probably better to buy a petrol guzzling V8 - at least its cheap and simple to build.

I do agree though - Fiesta econetic = win. But I imagine theres plenty more room in the Golf