2010 VW Golf Bluemotion 1.6 review by Car Magazine in Britain

I just came across the review in a British magazine. This Golf has start/stop and regenerative braking. ACWWGH (another car we won't get here).

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results/First-drives/VW-Golf-Bluemotion-16-TDI-2010-CAR-review-/

Why the regenative braking? Is is a Hybrid?

brucebanes said:

Why the regenative braking? Is is a Hybrid?

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probably allows the alternator to disengage from time to time especially in City driving where the regenerative braking can charge the battery, disengaged alternator=less load on engine and better fuel economy.

Wow 61.8 US MPG combined fantastic, we're talking close to 70-80 mpg on the hwy, now that is fantastic.

Here's another interesting link regarding the Geneva Auto Show. There's a funny segment about the Polo GTI --Think what would happen if you accidentally shrank your Golf in the dryer and then tried to restore it with steroids. --

These smart asses are diesel friendly also:

By now, you've probably noticed a trend here: We like efficient and functional diesel hatchbacks. And why not? Diesels are fun to drive and easy on the environment and use a fraction of the fuel of their gasoline counterparts without the globe-destroying lithium batteries of hybrids.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=1132690#1

Formula 1 had regen braking called the "curves" system. This is a form of a hybrid system classified as a "micro hybrid."

Quick Storm said:

Formula 1 had regen braking called the "curves" system. This is a form of a hybrid system classified as a "micro hybrid."

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Actually, it was called "KERS", for Kinetic Energy Recovery System. Most KERS-equipped cars used a generator/battery system to store the recovered energy. IIRC, Williams BMW used a unique flywheel-based system.

3waygeek said:

Actually, it was called "KERS", for Kinetic Energy Recovery System. Most KERS-equipped cars used a generator/battery system to store the recovered energy. IIRC, Williams BMW used a unique flywheel-based system.

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what i had read said it was a flywheel system on all the F1 cars but that was a couple of years ago. are they still cookie cutter cars in F1 or did that change. years ago nascar was real cars that you could walk in a showroom and buy. now they are so diluted the only way to tell what car is going around track is when the ticker scrolls by and says the leaderboard or a close up of the front of the car.

i am a little concerned with extra restarts required on an engine as this kind of shutoff feature would allow. wouldn't it require either a heavier flywheel? which means the engine when running any time the car is accelerating that it would half to spin that larger mass up? i understand it can be "charged" by deceleration but i am concerned that on the highway i half to slow down real quick then pass somebody will my engine shut off and half to restart when i apply the gas again cause that will not work for me.

Anyone know what the specs are on that wide ratio 5 speed? Would be interesting to know.

VW has had start / stop control on their "city" diesels since the 80s. See the ecomatic: http://www.deylan.co.uk/golf/ecomatic/index.htm I'd trust them to be able to do is properly today.

-Jason

3waygeek said:

Actually, it was called "KERS", for Kinetic Energy Recovery System. Most KERS-equipped cars used a generator/battery system to store the recovered energy. IIRC, Williams BMW used a unique flywheel-based system.

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thanks, for the correction. I only watched F1 and heard about that system and from the commentators thick accents it sounded like curves, haha. I probably should have researched it before posting.

Link to specs, in german;
http://www.volkswagen.de/vwcms/master_public/virtualmaster/de3/modelle/golf/golf/zahlen___fakten/daten.detail.1.9.html

jbright said:

... without the globe-destroying lithium batteries of hybrids.

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What a VERY funny comment. This caused an outright guffaw for me!

Oh My Gosh! If we have lithium batteries, it will destroy our globe!

Not to mention the globe-destroying lithium batteries of laptop computers!

Impressive, but at < $3/gal. for fuel, and lack of interest in its low CO2 emissions, our market would be unlikely to be all that interested, even if VW brought it here. In the UK this car's owner would pay zero road tax (< 100g/km). Compare that to a 2.0 TDI (140hp) in the same car - GBP 120, or 2.0 TSI - GBP 175.

Mike_Van said:

Impressive, but at < $3/gal. for fuel, and lack of interest in its low CO2 emissions, our market would be unlikely to be all that interested, even if VW brought it here. In the UK this car's owner would pay zero road tax (< 100g/km). Compare that to a 2.0 TDI (140hp) in the same car - GBP 120, or 2.0 TSI - GBP 175.

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I beg to differ. Converting Imperial mpg to US mpg this thing promises over 61mpg. With fuel on the rise again I think this would be an instant hit. VW is too caught up in it's Mainstream American marketing by providing Suprsized cars to Supersized people eating to much high fructose corn syrup .

right said Ted! 100% correct, we need smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles for those who do not need the practicality of say, a wagon or a minivan.

Well, I did not say they weren't useful, appropriate or desirable.

Without incentives, like punitive taxes on wasteful engines that much of the world deems appropriate to curb energy use, why would someone here pay *more* than the $22,300k VWoA wants for the 2010 Golf TDI to get the benefits of the Golf BlueMotion?

In the UK, the pricing is about 1,000 GBP more than the 3-door Golf TDI (1.6 105 hp).

And in other automotive news, the future finally arrived. I nearly wept when I read the press release:
E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID – first diesel hybrid from Mercedes-Benz delivers amazing efficiency
Another particularly impressive example of this is the E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID. The first diesel hybrid from Mercedes-Benz has already successfully entered everyday testing and is scheduled for market launch next year. Its 15 kW electric motor facilitates electric-only driving and supports the 150 kW (204 hp) four-cylinder diesel engine under acceleration (boost effect). With a combined output of 165 kW (224 hp), the E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID consumes 4.1 l/100 km. That equates to CO2 emissions of 109 g/km. This sets the comfortable, safe and smooth-running luxury saloon apart not only from its direct competitors, but also from smaller vehicles with considerably less power. When it comes to efficiency, this differential is even greater – with CO2 emissions of 0.48 grams per hp, the E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID achieves an outstanding result.
And then, I did start crying: Asked at a roundtable interview at the auto show Tuesday whether cars like the turbodiesel-hybrid E300 BlueTec just unveiled might be sold in the U.S., Zetsche didn't hold out much hope.

Which is 57.369 mpg. Nice.

No. Not nice...

Completely and utterly amazing is what it is.

This is a luxury saloon, 3 continents away form the kind of econobox one would expect that kind of fuel milage from.

This thing is more frugal than my Fabia, which is, after all, a small car, and still boasts 2.5 times the power not counting the boost from the electric motor.

Amazing!

Mike_Van said:

Impressive, but at < $3/gal. for fuel, and lack of interest in its low CO2 emissions, our market would be unlikely to be all that interested, even if VW brought it here.

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Mike_Van said:

Without incentives, like punitive taxes on wasteful engines that much of the world deems appropriate to curb energy use, why would someone here pay *more* than the $22,300k VWoA wants for the 2010 Golf TDI to get the benefits of the Golf BlueMotion?

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The Bluemotion is not more expensive than the 2.0 TDI - it's a lot cheaper.

A base Bluemotion is significantly cheaper (about 22% less) than the high-spec 2.0 TDI America gets. I priced the American-spec Golf TDI out on the VW Germany configurator: 27,500€. Bluemotion: 21,650€.
The American-spec Golf TDI would be considered a very nice car in Germany, where most Golf buyers opt for the cheaper versions with the 1.6 TDI. A 2.0 TDI is not considered particularly economical here. You won't find many on the dealer lots, and you won't see many on the roads.
You don't see a lot of cars having the high-end touchscreen stereo either.
Most Golfs come with this:

Or the cheapo nav, which is priced the same as the RCD510 touchscreen stereo:

I guess we won't know for sure until it shows up here, (if ever).

What would interest me is how they would price a BM-TDI-Golf compared to the U.S.-base 2.5 gasser.

Mike_Van said:

... why would someone here pay *more* than the $22,300k VWoA wants for the 2010 Golf TDI to get the benefits of the Golf BlueMotion? ...

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Wait, I'm confused. I though "BlueMotion" was just a marketing name for the new diesel engine technology that is sold in the USA under the name TDI. The above implies they are different?

"BlueMotion" are the fuel economy focused models with aero tweaks and tall gearing. None of those are sold in the US.

VwoA seems to be marketing all their TSI, TDI, and clean diesel technology under bluemotion. In Europe, Germany in particular, the bluemotion badge is only given to the most efficient Diesel Golf in it's class. Our 2.0 TDI wouldn't even be close to being a bluemotion model. I've said this before and I'll say it again, our 2.0 TDI is more of a performance diesel, it's not designed to be UBER frugal. VwoA should have brought the 1.6 TDI, it would have easily beat out the prius in it's standard mode non-bluemotion. And with a few bluemotion tweaks could have been north america's most fuel efficient car easily. Ahh well, they'll never learn.

Vw of canada's definition of bluemotion is as follows;

BlueMotion Technologies

BlueMotion Technologies is the comprehensive brand name for all the Volkswagen innovations that are designed to help the environment—and help you get more out of your driving experience. It’s our commitment to ensuring responsible mobility for years to come. And it’s something you can already find in just about every Volkswagen model. Things like drastically reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions that allow you to do a lot more with a lot less impact. More eco-friendly and economical engines, improved transmissions, better aerodynamics, weight-reduction technologies—all of these BlueMotion features are designed with one goal in mind, to help our planet breathe a little easier without diminishing the performance you’ve come to expect from a Volkswagen. We think you’ll like what we’re driving at.
These include TDI, TSI, Adblue ect...but encompass the brand orientation as a whole. ( ironically we only get the least efficient vehicles)

http://www.tdicurious.ca/bluemotion-technologies/


Definition of Bluemotion in Germany

BlueMotion: Unsere Auszeichnung für das sparsamste Volkswagen Modell seiner Klasse. Fahrzeuge mit diesem Label sind absoluter Benchmark in ihrem Segment .

"Our description for the most efficient Volkswagen Model in it's given class. Vehicles with this label are absolute benchmarks in their particular segments."

http://www.volkswagen.de/vwcms/master_public/virtualmaster/de3/unternehmen/innovation___technik/bm.html

Definition is only given to the MOST efficient vehicle. Looks like our "standard" for efficiency in North America is pretty darn sub par.

Trooper81 said:

...Looks like our "standard" for efficiency in North America is pretty darn sub par.

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And there's the rub. It is the will to tax energy and emissions that yields/drives efficiency advancements in automobile technology (in some nations). We haven't demonstrated any particular interest in doing so since the late 1970's, so the excellent range of engine choices per model one gets elsewhere shouldn't surprise us.

To compete with others in the US, VW changes their offerings considerably from their home market:

The base engine in a Golf sold in Germany is a 1.4, 80 hp.
In the US it is a 2.5, 170 hp.

The base engine in a Passat sold in Germany is a 1.6, 102 hp.
In the US it is a 2.0 turbo, 200 hp.

Mike_Van said:

To compete with others in the US, VW changes their offerings considerably from their home market:

The base engine in a Golf sold in Germany is a 1.4, 80 hp.
In the US it is a 2.5, 170 hp.

The base engine in a Passat sold in Germany is a 1.6, 102 hp.
In the US it is a 2.0 turbo, 200 hp.

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Exactly, and that 2.5 is not to be found in the European Golf lineup. There are also no Golfs with a traditional, torque-converter based automatic transmission in Europe, and no Golfs without ESP.
It can't be good business sense to develop a totally unique drivetrain for one specific market.

Trooper81 said:

BlueMotion Technologies

...

BlueMotion:

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"BlueMotion Technology" isn't the same as "BlueMotion": You can get a Golf Bluemotion, which is the real deal with aerodynamic bodykit, ultra-low rolling resistance tires, lowered suspension and tall gearing. Bluemotion is also a seperate trim level, which inclues dark taillights and blue seats. A Golf Bluemotion is only availailable with the 105hp 1.9 TDI and a 5-speed manual. It gets 3.8 l/100km.

A Golf "with BlueMotion Technology" is something a bit different: It does have tall gearing, but comes without the bodykit and is available in multiple trim level packages. You can order big wheels if you want.
A Golf 1.6 TDI "with BlueMotion Technology" costs 425€ more than one without and is available with a 7-speed DSG as an option.
A Golf 1.6 TDI "with Blue..." gets 4.1 l/100km with the manual and 4.2 with the DSG.
A Golf 1.6 TDI without Blue... gets 4.5 l/100km with the manual and 4.7 with the DSG.

There is also a gasser Golf 1.2 TSI "with BlueMotion Technologies" that gets 5.2 l/100km with a 6-speed manual (no DSG for the gasser wBMT)

Likewise, there is a Polo BlueMotion with the 1.2 TDI and a Polo "with BlueMotion Technologies" and a 1.6 TDI.

FYI (for the metrically challenged)

http://www.markporthouse.net/rangie/fuelconsumptionconversion.htm#