BY ALISA PRIDDLE
This clean-diesel model, shown in Frankfurt, is for Europe only.
Volkswagen is using September’s Frankfurt auto show to reassert its stature as a maker of efficient diesels in Europe. The new Golf BlueMotion will be one of six models with the environmentally friendly powerplant (the other five have not been disclosed).
The new Golf BlueMotion will get 52 mpg, VW claims, an improvement on the already enviable 46 mpg of the outgoing model. The automaker says the compact car can go almost 750 miles on a 14.5-gallon tank of gas. Those wanting to do their part to save the planet can also feel good about the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
The Golf BlueMotion is slated to go on sale at the end of this year in Germany, joining the Polo, Passat, and Passat Variant wagon with the clean diesel technology. The BlueMotion label means it is the most efficient model in the series.
VW of America officials tell us BlueMotion is a European thing, and not legal here in the U.S. where the automaker has its own clean diesel technology set to bow on the 2008 Jetta TDI next spring. With a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, and either a six-speed manual or DSG automated manual transmission, the 2008 Jetta TDI will be cleared for sale in all 50 states, as opposed to 45 states for all diesels currently on sale, and some coming in the next few years. Our downstream exhaust treatment is absolutely different (from the European-spec BlueMotion), a VW spokesman tells us.
One thing that operations on both sides of the ocean share: marketing of VW’s clean diesel technology as TDI, having ended the brief interlude during which time VW joined with Mercedes to promote Bluetec as a generic umbrella phrase for advanced diesel technology. But Mercedes was, by far, getting the better end of the marketing stick on that one, and VW has essentially weaned itself of the phraseology that the public was increasingly associating with its German rival anyway. Fortunately, VW never let the TDI moniker drop during the brief marketing experiment, so no real ground was lost.
For Europe, the TDI in the Golf BlueMotion unveiled in Frankfurt generates 184 lb-ft of torque. To further increase efficiency, the software was tweaked to reduce the idling speed. Combined with a particulate filter, emissions are reduced. Taller gear ratios in third, fourth, and fifth gears also lower engine speed. Combined, all these actions are designed to further reduce consumption. The chassis has been lowered, the underbody trimmed to optimize air flow, and the radiator grille nearly enclosed”to ensure enough cooling air, there is a dual fan. The other upside: the top speed inches from 115 mph to an electronically limited 118 mph.
In terms of options, the choices for European buyers boil down to the Trendline and the Comfortline, with pricing starting at 20,600 euros ($29,000) for a Golf BlueMotion Trendline.
