61.9 miles per gallon. That’s the number to keep in mind. The upcoming Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion (i.e. the diesel) will get you 61.9 miles to the gallon on the highway. Given that the latest Golf isn’t exactly light (it is a German car after all), and it’s loaded with all sorts of weight increasing safety features like air bags and door beams, that’s a really impressive figure.

Sure, it would be wonderful if carmakers could get off the dime and start rolling out series hybrid Volts and cars like that, let alone full-blown electric vehicles that are practical. But even if they do a NASA moon shot level of commitment, those are going to be a few years off. So for the foreseeable future, cars like the Golf BlueMotion looks to be a buyers best bet, economy-wise.

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Well hallelujah and it’s about frickin’ time. VW, in their infinite wisdom, has finally put their 4Motion all wheel drive setup into their current gen Golf (that would be the sixth generation).

The 4Motion, essentially a VW’s equivalent to (parent? sister?, geez, it can be like Chinatown when it comes to VW, Porsche & Audi, huh?) Audi’s Quattro system, delivering power, as needed, to all four wheels. Makes for great driving when things get slippery, muddy, gravelly, and/or borderline rally stage-like. You know, sort of like it is now for 80% of the Northern Hemisphere (i.e. winter).

This is the third iteration of the 4mo system, so you’d think that all the kinks would be worked out (good for the repair budget), and really, it’s about time the latest Golf had this available. I’ve got nothing against Subaru’s & Mistubishi’s fine AWD systems, but the more the merrier. Besides, having it in a hatchback platform plays to my Group B desires.

The downside?
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This is a Euro only deal, but, when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense for the European market.

Since most European cities are clogged with hatchbacks of some sort, and there are no small-sized sedans, finding a practical car can be somewhat of a challenge. On occasion, you can find a small SUV here or there, but those don’t make much sense … ergo, Volkswagen has decided to churn out this thing: VW Golf Plus.

Essentially it is a Gen 6 four-door Golf with a higher roofline and minivan proportions - sort of a mini-minivan. Or, another way to look at it, it’s sort of like Volkswagen’s ‘08 take on the Mazda MPV, only smaller.

Also, there’s this interesting bit of kit that’s included:

VW’s ParkAssist system which displays a real-time image of what’s directly behind the car and can take control of the steering wheel to guide the car into a parking spot. Y’know, for people who cannot parallel park to save their own lives.

Source: AutoBlog