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.

Rolled out at this year’s Frankfurt Show along with the most powerful Golf ever, the 270HP AWD Golf R, the second-generation Golf BlueMotion is the most fuel efficient Golf of all time. Already on sale in Germany starting at € 21,650, that works out to around $28K or so. But since that also includes German and EU taxes, that’s probably not indicative of what the price in America will be.

The new Golf BlueMotion gets down the bahn via a 1.6-liter TDI diesel engine that features common-rail fuel delivery and produces 105HP. The power is delivered to the tarmac via the front wheels through a long-ratio five-speed manual gearbox. There’s no mention of VW’s slick DSG box being available. Which is a shame, because that would be my preferred drivetrain combination.

The Golf BlueMotion also benefits from aerodynamic changes, plus a new braking energy recovery function, as well as a start-stop system and lightweight alloy wheels mounted with low rolling resistance tires.

Add it all up and the car returns 61.9 mpg and puts out CO2 emissions of just 99 g/km, making the second-generation BlueMotion the most economical Golf of all time.

Source: CarScoop

More news from the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show about the bound for the United States Polo from Volkswagen. The Polo, or some version of it, has been around Europe for quite some time. VW never brought it to North America because they felt it was “too small” for us. That might have been true, but times have changed and so has the Polo. The upcoming version is now about the size of the Golf from a few generations ago, and VW is supposedly bringing it to U.S.

Which is good on a number of levels. It should be small, tossable, fun to drive and economical to operate. It could also fill a nice niche for first time car buyers, and for those that use their car primarily for commuting or city driving, the Polo seems like a natural. And if VW is smart enough to bring the TDi diesel variant here, the gas mileage looks to be stunning.

The Polo version in questions is the Polo Three-Door. It’s a smaller and sportier version of the car, which has also been a bestseller of late. The latest iteration will be available this fall with six different engine options. Three of those plants will be “normal” gasoline fueled engines, and the other three will be diesels. The available power outputs across the range will be 59 horsepower to 104 hp.

The car in question here, the most fuel-conscious of the six, is the BlueMotion version of the Polo Three-Door. The most economical Polo returns a staggering 71 mpg, and yes, that’s in U.S. gallons. This is for the Polo equipped with the least powerful mill that puts out 55 kW / 75 PS (sorry, there were no U.S. power figures available). No, it’s not going to win you much at the bracket drags, but that’s not the point now, is it?

The new base Polo should start at around €12,150 in Germany, which works out to about $17,300 for Americans. There’s no official word on pricing, since that conversion represents the all inclusive price of German taxes and whatnot, but it will give you some idea what to expect if VW does end up bringing this Polo variant to our shores.

Source: AutoBlog

Frankfurt’s a’comin, so let’s look at some hot numbers set to debut there from Volkswagen. In this case, VW is set to debut BlueMotion diesel version of its Polo, Golf and Passat models. The Golf and the Passat are already here, and word is that the Polo will soon be here. And given the growing interesting in diesels from consumers, green drivers AND car companies, these are three rides worth paying attention to.

It’s easy to see why this is happening. In the first place, Frankfurt is the home show for VW, and diesels are über-popular amongst the continentals. So consider this something aimed more at the home market than America. But then again, the whole world pays attention to Frankfurt, and with two out of three of these guys already in the U.S., and a third coming, it’s pretty plain to see why we should be paying attention.

The three newly revised versions of the Golf, Polo and Passat will have even lower fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions, that’s the real news here. The new Polo BlueMotion for example, gets a fuel economy rating of 71.3 mpg, and puts out a startlingly low 87 g/km of CO₂ emissions. The Polo can thank the newly developed 1.2-liter TDI engine for the fact that a car this “big” is able to match the CO₂ figures for the Smart ForTwo diesel. And the Polo can carry five people.

Bigger still is the Golf BlueMotion. Under the hood is a 103 hp 1.6-liter TDI mill that turns in very impressive MPG and emission numbers as well. How does 61.9 mpg and CO₂ output of 99 g/km sound? Sounds pretty good t’me.

And lastly, we have the mid-sized Passat. Bottom lines for the Passat are 53.4 mpg and 114 g/km of CO₂ emitted. And these figures might be the most impressive of the lot. The Passat is not a little car, and since it’s German, it ain’t exactly light. The last time I was driving a VW that got mpg figures like that, it was a 1979 Rabbit diesel.

All three cars have TDI recalibrated engines and have a reduced idle speed. To further maximize fuel consumption, all three have an automatic start-stop system, low rolling resistance tires and feature reduced aerodynamic drag thanks to lower front air dams and rocker panel extensions.

VW, I have three words for you: Bring them here

Source: AutoBlogGreen

Wait, did I read that right? Nearly fifty-five miles per gallon? Shoot, that’s impressive. The new, and hopefully coming to America soon VW Golf Plus BlueMotion Diesel gets 54.7 miles per gallon. An astounding, and very useful number to be sure. And with as well screwed together a ride as a VW Golf is, and with all the nifty comfort and convenience features it has, this could turn into one helluva great commuter car. Or a road trip car for that matter. With those kinds of MPG figures, you could probably make it from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on one tank (as an example).

Now, do bare in mind that this is the European model (the British model, actually), and at the moment there are no firm plans to bring the car here, but c’mon VW, you’d be dumb not to. As it sits in the U.K., prices start at £17,570 for the Golf Plus BlueMotion S, and go all the way up to £18,920 for the SE, which is the equivalent of $28,841.86 to $31,057.94. No, not cheap, but then again, those prices also figure in British taxes and such like.

This is the latest member of the Golf family, and shows off a new face-lift that will probably propagate onto other Golf models soon. Under the hood, the new oil burning mill puts out 105 horsepower and displaces 1.6-liters. The latest Golf also features such neat eco features as a Start/Stop engine function and regenerative braking systems. The Golf BlueMotion Diesel also comes with low rolling resistance tires (that Id ditch if I were to buy one) as well as revised gear ratios to give the hatchback a fuel economy rating of 54.7 mpg. If you’re on of those types that wants to know the CO2 output, the Golf Plus BlueMotion Diesel emits 114 g/km of CO2.

As I said, this is the British model, and isn’t here. Yet. But it should be, and here’s why.

First, VW, like every other carmaker, is going to have to raise its CAFE numbers, and this car is a good way to do it. Second, Americans not only need more options in what kind of cars to buy, but we also need to start getting more comfortable with cars like this. Third, a Golf Plus BlueMotion Diesel would be fun to modify (but that’s just me).

Source: CarScoop

Cool, cool and most definitely cool. This is cool news for car fans that are also environmentally aware. Recently Volkswagen rolled out a new drivetrain, dubbed BlueMotion, which was a leaner & cleaner diesel. Not only was it 50 state legal (we’re looking at you Cali), but they also dropped it into a devastatingly neat mid-engined drop top “show car”, the BlueSport Roadster, that was sort of like a cheap, green version of Porsche’s Boxster. Now comes word that BlueMotion will also find its way into more VW models.

The BlueSport Roadster concept, from the last Detroit Auto Show, featured a 2.0 liter turbocharged diesel engine that got 35/62 mpg in the European Combined Cycle ratings. Now, reports from the U.K.’s Evo magazine are that VW is working on a production version of the BlueSport concept for 2011. Before that model hits the market, the BlueSport name may be applied to a performance-minded diesel version of the European Scirocco and possibly an oil-burning GTI as well.

Yes please! There’s no reason a car can’t be better for the planet AND fun to drive at the same time. As a matter of fact, I’d like to think that doing that is pretty damn imperative. Doing something because “you have to” is never that much fun, now is it? ‘Eat your broccoli, it’s good for you,’ never really would cut it for me when I was a kid, and it doesn’t really make it for other people when they hear, ‘You should drive XXX car, because it’s good for the environment.’ Make a car that’s fun AND good for the environment, and everybody wins.

Source: AutoBlogGreen