• HOME
• 
• AUTO LISTINGS
• 
• FINANCE
• 
• NEWS
• 
• DIRECTORY
• 
• REVIEWS
• 
• FORUM
• 
• BLOG
• 

2008 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 TDI BlueMotion Road Test

This is a Volkswagen Polo, and yes, I know what you're thinking. Why is it that

One of the greenest cars money can buy today happens to be one of the simplest. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

a American automotive magazine is reviewing a car that is not and will not be sold in North America? The simple reason is that the little Polo represents something very big. It is tangible, drivable proof that it is possible to have a conventional car that defies established conventions of fuel economy and emissions. This combustion engine powered automobile uses less fuel than a Toyota Prius and produces fewer grams of carbon dioxide per mile too.

What is amazing about this Polo is that it isn't a hybrid. It doesn't have any fancy energy-recapturing technologies. It doesn't even shut itself off when you come to a stop. No, it doesn't even incorporate power electric steering; it's a hydro-electric unit, much like you'd find in a GTI. The reason why this Polo is more frugal on fuel than a standard Polo with the same sized engine is that it is of the BlueMotion family. BlueMotion is Volkswagen's way of designing cars that take a little less and give a little more using existing technology, critically important because the end product doesn't require a giant investment on the count of the purchaser. And so, in the high-tech, high-cost world of diesels comes a small, cheap car that bests them all.

Choose Blue to go green. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Think of a small European hatchback, and the image that most people will conjure in their minds would be something along the lines of the Polo. It's your atypical of this segment, about the size of a Yaris or Fit. It's typical too, because Polos are everywhere. They happen to be the second most popular car VW sells in Europe, and if you've ever been to that continent you'll know they're just about everywhere, in every parking lot and on ever street corner. Perhaps you've even rented one. It is on this platform, this conventional, everyday architecture that VW makes its most economical car.

Most everything about the Polo BlueMotion is the same as the regular Polo 1.4 TDI. It has the same spring and damper rates, the same steering rack and the same brakes, so it handles and steers pretty much the same, with the exception of some smaller footwear; its tires are skinnier and trade off some grip for low-rolling resistance. Since this is the first

No hybrid, no idle-stop, not even electric power steering. Just a simple, three-cylinder diesel. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Polo I've ever driven, it's been a brand new experience. I can honestly say that for a car this small, I'm surprised at the levels of comfort it brings to the table. It soaks up the bumps that much larger cars fail to cope with. And besides the minty green paint, and the special alloy wheels, it's hard to tell the BlueMotion apart from other Polos. The only real difference is the thin tailgate spoiler, the front valance and the new grille, which are designed to reduce wind resistance, cutting its drag coefficient down from 0.32 cd to 0.30. It's a great way of going about saving the planet if you want no one to know what you're up to.

The Polo feels more sturdily built than any of the subcompacts we get here, which is surprising given that it doesn't weigh significantly more than the smallest in the class. At 2,390 pounds, it's a scant 9 pounds more than an Accent hatchback. Yet somehow VW has engineered in that durable German feel; the doors shut with a substantial “thwack” and not a reverberating tinny feel. Inside, it's roomy, and is appointed similarly to a Rabbit. The fit and finish is best in class, and the BlueMotion gets its

The Polo has the sort of quality that I've never experienced in a subcompact. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

own funky “Popcorn” interior trim, which matches the exterior paint. It has standard ABS, and can be had with all the creature comforts that modern subcompacts can be had with, from keyless entry to navigation and digital climate control. I could see this car doing very well for Volkswagen if it was sold here, and I'm not just talking about the BlueMotion model.

Fire it up and the first thing you note is that it's a diesel. In many of the new diesels I've driven, they're equally quiet, if not quieter than their gasoline-fueled counterparts, but not this one. The three-cylinder is particularly clattery and vibrates quite a bit at idle, although when you take a closer look at the engine you begin to understand why - it's technologically old. There aren't any piezoelectric injectors and the engine itself isn't even common rail; it uses the simple Pump-Deuse injection system which was common with the 1.9 TDI from the '06 and prior Jetta TDI, making due with two valves per cylinder. Once you get up and moving, the Polo's oil-burner settles back into a off-beat thrum, but the noise amplifies if you step on it. However, for the amount of savings to be had from

"Popcorn" seats add a splash of color to the BlueMotion's interior. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

driving one of these, I'd be willing to put up with a lot worse.

It's been a while since I last drove a three-cylinder turbodiesel car - the Mitsubishi Colt DI-D, powered by a Mercedes-Benz straight-three diesel - and the Polo BlueMotion reminded me a whole lot of that experience. And yet, for what seems like a shortage of cylinders, the Polo BlueMotion has a surprising amount of get-up-and-go. Volkswagen has fettled with the turbo a bit, and while quantities of power and torque are no different the peak of 149 lb-ft arrives at 1,800 instead of 2,200 rpm. With such early delivery, it leaps off the line and feels especially strong at low revs, allowing early upshifts without bogging the engine, which saves fuel. It also means that you have to downshift less often. Zero to 60 mph takes well under 13 seconds, better than most cars of its power and type, but it makes quite a bit of ruckus doing it. I'd avoid doing that anyway, since it isn't doing your fuel economy any favors.

Like any “green” device, the Polo BlueMotion must be driven with patience

The BlueMotion has exclusive add-ons, such as a unique grille insert and a rear spoiler. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

in order to extract its magical fuel economy figures. I don't mind taking it easy, but others may. It wouldn't be long before angry stares start beaming through the Polo's back glass and straight on to your neck! If only the world wasn't so high strung, it might actually be possible to meet the 62 mpg, what Volkswagen says it'll do in a mix of city and highway driving without hearing horn blasts and seeing waving fists. It's better on a multi-laned highway where the Polo's extra-long fifth gear means you can cruise to your hearts content without getting (too much) in the way of others. Catch a stretch of open highway and don't be surprised if you manage an even 74 mpg. It's here that you can experience the thrill of minimal consumption.

Unlike a fuel consumption read-out, there aren't any instruments that give updates on carbon dioxide emissions. You're going to have to trust the marketing folks on this one - without air conditioning putting the extra load on the engine it ekes by, producing less than 161 g/mi of CO2. In most European countries, this puts it in the same bracket as

Long gearing the key to 74 mpg on the highway. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

the Smart fortwo - and in those with a certain congestion charge, it limbos under the cutoff point and is one of the only four-seat, non-hybrid cars in the world to do so. On cars with air conditioning, such as the vehicle pictured, it's raised ever so slightly to 164 g/mi.

If you're a believer in the total life costs of a vehicle, then the BlueMotion is one of the few cars that makes sense. Without expensive and toxic batteries to produce or recycle later, from start to finish it's a very green machine. Do these little changes work? Absolutely. A regular Polo 1.4 TDI consumes 41 mpg of diesel in the city and 62 on the highway. The BlueMotion cuts that back to 48 in the city and 74 on the highway. Who would have thought that such minute changes alone could make such a difference? And given the difference in pricing for comparable models, a Polo BlueMotion adds an extra 1,150 euro to the price of the vehicle. Unlike a hybrid, this is an alternative where you're likely to make up the difference in a matter of months, rather than years, particularly if you factor in road tax. The savings on fuel may not be as great as the difference between a hybrid and a

The idea of BlueMotion just makes sense. VW should spread the joy, and offer it here. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

conventional gas-powered car, or a diesel and a conventional gas-powered car, but as I said, you'll get those savings back quicker.

And if you don't think in those terms, Volkswagen has been kind enough to put the info together in a way that just about anyone can understand. The amount of CO2 saved by driving around in one of its BlueMotion Polos for a week compared to the average small car would be the equivalent of recycling 2,669 sheets of paper. Extend that period to a year and you'd save the same amount of CO2 as recycling over 25,000 plastic bags.

BlueMotion is currently a European thing, and you can get it on quite a few cars, including the Golf and the Passat. But I'm sad to say that Volkswagen's American operations has no plans to bring over models like this - Polo or otherwise. All of the German brand's BlueMotion cars are diesel, and only on the most fuel efficient model at that, which is a bit of a downer given that the only diesels headed our way are the Jetta TDI and the Touareg TDI. If there's anything to be learned from BlueMotion, it's that going green need not be complex or expensive, and it's something that Volkswagen should capitalize on across the world and on all of its products. Hopefully they'll find a way to make it happen.

Page:  1

AUTOMOBILE REVIEWS BY MAKE

Acura  Audi   Bentley   BMW   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Chrysler   Daewoo   Dodge   Eagle   Ferrari   Ford   Geo   GMC   Honda   Hummer   Hyundai   Infiniti   Isuzu   Jaguar   Jeep   Kia   Lamborghini   Lexus   Lincoln   Lotus   Maserati   Mazda   Mercedes-Benz   Mercury   MINI   Mitsubishi   Nissan   Oldsmobile   Plymouth   Pontiac   Porsche   Saab   Saturn   Scion   Subaru   Suzuki   Toyota   Volkswagen   Volvo