FIRST DRIVE
VW Polo 1.4-litre TDi Bluemotion
Going green give you the blues? VW thinks so as it has called its new eco range Bluemotion. We put the VW Polo 1.4TDi Bluemotion to the test to see how green the new VW really is.
The boffins have only given the body and chassis minor tweaks – the real work has been carried out on the engine and in doing so has turned the vehicle from being a good city car into being a brilliant all rounder.
So what’s different?
The small tweaks to the body of the Bluemotion Polo compared to the standard car, includes a faired-in grille, smaller mirrors and a rear window spoiler, which should help its aero dynamics.
The German marque has also fitted skinny high profile tyres so that the car has reduced rolling resistance to keep CO2 down and improve fuel economy and tyre wear.
Move to inside and the Polo interior is how you would imagine it to be – the plastics are of good quality and all the shut lines fit neatly together. The Polo is a practical supermini – you can get four adults in the car with relative ease – at a push and on short journeys you can just about manage a further adult in the rear seats.
Load space is impressive as the boot is much bigger than some rivals, which means you can easily fit in a set of golf clubs. If you need plenty of cubby holes then you won’t be disappointed the car is loaded with places for your nik-naks. On the road our VW Polo 1.4TDi Bluemotion performed admirably.
Around town the car is the perfect supermini – the ride and comfort is just about perfect as the suspension soaks up the potholes and uneven surfaces with ease. However the power steering is over assisted and even when you get on to the open road, it just doesn’t weight up enough for our liking.
At speed there is little wind noise and the smooth five-speed gearbox and comfortable ride makes motorway journeys a breeze. We loved the 1.4-litre TDI engine– the unit has an output of 80PS and has 144nm of torque between 1800-2200rpm, which allows you to overtake slower traffic with ease.
| Name: | VW Polo 1.4-litre TDi Bluemotion |
| Engine/power: | 1.4-litre TDi/80PS |
| Co2 emissions: | 99g/km |
| Combined fuel economy: | 74.3mpg |
IMN Verdict
The VW Polo 1.4-litre TDi Bluemotion is a brilliant piece of kit but a sticking point could be the price – it starts from £12,125. That’s close to the price of the much better equipped Polo 1.4 TDI SE – a model, which returns 63mpg while the Bluemotion variant returns 74.3mpg and emits 99g/km of CO2. You’ll have to make up your mind if the saving on Road Tax is enough to make you choose the Bluemotion Polo.
Simon McBride