“Reluctant to go
  ‘green’? No worries —
  now you can go ‘blue’
  instead. And still drive
  a real-world car with
  air conditioning, five
  doors and comfortable
  seats! Say ‘hello’
  to Volkswagen’s new
  Polo BlueMotion ...”

AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE all car manufacturers are going to have to meet tough new EU exhaust emission regulations. The latest proposed date when car makers will have to reach an average 125g/km for their range of new vehicles is 2015. In the UK, there are added incentives to get to lower emission levels: for example, London's Congestion Charge is likely to be waived for vehicles producing 120g/km or less of CO2.

Many manufacturers still believe that the most realistic and cost effective way to get to the proposed new CO2 levels for mass pro-duction models is to refine petrol and diesel engines while reducing
the weight of vehicles. To this end Volkswagen has introduced 'BlueMotion'.

Already launched by VW in the Polo range, BlueMotion Golf Hatchbacks and Passat Saloon models will follow very soon — actually, before
the end of 2007. Each VW model range will soon include a BlueMotion model, selling alongside conventional versions, and VW has already said it has plans for nine BlueMotion models to be on the market by the end of 2008.

VW currently sells around 38,000 Polos in the UK each year but demand for the new BlueMotion models is higher than expected and estimates are that as many as 5,000 Polos will now be BlueMotion models.

The Polo BlueMotion is available in three- and five-door body styles
and in BlueMotion 1 or BlueMotion 2 levels of specification. All share VW's 1.4-litre three-cylinder TDI turbodiesel engine, which has Electronic Gas Recirculation and a diesel particulate filter. A revised five-speed manual gearbox has 'longer' third, fourth and fifth gear ratios to optimise fuel economy and lower CO2 emisions.

Other changes for the BlueMotion models include the use of tweaked aerodynamics to smooth the airflow over the car. These take the form of a new grille, an extended lower lip on the front bumper, an integ-rated wing to the trailing edge of the rear window and the use of narrow low rolling resistance tyres fitted to lightweight alloy wheels. The resulting coefficient of drag is 0.30.

BlueMotion 1 Polos do not have energy-consuming air-conditioning and it is the only car on sale in the UK with a conventional internal com-bustion engine to sit in road tax Band A. Its 99g/km CO2 figure means users pay no road tax and can look forward to an official combined cycle fuel economy of 74.3mpg.

Thankfully, Polo BlueMotion 2 versions do have semi-automatic climate control air conditioning, as well as automatic 'coming home' lighting, rain sensing wipers, leather trim for the steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake and remote central locking. These 'goodies' do add a touch more weight and push emissions up by 5g/km to the Band B rating, giving these models an annual road tax bill of £35. Not a real hardship, especially when you consider that the fuel economy in the combined cycle is a still highly-impressive 70.6mpg.

All Polo BlueMotion models are fitted — as standard — with anti-lock braking, front and side airbags, power steering, electric front windows (rears, too, on five-door models), electrically-heated and adjustable door mirrors, electronic trip-computer, radio/MP3 compatible CD player and front and rear (three) head restraints along with Isofix fittings to accept two rear child seats.

Polo BlueMotion prices are more expensive than the comparable Polo 1.4 TDI SE three- and five-door models — £278 for a BlueMotion 1 three-door and £1,128 more for a BlueMotion 2 three-door (five door BlueMotion models show similar increases in their prices). The cost of 'conventional' petrol and diesel Polo models range from £7,612 up to £15,622 (for the GTi five-door variant) but all 1.4 TDI Polo models are likely to be exempt from the proposed new London Congestion Charges although all 1.4 TDI SE models have a Band B road tax rating even if they are marginally less fuel-efficient than their BlueMotion siblings, whose prices range from £11,995 to £13,445. So, Yes, it does initially cost a bit more to go 'green' (or, in VW's case, 'blue').

I would think most customers 'going blue' will opt for a BlueMotion 2 level of specification simply because the advantage of having air-conditioning far outweighs the negative issues. Cool air in summer and rapid de-mist in damp wet weather are very important for both com-fort and safety, and I am more than willing to pay the £35 road tax bill and a bit more in fuel costs to benefit from that.

My Polo test model was the likely best-selling BlueMotion 2 version,
but in three-door form. I gather five-door models are marginally more
in demand, which is normal between three- and five-door small hatch-backs. For the record, the price of my test Polo BlueMotion 2 1.4-litre TDI three-door was £12,845 on-the-road — and a paltry £35 for a year's road tax.

Like all mid-range Polos, the interior is nothing to get excited about. It is a tad plain but relatively well equipped. The quality, however, is very good. The overall driving experience is somewhat uninspiring except for the superb fuel economy.

The long gearing in third, fourth and fifth gears really comes into its own on open roads and consequently the driving technique on open roads, compared to a conventional small diesel, has changed. Around town there isn't much difference between a conventional diesel-powered Polo and a BlueMotion Polo. However, on A and B roads I found myself having to hold onto gears longer before changing up — something I would not have expected to help fuel economy. Driving along country roads and lanes in third and fourth gear in a diesel-powered car — instead of top gear — is foreign to me, yet the worst fuel consumption for a short journey with a cold engine was an amazingly good 65mpg!

A 200-mile journey on busy motorways at the legal limit and into and around London saw an equally impressive 68.5mpg, while the best fuel consumption for a series of journeys over A and B roads was an even more remarkable 72.5mpg — which bettered the official 70.6mpg figure without me even trying! No doubt, then, that BlueMotion works. And works exceedingly well indeed.

Once the need to use frequent gearchanges has been mastered, the BlueMotion Polo's 144lb ft of torque (available from only 1,800rpm) really makes driving a pleasure. Being a three-cylinder unit, the engine is slightly harsh and noisy but that's a small price to pay for such big-hearted fuel economy. The car is not slow either: it has a 109mph top speed and it will cruise easily at 70mph and only takes 12.8 seconds to cover the 0-62mph sprint. Insurance costs, too, should prove to be pretty reasonable thanks to a group 5 rating.

The fact that it costs more to buy than a conventional Polo 1.4 TDI is not a stumbling block — so do ordinary diesels over their petrol-engined counterparts and automatics over manuals — and millions of motorists happily pay the extra to get the car they want.

And the benefits can hardly be ignored: brilliant fuel economy, low planet-friendly CO2 emissions, low road tax and no London Congestion charges from 2008 onwards. Another major benefit is that, despite being compact in size, the Polo is more than roomy enough for most drivers. All in all, when it comes to 'green' motoring, it looks as though the future is undoubtedly 'blue'. — David Miles

Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion 2 1.4 TDI 3-door | £12,845 Maximum speed: 109mph | 0-62mph: 12.8 seconds Overall test MPG: 68.5+mpg | Power: 79bhp | Torque: 144lb ft CO2 104g/km | VED Band B £35 | Insurance group 5 Visit Volkswagen's website