AUTO SHOWS
2014 Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion Concept
The latest Golf is feeling a little blue.
In recent times, the fuel-stingiest Golf in Volkswagen’s global lineup has been the diesel BlueMotion model. Now, with a new Golf on the way, it’s time for a new BlueMotion, a name we think is pitch perfect for an efficient, potentially money-saving model entering the sagging European marketplace.
The latest iteration is bowing at the Paris auto show in nearly production-ready “concept” form, but the hyper-efficient hatch will go on sale in Europe essentially like this next year. The first Golf BlueMotion model went on sale in 2007; two years later, that car was supplanted by a refreshed version. Like those two previous cars, the 2014 is powered by a super-efficient 1.6-liter diesel four-cylinder. The diesel springs from VW’s new EA288 engine family—we’ve already detailed this engine’s 2.0-liter sibling—that we’ll see here in a variety of MQB-platformVWs. It produces 109 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque, six more hp than last year’s engine.
As per BlueMotion standards, this new model receives a thorough rework to extract the most miles per gallon possible. VW fits the car with ultra-low-rolling-resistance tires, tall gearing for the five-speed manual gearbox, and numerous aerodynamic tweaks, including underbody cladding, a rear spoiler, a blocked-off grille, and a ride height that’s 0.6 inch lower than a standard Golf’s. An engine stop-start system and a regenerative braking setup that fuels the car’s electronics are standard on all new Golfs and so are present here.
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Volkswagen is confident that the little improvements it made on this new Golf BlueMotion will pay off in the real world. The company claims the new chassis and the tweaks conspire to reduce the BlueMotion’s fuel consumption by as much as 15 percent versus the previous model’s. More impressive still, VW says the better fuel economy, paired with the BlueMotion’s 13.2-gallon fuel tank, adds up to an impressive 971-mile maximum driving range. That range figure is based on Volkswagen’s mpg estimates for the BlueMotion, which on the optimistic Euro cycle works out to 74 mpg.
Besides improving the BlueMotion’s efficiency, Volkswagen is expanding customers’ options when it comes to ordering their car. The fuel-averse Golf continues to be available in three- and five-door body styles but is now available in two trims, the base Trendline and the uplevel Comfortline. The base car rides on 15-inch steel wheels and packs pretty basic fare, save for a five-inch dashboard touch screen. Comfortline models get 16-inch aluminum wheels, front and rear park assist, extra adjustments for the front seats, leather on the steering-wheel rim and shift knob, and additional chrome interior accents, among other bits.
Europeans will be able to get their hands on the 2014 Golf BlueMotion next summer. Americans hungry for diesel goodness will have to pounce now on a current-generation Golf TDI or wait for the next-gen standard diesel model to hit our shores next fall.
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