Polo Bluemotion, anyone lived with one?
Discussion
I recently saw a TG repeat on Dave, the one where they drive to Blackpool to switch the lights on. Hammond was in a Bluemotion, and out of curiousity i was wondering if anyone had one, and what was your ownership experience like?
What real world MPG do they do, and what makes them so 'economical'? Is it the styling, oem tyres etc?
What real world MPG do they do, and what makes them so 'economical'? Is it the styling, oem tyres etc?
1.4 TDI engine is economical full stop. The bluemotion has some front end aerodynamic changes that probably help a tiny bit. Also think it has real narrow, high profile tyres, to reduce rolling resistance. I would imagine if you want something still with cornering grip, etc, a bluemotion is probably not the one to try. 
We've got one, excellent little car. It achieves high economy through a small diesel engine, loooong gearing, slippery shape (check the grill), small tyres with low rolling resistance and by being very light.
There are no toys, not even air conditioning, but the upshot is incredibly low running costs. No tax, no congestion charges, cheap consumables/servicing and of course high economy. My partner achieves 70mpg+ commuting across mixed roads, and that is actual (though the trip computer is fairly accurate too). On longer journeys, 80mpg+ is possible if you are travelling light.
It is not as slow as you might expect either, with plenty of torque enabling you to keep up with the flow of traffic.
Downsides? Well, air con is nice for around two weeks of the year, but you could get the Bluemotion 2 (which you DO have to pay tax on). The long gearing takes a little getting used to, and overall the Bluemotion is as far removed from sporty as it is possible to be. I like this though, as it makes drives in my other cars that much more special.
Any questions, fire away.
There are no toys, not even air conditioning, but the upshot is incredibly low running costs. No tax, no congestion charges, cheap consumables/servicing and of course high economy. My partner achieves 70mpg+ commuting across mixed roads, and that is actual (though the trip computer is fairly accurate too). On longer journeys, 80mpg+ is possible if you are travelling light.
It is not as slow as you might expect either, with plenty of torque enabling you to keep up with the flow of traffic.
Downsides? Well, air con is nice for around two weeks of the year, but you could get the Bluemotion 2 (which you DO have to pay tax on). The long gearing takes a little getting used to, and overall the Bluemotion is as far removed from sporty as it is possible to be. I like this though, as it makes drives in my other cars that much more special.
Any questions, fire away.
I wonder if the premium price for the blue motion over the standard TDI is worth it? A couple of grand extra to save a couple of hundred pounds in Road tax and a few extra mpg. You would have to keep the car for a relatively long time and do a high mileage to get the return on the extra investment
va1o said:
Agree on the comments that any 1.4 TDi Polo of that vintage is good. All post-2004 cars are under 120g/ km co2 so qualify for cheap road tax. Unless the Bluemotion was under 100g/ km co2 (can't remember if it was or not) then a normal 1.4 TDi will probably do the job fine.
The Bluemotion 1 is under 100g /km - the Bluemotion 2 added aircon which pushed it above, therefore you have to pay road tax (only £30 iirc).We got ours second hand, negating the price increase to the normal 1.4tdi. In addition, I drove one before the Bluemotion, and it was somehow horrible - sluggish, no character. I hated it.
My local VW dealer has given me, as courtesy cars, a POLO Bluemotion, and a GOLF Bluemotion, when my BORA 150 TDI was in for service, (my car averages around 48-55mpg). The GOLF BM, I found could give high'ish mpg if you were very careful with the right foot, but averaged not alot more than my Bora, sort of 55'ish. The POLO on the other hand was amazing, showing 65-70 all the time, regardless of driving style.
We had a Polo Bluemotion for several weeks last year while waiting on a new Golf. It was an amazing wee car and I used it for several long journeys. Quite hard suspension and a gruff engine note while accelerating but wow the economy - one leisurely late night summer drive (80 or so miles) with the computer average mpg reset at the start produced about 85 mpg. Golf was held up again and garage then lent us a year old Passat 2.0Tdi CR 110. Got nearly 60 mpg from that on a run. Have orderd a new Passat 2.0 Tdi Bluemotion for March delivery so I hope its as good! Would have no hesitation in taking on a Polo Bluemotion though.
You can find full, comprehensive, independent road tests of Polo BlueMotion in Volkswagen Driver mag:
BlueMotion 2 (80 PS 1.4 TDI) Jan 2008 p17-22
New BlueMotion 1.2 TDI (75 PS) Dec 2010 p19-24
www.volkswagendrivermag.co.uk or Tel: 01525 750 500
My recommendation is to stay off the petrols. I've rented two 1.2 TSI Turbos, and although they are a lovely, peppy engine the MPG figures are a candidate for Rip Off Britain....
On a 120 mile round trip on A roads (not stop-starting, not exceeding 70mph) I averaged 32mpg and 34mpg in the two cars. If I drove my Cayman at that speed it would do 32mpg.....
On a 120 mile round trip on A roads (not stop-starting, not exceeding 70mph) I averaged 32mpg and 34mpg in the two cars. If I drove my Cayman at that speed it would do 32mpg.....
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