Volkswagen's rolled out a concept of its next-gen Golf outfitted with an ultra-efficient
BlueMotion diesel that gets better fuel economy and emits less carbon dioxide than a Toyota Prius.
The 1.6-liter common-rail turbocharged engine doesn't offer much performance -- 105 horsepower propels the car to 60 mph in 11.3 seconds and a top speed of 117 mph -- but it provides the same fuel economy as the tiny BlueMotion Polo. VW says the BlueMotion Golf delivers 74.3 miles per Imperial gallon, which on this side of the pond translates to 61.8 mpg, and emits 99 g/km of CO2. That comfortably edges out the 46 mpg and 104 g/km of the Prius.
Of course, we probably won't see it in America anytime soon. We'll have to make due with the standard Golf TDI.
Gets 62 MPGBlueMotion is the name given to the most fuel-efficient of VW's diesels, and the latest iteration of the Golf BlueMotion beats its predecessors emissions by 20 g/km. Although based on the sixth-generation Golf we'll see in the states next year, it gets some tweaks to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. The five-speed transmission gets revised ration, the body gets some subtle aero revisions and wheels sport low-resistance tires.
VW says the BlueMotion Golf will be available in Britain by the middle of next year, but as Motor Trend notes, the value of the dollar against the Euro and the expense of the technology means we won't see it here for quite awhile. We'll get the standard Golf TDI with the 110-horsepower engine that VW says returns 52 mpg and emits 119 g/km of CO2.
