PoloDriver.com road test: 2012 Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion

Everything Volkswagen Polo Issue 008 // December 2012

Taking the high (mpg) road Polo BlueMotion to Scotland 800-mile Essex to Glen Coe road trip

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How the green tech works

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Full technical specification

Formel E: 1980s predecessor to BlueMotion

Taking the high (mpg) road With a quoted combined 80.7 miles per gallon figure and a 10-gallon fuel tank, Volkswagen’s latest Polo BlueMotion should have a claimed 800-mile range. We took it to the now Skyfall-famous Scottish Highlands and Glen Coe to find out just how achievable it really is WORDS // RICH GOODING PICTURES // RICH GOODING AND VOLKSWAGEN UK PRESS OFFICE

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as enjoyable to olkswagen’s current iteration of the Polo BlueMotion drive as its less has been around for two years. Following the frugal siblings, with first‑generation car which was launched at the moderate amounts Geneva motor show in 2008, the latest version once again of both body roll and takes the now-standard BlueMotion formula of taller steering feel. gearing, low rolling resistance tyres and an aerodynamic After a very steady body kit to create an incredibly parsimonious supermini. six‑hour and 245‑mile Or at least that’s the idea. With a claimed combined miles jaunt straight up the per gallon figure of 80.7 and a 10-gallon fuel tank, an A1, we arrived at 800‑mile range‑per‑tank figure should be achievable. But our northern town in the real world, just how easy is it?

Our idea was as simple as the small Volkswagen’s High fifties and sixties mpg values overnight halt. Ready short of VW’s official claims for a stop, but no economy focus. To get to Scotland from Essex on one tank of fuel. Using motorways and A-roads for the majority of the route, means uncomfortable or stressed, we stood a fighting chance of covering the 516 miles from Chelmsford the Polo was every bit as enjoyable to Ballachulish on the southern edge of Loch Leven. Travelling through to drive as its non‑miserly‑minded the flatlands of Essex and the Fens, hitting the hills in Yorkshire and brothers – there is certainly no hairshirt finally spearing through the valleys of the Highlands would prove a thriftiness here, as was often the case varying workout for the car, in both terms of comfort and economy. with economy cars of the past. The Before we set off, the range indicator stated that there was only 495 fuel range indicator reckoned we now miles of fuel in the 42-litre tank, so it looked pretty tight. Would we be (optimistically) had 300 miles of diesel able to feather the throttle enough to gain the extra 21 miles we needed? left in the tank, more than enough to Far from being the cheapest car in the Polo range, the BlueMotion sits get us to Glen Coe. But, we’d only in the middle of Volkswagen’s supermini family. With a price of £15,885, averaged 56.2mpg, some 24.5mpg it sits between the popular Match and the luxurious SEL. Standard short of Volkswagen’s official figure kit includes 15-inch ‘Greenland’ alloy wheels with 185/60 R15 tyres, of 80.7mpg on the combined cycle.

The weather on day two wasn’t tyre pressure indicator, remote central locking, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control and semi-automatic air conditioning. A very useful and quite so kind, but we ploughed on clear‑sounding DAB radio unit is also now included as standard, all of regardless – we still had 271 miles which makes the 2012 Polo BlueMotion a step up from the fuel-saving to cover. Our route took in the A66 through both Barnard Castle and  Polo Formel E of the early 1980s (see panel, right).

With an overnight stop in Darlington our goal, we brimmed the tank in Essex and set off on our small economy marathon. Despite what press road tests report, the smallest Volkswagen BlueMotion model isn’t that noisy (it’s actually one of the quietest Polo variants), the three-cylinder engine growling nicely on accelerative bursts, settling to a muted buzz when cruising at legal speeds (2200rpm in fifth gear equates to 70mph). The eco Polo feels stable on the road, and though not the sharpest driving tool in the supermini class, the car’s DECEMBER 2012 | POLODRIVER.COM | PAGE 04

Formel E: 1980s BlueMotion Volkswagen’s Formel E fuel economy system first appeared on a Polo in the summer of 1981 on the run‑out Series 1 Polo LX. Powered by a 1093cc high‑compression/high-torque engine, it needed an exclusive diet of four-star petrol to develop its 49bhp/60lbs ft and had a wide-ratio 3+E gearbox and fuel consumption and gearchange indicator. At a constant 56mph, the Polo LX Formel E achieved 55.4mpg, compared with 44.1mpg of the identically-powered Polo GLS. SECOND GENERATION In 1982, the second-generation Polo C Formel E appeared, squeezing 58.9mpg out of its predecessor’s 1.1-litre engine.

This time, along with the other models in the Formel E range, there were aerodynamic improvements to the car’s body: plastic A-pillar trim covers and flush-fitting front quarterlight windows helped to make the car slip through the air more easily. A rear tailgate spoiler (similar in style to the latest Polo BlueMotion’s) was fitted to hatchback models, while a small lip spoiler adorned the boot of the Polo Saloon. A manual switchable ‘Stop-Start’ system appeared on both. At the UK launch, the three-door Polo C Formel E hatchback cost £3976. 

BlueMotion’s on-road manners are as refined as non-eco-minded Polos

‘There is certainly no hairshirt thriftiness with the Polo BlueMotion, as was so often the case with economy cars of the past’

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‘The Polo BlueMotion shines brightly as a no‑sacrifice, high mpg-value car’ Start/Stop: the thrifty tech

One of the highlights of the Polo BlueMotion’s eco-minded awareness is its intelligent Start/Stop system.

It was the first time we’d had to properly test the system, and we were very impressed with the seamlessness with which it worked. Once the driver is at a halt and changed into neutral gear and released the clutch, the engine shuts itself off, the combination dashboard display showing ‘Start/Stop Active’.

Once the driver again depresses the clutch, the engine is restarted, the ‘Start/Stop Active’ disappears from the dashboard display, and the driver can select first gear and drive off. Combined with the dashboard display gearchange indicator, it’s a strong weapon in the Polo BlueMotion’s eco‑cannon. 

 Penrith, before we reached the

M6 to Carlisle. Stopping for lunch just outside Glasgow in Abington on the M74, we had to make a decision. The fuel range indicator was now telling us we didn’t have enough fuel to get to Ballachulish.

It was so close, the expected range only five miles or so shy of what Churlish to risk being stranded in the Scottish distance the satellite navigation wilderness, we filled up after 400 miles system was telling us we had to go.

With another party travelling with us in a separate car and unaware of the location of filling stations north of Glasgow in the Glen Coe wilderness, we decided, against our better judgement, to brim the tank once more. With windy ribbons of roads – single track in places – making up the majority of the next part of our cross-borders trip, we thought it churlish to risk it.

Fuel replenished, we skirted around Glasgow, onto the picturesque shores of Loch Lomond, taking the A82 across the barren and forbidding Rannoch Moor, before cutting through the valleys that dip in-between the Glen Coe mountains, and onto the small settlement of Ballachulish, 15 miles south of Fort William. It had been an interesting trip. Though some way short of Volkswagen’s official mpg claims, we hadn’t driven the Polo BlueMotion hard, and had cruised at legal speeds. Disappointingly, our fill-up had only been 400 miles after we started.

We thought we’d set a typical varied route, similar to a combined cycle. Our lowest fuel figure was 53mpg, which is still credible, if not groundbreaking, and more on a par with a ‘standard’ diesel supermini.

Our highest tally over our week and 800 miles with the car was just over 70mpg, which does prove that higher figures can be achieved with a small modicum of effort.

We’d have liked to have spent longer with J8 VWW, but we had a technical glitch with the diesel particulate filter (see panel), which meant the car had to go back to VW. But, it didn’t dim our enjoyment of the car. The 2012 Polo BlueMotion takes the old fuel-saving Volkswagen Formel E idea (see panel) and updates it for the 21st century – with a stylish twist. For us, it remains a firm favourite in the range, and shines brightly as a car with which achieving high fuel consumption figures needn’t mean sacrificing many (if any) modern car fripperies or trappings.

DPF: regenerating process The one thing cars fitted with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) can suffer from is a build‑up of soot. The DPF filters out soot particles from the exhaust gas, collecting them before burning them off. This ‘regeneration’ has to be done at high speed for a short period of time, and VW, along with other manufacturers, recommends varied driving, avoiding making only short journeys. If the warning light should come in the car (as J8 VWW’s did), Volkswagen states that the car is driven for at least 15 minutes in fourth gear at a minimum of 45mph.

If the light doesn’t go out, the vehicle should be taken to an approved workshop. J8 VWW’s warning lamp resolutely stayed alight after two attempts to clear the DPF. Worried about potential damage, we asked Volkswagen to take the car back to the press garage, where the company’s technicians got to work.

As it turned out, there was no problem with the DPF. After one regeneration which cleared the warning and a fault-finding exercise, a faulty exhaust temperature sensor was found.

A replacement made the car as good as new. Although it’s worth remembering the regeneration process, the driving that the majority of owners would carry out should automatically run the process. 

BlueMotion aerodynamic body kit lends the Polo shape a sporty air

Catalytic converter light also illuminated during our drive

Technical specification Model VW Polo BlueMotion Displacement (cc)/cylinders/ fuel type 1199/3/diesel Power output 74bhp @ 4200pm Maximum torque 133lb ft/ 180Nm @ 2000rpm Transmission Front-wheel drive, five-speed manual Top speed (mph) 107 0-62mph (seconds) 13.9 Official fuel consumption (mpg) Urban 67.3; extra urban 91.1; combined cycle 80.7 Emissions (CO 2, g/km) 91 Braking system Diagonal twin‑circuit with discs (front) and drums (rear); ABS, Electronic Brake‑pressure Distribution and Hydraulic Brake Assist Running gear Independent with coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers (front axle); semi‑independent with gas shock absorbers and coil springs (rear axle) Steering Electro-mechnical steering rack Wheels 5.5J x 15 ‘Greenland’ alloy Tyres 185/60 R15 Unladen weight (kg) 1150 Track (front/rear, mm) 1463/1456 Wheelbase (mm) 2468 Dimensions (l, w, h, mm) 3970/1901/1462 Price £15,885 (five-door)

With special thanks to Nicki Finlayson and the Volkswagen UK Press Office

Everything Volkswagen Polo