Golf BlueMotion named Green Car of the Year

The Golf BlueMotion has been named best Green Small Family Car at the What Car? Green Awards 2010 and also beat eight other category winners to claim the overall Green Car of the Year title. The Passat BlueMotion won the Green Family Car award.

Commenting on the Golf BlueMotion, editor-in-chief of What Car? Steve Fowler said: ‘The Golf is a well deserved award winner: carbon dioxide emissions are a paltry 99 g/km making it exempt from road tax and its average fuel economy is 74.3 mpg. So, as well as being impressively green, the Golf is classy, well made, practical, safe, brilliant to drive and an affordable long-term investment. There surely aren’t many other virtues you need?’

Collecting the award on behalf of Volkswagen was Professor Dr Stefan Gies, head of chassis development. He said: ‘Ever since the first BlueMotion model was launched in 2007 our strategy for this environmental sub-brand has been to produce class-leading vehicles which are efficient, sustainable, practical, comfortable and competitively priced. This is what our customers want and all these values are encapsulated in the Golf.’

At the heart of the Golf BlueMotion is a 1.6-litre TDI common rail engine, producing 105 PS and 250 Nm of torque from just 1,500 rpm. Its remarkable economy is achieved through a package of measures which includes a Start/Stop system, low rolling resistance tyres, battery regeneration, revised gearing, a multifunction computer providing visual gear change recommendation for optimum fuel consumption and aerodynamic changes.

In April this year, the Polo, Golf and Passat BlueMotion models claimed the Green Car of the Year award at the 2010 World Car of the Year awards.