Polo BlueMotion is top economy

Dec 22 2008 Peter Hayward

I'VE just got back from an old friend's birthday party in London - a long trek indeed.

Luckily, I had a great car for the trip and I was amazed to get over 62 miles per gallon out of it.

You might think with that kind of real driving economy the VW Polo BlueMotion would be painfully slow, in fact there is lots to like about it even over such a long haul - not least the huge range on a tankful of diesel.

It was comfortable for the whole trip over all kinds of surfaces and produced a decent turn of speed when needed for overtaking and lane changing.

Like all Polos, it comes with excellent road holding and wonderful handling and has one of the best power steering systems on the market.

The emissions and economy are beaten by hardly any other cars in the world and for the real driving experience I think this Polo is ecological top dog.

It's certainly more fun than the Honda Civic IMA or the Toyota Prius and it has similar economy and lower emissions.

Don't buy any other economy special without trying it.

Interior

The BlueMotion is by no means spartan, with electric front windows, remote locking and air conditioning - although you get best economy if you switch it off.

The seats are supportive, the dash logical and the controls easy. Drawback - the blue instrument lights, because they are the same colour as emergency vehicle lights they can be distracting and dangerous.

FAST FACTS

Volkswagen Polo 1.4 TDI BlueMotion 2 3dr

Price : £12,891

Mechanical : 79bhp, 1,422cc, 3cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox

Max speed : 109mph

0-62mph : 12.8 secs

Combined mpg : 74.3

Insurance group : 5

CO2 emissions : 99g/km

BiK rating : 18%

Warranty : 3yrs/ 60,000 miles, 3yrs paint, 12yrs anti-rust

Marks : 10/10

Main rival : Toyota Prius, Ford Fiesta Econetic