Category: Small Family 
Price Range: No data available
Incredible fuel economy, sub-120g/km emissions, good drive.
Hefty £520 premium, firm ride, overly long gearing, noisy diesel.
Standard diesel Ford Focus achieves the same eco gains without the ride, handling and pricing compromise.
The Bluemotion modifications prove an odd mix.
To help improve aerodynamics, engineers lowered the Golf by adding the optional sports suspension, but the handling benefits are negated by modest 195/65 15-inch rims fitted with energy-saving tyres made by either Continental, Michelin or Dunlop.
The new tyre/suspension arrangement is curious and it delivers a poor ride because of the stiffer springs and firm sidewalls on the energy tyres.
There's noticeably less grip too. Push hard and the front tyres push wide earlier than the standard car.
Thankfully, like all other Golfs, the multi-link rear suspension ensures safe, agile and precise handling. Under heavy braking, the ABS kicks in earlier than the standard car because there's less grip.
The longer gearing means the Bluemotion is much noisier and the sound of 103bhp 1.9 diesel dominates. It feels like it is having to work too hard and the overly long fourth gear struggles to pull from 30mph. The gearshift upshift indicator only calls for fourth at 38mph meaning, for most of the time, you're stuck in third. On the motorway it's smooth and refined when you are cruising in fifth, but third is geared at a lengthy 86mph, so you'll need to select that gear rather than fourth to overtake.
According to VW the aero tweaks push the Golf's top speed up by 118mph - 2mph more than the standard car. The 0-62mph time, meanwhile, remains the same at 11.3 seconds.
