Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £20,815 to £25,345
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.
Volkswagen claims the Bluemotion features help the Golf average an outstanding 62.8mpg - a useful, 6.3mpg more than the standard 103bhp, 1.9-litre diesel.
The Golf Bluemotion emits an impressive 119g/km of CO2. That puts it into VED band B and means company car users pay the 13% monthly tax rate.
Impressive stuff, and in the real world you'll reap the rewards of the eco-tuning. Driven with little regard to its fuel-saving mission we were astonished to return a solid 50mpg over a mixture of town, motorway and B-road driving.
That's impressive until you consider all 1.6 TDCi diesel Ford Focus models average 62.7mpg and emit the same 119g/km of carbon dioxide without need for any of the substantial engineering changes.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volkswagen Golf
wrote on 21 10 2007
wrote on 19 09 2007
wrote on 14 09 2007
wrote on 13 09 2007
wrote on 18 02 2007
wrote on 16 12 2006