Volkswagen has opened order books for British consumers on the most fuel-efficient version of the Golf ever, the new Golf Mk7 TDI BlueMotion that returns 88.3 mpg UK (equal to 73.5 mpg US and 3.2 L/100km) on the combined cycle with CO2 emissions of only 85 g/km,

Pricing for the new generation of the Golf BlueMotion starts at £20,335 (RRP OTR) for the three-door and rise to £20,990 for the five-door, with first deliveries for the UK scheduled for this August.

Power for the BlueMotion model comes from a specially tuned 1.6-litre turbocharged diesel engine with Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems, rated for an output of 109Hp (81kW / 110PS) and a peak torque of 250Nm (184 lb-ft) at 1,500 rpm. A six-speed manual gearbox with longer gear ratios than on the regular TDI turns the front wheels.

VW engineers applied a number of measures to help reduce fuel consumption, including “super low” rolling resistance tyres with higher air pressure, and specific aerodynamic mods such as a lowered ride height (by 15 mm), a roof spoiler, lateral air guide elements on the rear window, a masked front grille, partially closed air inlet screens, optimised cooling system airflow, special underfloor panels, optimised brake cooling channels and a C-pillar spoiler.

At the recent Geneva Auto Show, VW also released a TDI BlueMotion version of the Golf Variant, which will go on sale later this year.

PHOTO GALLERY

VW-Golf-BlueMotion-Mk7-1VW-Golf-BlueMotion-Mk7-2VW-Golf-BlueMotion-Mk7-3VW-Golf-BlueMotion-Mk7-4VW-Golf-BlueMotion-Mk7-5