Volkswagen announced details and pricing of the latest BlueMotion Passat, based on the seventh-generation model, for the British market.

The Passat BlueMotion has a modified version of Volkswagen’s efficient 1.6-litre common rail TDI engine developing 105 PS, coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox. This eco-minded sedan features a number of fuel saving technologies that make it capable of 68.9 mpg for the saloon and 65.7 mpg for the Estate, while CO₂ emissions of 109 g/km for the Passat, and 113 g/km for the Passat Estate.

Here’s the eco features of the car to give you a clearer view of how serious it is about its business:

“In addition to the Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems which already feature on the BlueMotion Technology models, the latest addition to the BlueMotion range includes further modifications to improve aerodynamics and reduce drag.  These include low rolling resistance tyres, suspension lowered by 15 mm at the front and 7.5 mm at the rear, plus a revised radiator grille and underbody panel to minimise drag.  The saloon is also fitted with a compact rear spoiler.Lightweight and aerodynamic 16-inch steel rims are fitted as standard, while exclusive 17-inch ‘Buenos Aires’ alloy wheels are also available as an option.”

Being n eco car does not mean they’ve skimped on equipments. BlueMotion Passat comes with curtain airbags, ESP, ‘Climatic’ air conditioning, electric windows, electronic parking brake, RCD 310 radio / CD player and Multi Device Interface (MDI) with iPod connectivity.  Items such as the fatigue detection system with cruise control, Park Assist II and High Beam Assist are also available as options.

As for the price, it starts at £19,875 for the saloon and rise to £21,180 for the Estate. The car can be ordered now, with first examples arriving in showrooms towards the end of July. VW Passat BlueMotion also comes with free servicing for three years or 30,000 miles.

The Volkswagen Scirocco and Passat CC are, without a shadow of doubt, the most interesting cars with VW badge! Now the Germans have added yet another great quality to the list of features for these models, and that’s superb efficiency. And this being Volkswagen means they get the BlueMotion technology for better fuel consumption with the least compromise on performance.

The Scirocco BlueMotion is based on the 2.0-litre 140 PS engine and comes with Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems to help to create the cleanest and most fuel efficient Scirocco to date.  It can be had with a six-speed manual or optional six-speed DSG gearbox.

The fuel economy for this model is significantly improved from 55.4 mpg to 62.8 mpg on the combined cycle (51.4 to 57.6 DSG), while the emissions are also reduced accordingly, down from 134 g/km to 118 g/km (145 to 129 DSG). The 2.0-litre TDI 170 PS engine fitted to the Scirocco GT is also tweaked recently to deliver 1 mpg better fuel economy!

The Passat CC also benefits from a BlueMotion engine, and that makes it one of the most interesting options for those looking for an exceedingly stylish four-door sedan with a super economical engine, lots of equipment and a fair price.

The 2.0-litre TDI 140 PS Passat CC models achieve a combined 60.1 mpg, up from 50.4, and CO₂ emissions are cut to just 125 g/km, down from 146 g/km.  The more powerful 2.0-litre diesel engine in the range producing 170 PS also boasts improved figures with economy up to 57.6 mpg (51.4 DSG) and emissions down to 129 g/km (144 DSG).

Scirocco and Passat CC pricing

]]> http://www.motorward.com/2010/11/vw-scirocco-and-passat-cc-get-bluemotion/feed/ 0 http://www.motorward.com/2010/10/vw-passat-bluemotion-sets-new-fuel-economy-record/ http://www.motorward.com/2010/10/vw-passat-bluemotion-sets-new-fuel-economy-record/#comments Sun, 03 Oct 2010 15:50:40 +0000 Arman Barari http://www.motorward.com/?p=16209

VW BlueMotion bagged a new fuel economy record officially confirmed by the Guinness Book of  World Records, for the longest distance traveled by a standard production passenger car on a single tank of fuel. It was a Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion which traveled from Maidstone in Kent to the South of France and back. That is a distance of 1,526.63 miles on a single tank, unbelievable!

The challenge was taken by a team from The Sunday Times and they maintained an average speed of just over 45 mph throughout the journey. This Passat BlueMotion is not the coolest car in the world, but it’s a damn sight better than those pathetic hybrids currently on the market, and it does much better mileage than all of them.

Gavin Conway, for The Sunday Times, drove the Passat BlueMotion during the three-day record-breaking trip, accompanied by a navigator and video crew.  Two AA patrolmen followed the entire attempt in their van to witness the journey independently for the Guinness World Records organisation, which accredited the record.

Powered by a Volkswagen 1.6-litre common rail TDI engine developing 105 PS, the Passat BlueMotion used for the record attempt was a standard production model.  In common with the Polo and Golf BlueMotion models, the Passat is fitted with aerodynamic modifications to the bodywork, a lower ride height, Stop/Start, programmed battery charging, longer gearing and low rolling resistance tyres.  The result is a vehicle that is completely conventional to drive, service and maintain yet among the most efficient vehicles on the road today.

The Passat BlueMotion’s fuel tank was drained before the record breaking journey and filled with 77.25 litres of standard forecourt diesel, resulting in an overall fuel consumption of 89.83 miles per gallon.  This substantially exceeds the Passat BlueMotion’s official combined figure of 64.2 mpg. The resulting fuel cost for the journey works out at just 6.17p per mile travelled.

In setting the record the Passat BlueMotion travelled a distance equivalent to driving from London to Malaga, without needing to refuel or from New York to Los Angeles with a single stop for diesel.

In order to reduce their average fuel consumption and emissions even further, VW is now offering a BlueMotion variant for the new 2011 Touran MPV. Powered by a 1.6 liter TDI engine, the Touran BlueMotion manages to average 4.6 litres per 100km which is astonishing for a car of this size and function.

Of course this being an economy-minded model you don’t expect it to deliver very good performance, and well, it doesn’t! This engine only generates 77 kW / 105 PS, but in return it only emits 121 g/km CO_2.

VW also offers the new Touran with a 1.2-litre TSI turbocharged direct injection engine with the same 105 PS, but that averages 6.4 liter per 100 km and 149 g/km Co2.This engine, when equipped with BlueMotion Technology – together with the Start/Stop system and battery regeneration, does 5.9 l/100 km and 139 g/km.

Other powertrain options for the new Touran include a natural gas engine (TSI EcoFuel), three petrol ones (TSI) and four diesels (TDI), with performance ranging from 66 kW / 90 PS to 125 kW / 170 PS.

In their quest to prove that all the hybrids are totally pointless, VW presents a new version of their Turbodiesel BlueMotion engines. This new 1.2 liter 3-cylinder TDI unit which is lightened and enhanced for better efficiency, delivers 55kW / 75PS and 180 Nm of torque, which is fairly enough for the cue little Polo.

And as for fuel economy emissions, how does 3.3 liter per 100 Km and 87 g/Km move you?! Well, literally it should be able to move you 1,363 km between each fill ups. This will beat even the most sophisticated hybrid in the market today, while costing a whole lot less.

Professor Dr. Wolfgang Steiger, Head of Future Technologies in Group Communications, explains: “Attitudes toward mobility are changing – not least of all due to the effects of the economic crisis and climate change – and are moving toward a sustainability perspective. Political entities around the globe react very differently to these issues, but they nearly always end up focusing on the promotion of electric mobility.”

Steiger adds that long distance and freight transportation will continue to rely on internal combustion engines with highly efficient drive systems in the foreseeable future, so a long period of coexistence can be expected between E-technology and classic internal combustion engines.

VW revealed the official MSRP for the right hand drive VW Polo BlueMotion in the British market. Equipped with 75 hp – 180 nm 1.2-liter TDI three-cylinder common-rail diesel engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and fitted with auto start/stop and braking energy recovery systems, the Polo BlueMotion is one of the most economical cars in the world averaging 80.7 mpg with Co2 rating of 91 g/km. Prices start at £14,445 for the three-door and £15,045 for the five-door model.

Of course with such a tiny engine the car has no performance as such, but no one seeking performance would buy a Polo anyway! For the rest of Europe it’s priced at 16,500 Euro.

VW is offering a new edition of the 2010 Eos coupe-convertible model in the UK. It’s a BlueMotion, but it’s not a diesel! For the first time VW has implemented its BlueMotion technology on a petrol powered engine and achieved similar results. The 1.4 TSI unit in this car generates 122 hp and returns 45.6 mpg.

Mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, it comes with a number of technologies to maximize the fuel efficiency. Regenerative braking, start/stop and hill hold systems are just a few to mention. So while its 122 hp and 147 lbs ft of torque is not very impressive, its average fuel consumption of 45.6 mpg and co2 emissions of just 144 g/km, certainly are!

Of course the performance is not brilliant, 0 to 62 mph is done in 10.9 seconds and it has a top speed of 121 mph.

This engine is available with both trim levels, S and SE, starting at £20,695 for the S and £21,795 for the SE. Standard equipments include: ESP, twin front and side impact airbags, Climatic air conditioning, fog lights, electric windows, electric heated and adjustable wing mirrors, radio/CD player, 16-inch alloy wheels, lockable load through provision and folding hard-top complete with sliding/tilt sunroof, but for an extra £1,100, you can have the Technology package which adds 17-inch alloy wheels, a leather steering wheel and front sports seats, parking sensors, automatic headlights and dusk and rain sensors.