BlueMotion - Anyone have one - Opinions?

**nheather** · 10-04-2008,12:23 PM

I am about to change my company car.

Previously I have had a Golf GTi petrol and a Golf GTi Diesel.

Currently I have Passat Sport TDi (140PS).

For the most part the car is used by just me, to and from work and on company business. It is also used for longer family trips.

The reason I went for a Passat was for size - family car.

However, I'm now having different thoughts

(i) Do I really need a big car since for the most part there is just me in it and besides my wife has a Zafira style people carrier (Mazda 5).

(ii) Reduce my tax and fuel costs. The BlueMotion falls into the new low tax band meaning it's taxed at 13% rather than 21% (for the Passat). Fuel economy is claimed at 62.8. My Passat is claimed at 48 and I can get that if I drive carefully.

My concerns are

Performance - I know it's going to be a drop - I don't mind more relaxed driving but is it still fun (or is it totally gutless)

Economy - How realistic is the quoted 62.8mpg. So many makes (Focus, BMW 1 and Golf) all have models with very different engines and shapes all quoting 119CO2 and fuel economy of 62.8 - seems quite a coincidence to me.

Also claiming a significant improvement 7mpg over the none bluemotion equivalent.

Cheers,

Nigel

**KeithS** · 10-04-2008,01:23 PM

All the reviews I've read make it sound a bit gutless. But the 62mpg sounds plausible.

I went for the GT 170, and yesterday on a relaxed 220 mile round trip to Cambridge (mainly motorway - M40/M25/M11) I got 55mpg.

**barny4** · 10-04-2008,03:34 PM

Originally Posted by KeithS

All the reviews I've read make it sound a bit gutless. But the 62mpg sounds plausible.

I went for the GT 170, and yesterday on a relaxed 220 mile round trip to Cambridge (mainly motorway - M40/M25/M11) I got 55mpg.

My wife bought one in december,changed from a polo 1.9 sport ,did 700 miles in it ,got rid of it for a golf match dsg 1.9.
The blue motion was a big dissapointment ,did no better than the sport for economy on quiet short runs and had no go at all,infact was quiet tinny.

Think goood and hard before you sink your dosh into one.
Chris

**nheather** · 10-04-2008,03:54 PM

Thanks for the replies.

I agree with the MPG - it's not such a big issue as I can get 48-55 out of my Passat when driven smooth and gentle.

The bigger issue for me as a Company Car Owner is the CO2 of 119 which puts it in the new low tax band. This would make quite a difference to the amount of dosh I have to hand over to the tax man.

I have to pay this much every month

Car Value on Scheme + Tax - Car Scheme Allowance

As examples I would have to pay (per month)

Bluemotion - £11.60
Golf 2.0 TDi Sport - £103.09
Passat 2.0 Sport (140PS) - £124.61

This is before I consider fuel costs.

So The Golf 2.0 TDi Sport will cost me almost an extra £100 per month - and remember that as it is a company car, I don't own the car so don't so residual value is of no concern.

So my dilemma is whether to spend an extra £100 per month on a car that isn't mine to get better performance.

The low tax band is set such that even if I were to go up a little from the BlueMotion, the price I pay per month jumps up a lot (regardless of list price).

Cheers,

Nigel

**gtidave** · 20-04-2008,09:45 PM

I work within the brand so have driven most variants of most models including Bluemotion.

The performance of the BM will be poor compared to any other TDI version. This should be an obvious statement. The car is designed for economy and low emission. Fuel consumption is better than normal but you'd have to be very light on the throttle to get into the 60's.

As a personal car, in my opinion it isn't worth it. As a company car, it makes a lot of sense. The fact that you have calculated it to save you £3600 over three years show this.

Just my tuppence worth...

**stamfordharry** · 14-10-2008,09:11 AM

I

got golf bm 3 weeks ago as new company car car tax is lot better and very comfortable car after last experience with french cars

pulsaret · 14-10-2008,09:40 PM

I have a golf BM,i drove back from Swansea to Gatwick last nite,sat on 70-85 the whole way(apart from the 50mph road works)and averaged 67mpg.
I have done about 1150 miles now and averaging 62.2mpg since new.
It goes like a 105hp car should,i would not call it slow.

**starfighter** · 14-10-2008,09:42 PM

I got one as a company vehicle in August. The tax was a major factor for me. I drove the standard 1.9TDi and could not tell the difference with the Bluemotion other than the longer gearing. It's not the fastest car on the roads but is certianly no slouch and will get up and go when you want it to.

Fuel economy will suffer if you are lead footed but that goes for any car, I can get 5+ mpg over my wife in any of the cars we've had. The aerodynamic tweaks will work for anyone no matter how they drive. I have no real problems getting 60+mpg and have got very close to 70.

From a tax point of view, you get the credit for the Bluemotion no matter how you drive it so you need to have a go in one and see how you ge on with it.

My initial comments on my car are here:-
https://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/s...ad.php?t=46254

Jeff

**crazyhawk** · 24-10-2008,11:44 AM

I decided to go for the Bluemotion Match as a company car mainly for the low tax rate thanks to the 119 CO2 figure. Also, on my grade there wasn't a lot of choice. I'm glad I chose it though, as it is a very good car, that does still have a bit of torque poke if needed. However, it does have its downsides when VW put adverts like this in Fleetnews!

**LeeS** · 12-01-2009,06:53 PM

I know this post is now quite old, but I hope my comments may be of use.

I've just replaced my Passat B6 2.0 Tdi 140 SE Estate with a BlueMotion Passat Estate, solely because of the comany car tax - the BlueMotion costs me £60.00 plus less per month which over our 3.5 year lease period is £2520.00.

No - it doesn't have the torque of the 2.0, but because of the lowered suspension the handling is much improved, so I don't really notice much difference on the average speed at which it can be hussled along. Fuel consumption seems to be about 10 mpg better at around 48 MPG 'mixed' - just normal town and motorway driving at the traffic pace.

If anything the 1.9 DPF engine sounds quieter than the 2.0 Tdi, and that's comparing it to my wife's 2.0 Tdi GT Golf as well as the old Passat. Also pulling off from a standing start is smoother. The plastic steering wheel is pants, as is having no cubby holes either side of the hazzard switch, or map pockets in the backs of the front seats, but these do seem more comfortable than the previous car; they've also improved the electric handbrake, on the old car there was a pause between pushing the button and the brakes coming on and hold assist is now standard.

Overall, if like me you can look at your car list and swallow not having the A4/A6 or a higher spec Passat then financially it makes good sense, and I certainly haven't noticed much real world difference.

Cheers, Lee.