Bluemotion Golf worth buying?
Have you any information on the latest VW economy car Bluemotion. Is it as good as an ordinary Golf or better?
Joe McConville McConville (Wexford)May 2010 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Joe,
I recently drove the Golf BlueMotion and the review will go up shortly, but what I can say is that I was really very impressed by the car for a number of reasons. Obviously this is the full BlueMotion version and that differs slightly to the 'BlueMotion Technology' model that we have seen before.
This new car gets a full raft of eco measures. There is Stop/Start, regenerative braking, a modified radiator grille, low rolling resistance tyres and a specially tuned diesel engine. The result is emissions of 99g/km and fuel economy of 3.4 l/100km. Now, you would want to be really hyper-miling to get those figures but we got close to that on our few days with the car. The economy was really staggering.
There is 105hp from the 1.6-litre diesel and it isn't a rocket: 0-100km/h takes 11.3 seconds. It is however, a very nice car to drive. It doesn't feel slow because it is geared well. And it is a nice place to be. For the price, it is quite well equipped.
Obviously, price is an issue. There is no real incentive to buy this car for its emissions like there is in other markets. In some markets, such as the UK, if your car has less than 100g/km you don't pay road tax, but here everything under 120g/km is Band A and the Ford Focus 1.6 D Style will cost you about the same to run, yet is €1,545 cheaper to buy.
To answer your original question though, if I was buying a Golf, yes this is the one I would have (aside from the GTI of course). I really liked it.
You also have to look at the Skoda Octavia too. For €23,820 you could have an Octavia with the same engine, but with the DSG automatic transmission. Hope this helps, feel free to come back to us if you have any more questions.
Lower rev limit on diesel Focus?
I recently purchased a 2006 diesel Ford Focus and have noticed on a couple of occasions that the engine cuts out when I exceed a certain engine speed. This happened to me this morning as I was overtaking. As you can imagine, it was quite an unnerving experience. I understand that changing gear a bit earlier avoids the problem but I was wondering if this was normal behaviour or what might be causing it. It's happened three times and each time I'd estimate about 3,000rpm in second gear. On each occasion the engine cut out. Most recently was yesterday morning pulling out of the Maxwell Motors slip road in Blackrock heading south. I let the car glide to a halt and I restarted the engine.
Paul Reilly (Blackrock, Cork)May 2010 Filed under: fault
Expert answer
Hi Paul, we contacted Ford in Cork on your behalf, and a spokesperson from their technical department said: "This is not the rev limit of the car and this seems to be an issue with the car in this case. We would suggest that the customer takes the car to his Ford Dealer as soon as possible to be checked."
VW Golf or Ford Focus?
Which is better? VW Golf or Ford Focus? I can't seem to decide. I'm not talking GTI or ST. Just a basic economy model thanks.
Laura Thompson (Dublin)Apr 2010 Filed under: hatchback
Expert answer
Hi Laura, that isn't really an easy question to answer, because it really is down to personal choice. Neither of these cars is significantly better overall than the other so it depends on what you are looking for in a car. The Focus is known for having the best chassis and if you like your car to have sharp, crisp and fun handling then you will choose the Focus. The Golf is also quite good to drive, especially the latest version, and it could be perhaps regarded as having a more upmarket image.
Both cars have clean 1.6-litre diesel engines in their best-selling models, with both of these sitting in Band A, which means low road tax. Both are similarly priced too, with the Focus at the moment having perhaps a better offer in the Style five-door model.
Really the only thing we could say is that you should try the two cars for yourself and decide based on your gut feeling. Both of these cars have similar traits and have strong residual values so it'll be a good buy whichever way you go.