Car Magazine undertakes epic US road trip in Golf BlueMotion

The Golf BlueMotion is one of the most efficient and low CO2 emitting cars currently on sale in Europe.  To test just how efficient, CAR Magazine recently embarked on a unique road trip, taking the Golf BlueMotion out of its normal environment.

A right-hand drive Golf BlueMotion was shipped to Miami, Florida where it was joined by CAR Magazine’s Assistant Editor, Chris Chilton, and photographer and occasional navigator Greg Pajo.  The pair then set out to cross America from Miami to Los Angeles driving entirely normally, discovering en route how a European diesel hatchback would cope in a country where petrol is king and diesel-powered cars (as well as fuel pumps dispensing diesel…) remain a rarity.

The epic trip lasted ten days, crossed seven states and took in a total of 3,144 miles on a mix of interstates and winding back roads as well as occasional jaunts into thick urban traffic.  Along the way they survived brushes with curious traffic cops and snakes (fortunately not at the same time) and battled fatigue as they sought to hit a deadline to meet Governor Schwarzenegger in California.

On arriving in Los Angeles the Golf BlueMotion was found to have consumed just £120 of diesel in the course of the trip – equating to driving from Edinburgh to Rome and back again.

On returning, Chris Chilton commented: ‘I don’t think anyone is going to be signing us up for those crazy hypermiler competitions, but what we did prove is that even if you make no concessions to economical driving other than obeying the speed limit, the Golf BlueMotion could still save you a fortune at the pumps.’

To read the full story, take a look at the March edition of CAR Magazine which is on sale tomorrow.  For details on Volkswagen’s range of efficient BlueMotion vehicles, visit volkswagen.co.uk.