Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion economy

You can get 3.3 litres/100km in Golf's latest slow-sipping diesel. More impressive is the fact that high 3s are possible in a long urban loop ... without driving like a granny.

The downside is the Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion is only being sold here with a five-speed manual, which will make it hard to justify for fleet buyers.

The tall gear ratios are the key to the Golf's low fuel use, but the 77kW turbodiesel still had enough poke to cut it in city traffic, even if it does cut out when stationary and slipped into neutral at the lights. Unlike some rival stop/start systems, the Golf purred into life within moments of the clutch being touched it takes less then 20mm of travel to re-start the system.

Low rolling-resistance 15-inch rubber, an aero package and a 10mm lower suspension height to regular Golfs complete the exterior changes to the BlueMotion, while the interior has unique blue cloth seat inserts and a "titanium look" plastic strip that extends above the the glovebox and across either side of the wheel.

The BlueMotion is priced at $28,990 and it comes at the cost of the regular Golf 77kW TDI manual and DSG semi-automatic models.

VW PR head Karl Gehling defended the switch to a manual-only option, saying engineers had determined the unique ratios in the five-speed gearbox made it the most fuel-efficient match in the VW arsenal.

That shows the BlueMotion is as much about outright bragging rights as it is about sales, given the majority of Golfs are sold here with DGSs are the new Eos is DGS-only, but it still doesn't take away from the fact this is a very fuel-efficient car when driven properly.