Blue flags fly green technology

The new Touareg, 200kg lighter than the 2003 model, feels nimble. Photo / Supplied

The new Touareg, 200kg lighter than the 2003 model, feels nimble. Volkswagen uses the colour blue to highlight its "green" strategies, or ways to make vehicles cleaner and more fuel efficient.

Blue and green go together. Blue, say those who know, causes the body to produce calming chemicals. Green symbolises nature. It is a calming, refreshing colour.

VW went with the name BlueMotion as its environmental flag. "GreenMotion" might not have worked.

"Blue is a non-political colour," said a VW spokesman a couple of years ago. "You have to remember the Green party is very strong in Germany. We don't want to be seen to be endorsing one party."

Mercedes-Benz uses blue, too. Its BlueTec logo has the same environmental aims. BMW goes with "EfficientDynamics", one word, often on a blue background. Audi has TDI, or turbo-diesel injection. It's BlueMotion by another name, if you like, because Audi is part of the VW Group and uses BlueMotion technologies.

BlueMotion, BlueTec and so on began with diesel engines. The oil-burners had an advantage: they are more fuel-efficient than petrol units and, over the life of an engine, emit less CO2 exhaust emissions.

Carmakers remapped engines and improved exhaust technology. Next came better gearboxes, low-resistance tyres, regenerative braking, more efficient aerodynamics, and stop-start systems. BlueMotion soon spread to petrol engines.

The technology is not available in every engine but VW will one day have a BlueMotion badge as an option across its range. There will be a BlueMotion petrol model in New Zealand soon, too, perhaps next year.

The latest VW to carry the BlueMotion badge is the all-wheel-drive Touareg, a lifestyle SUV the carmaker says is 200kg lighter and up to 25 per cent more fuel-efficient than the current example. It is cleaner, too, with VW claiming the lowest CO2 emissions in class.

The new model borrows its design cues from the lines of the Golf Mk VI and Polo hatchbacks. The front end especially is the face of the new VW family album.

At 4758mm, the Touareg is 40mm longer than the current model. So is the 2900mm wheelbase. The SUV is 12mm wider but its height has been dropped by 20mm to 1724mm.

The extra length has improved interior room, although the Touareg remains a five-seater with maximum boot space of 1642 litres, depending on seating arrangement.

The changes over the 2003 model extend far beyond new styling. Equipment includes an Aisin eight-speed transmission with manual mode, stop-start fuel-saving technology, regenerative braking, and touchscreen satellite navigation.

Options run to air suspension, lights that dip for oncoming traffic, and seats that massage backs and backsides. The line-up of diesel engines include two V6 units and a V8. The entry-level 3-litre V6 TDI unit delivers 150kW and 400Nm of torque. It is priced from $92,000 but doesn't arrive until early next year.

The other V6 delivers 176kW and 550Nm of torque. VW claims town and around fuel economy of 7.4 litres/100km, or 38mpg, and a CO2 rating of 195gr/km. It sits at $106,000.

The top-end Touareg uses a 4.2-litre TDI V8 engine putting out 250kW and 800Nm. Its combined fuel usage is a claimed 9.1 litres/100km (31mpg). CO2 rating is 239g/km. It costs $139,000 and replaces the previous V10, which doesn't meet Euro6, the new European emissions standard.

Low-ratio is no longer standard in 4Motion. The new off-road option is called 4XMotion. A brief drive of the V6 showed up obvious advantages over the outgoing model. The new Touareg might be longer, wider and lower but it feels smaller and more nimble, thanks largely to its 200kg weight loss.