VW's oil-burning ambition

Volkswagen's new Golf is spearheaded by a high-tech diesel version, writes motoring editor ALASTAIR SLOANE


The pride of four generations of Volkswagen Golfs since 1974 has been the GT, a go-fast hatchback. Some were better than others. But each had one thing in common: a hotter four-cylinder petrol engine.

VW changed the order of things here when it replaced the fourth-generation GT with the five-cylinder V5 engine in 2000. Then it threw the all-wheel-drive six-cylinder R32 into the mix. Next year it brings back the GT Golf badge for the fifth time, this one to be powered by a turbocharged 2-litre direct-injection petrol engine.

So how come much of the talk at the launch of the fifth-generation Golf V centred on a turbodiesel, a lickety-split 2-litre it concedes will rival the GT not in price but performance?

Because the oil-burner - one of two in the range with cleaner-burning exhaust technology - spearheads VW's campaign in New Zealand to push the economic and environmental advantages of modern diesel technology.

It will start with letters to the oil companies asking them to improve diesel pumps at petrol stations once cleaner fuel is introduced later this year.

"We want to work with the oil companies to make diesel more attractive at the stations themselves," said Dean Sheed, general manager of VW New Zealand.

"We would like them to become more focused, to bring the end-user benefits of diesel up to the standards of Europe, where it is seen as the fuel of the future. Diesel uses less fuel and it is better for the environment."

Diesel is largely less polluting and more fuel-efficient. Also, the volume of diesel fuel derived from crude oil far exceeds that of petrol.

A diesel-engine car will go about a third further on a litre of fuel than a petrol-engine car.

Typically, a diesel engine is about 70 per cent efficient and a petrol engine about 45 per cent. A typical 2-litre diesel engine will return about 6 litres/100km; a petrol engine of a similar size will do about 9 litres/100km.

Environmental benefits of diesels, such as low greenhouse gas emissions, are balanced by the emission of oxides of nitrogen and diesel particulates. Exhaust technology in use in Europe can burn off these emissions to make diesel cleaner again.

The best of this technology will start to become available in New Zealand once the sulphur content of diesel is reduced. Legislation later this year requires diesel to contain no more than 500 parts per million of sulphur. At the moment the limit is 3000ppm, although the oil industry says it is considerably cleaner than that.

Low-sulphur fuel has benefits apart from reducing emissions. It reduces byproducts that contaminate oil, thereby making the job of engine oil-makers easier. Engine oils remain cleaner, work more efficiently, and last longer.

The sale of diesel cars in New Zealand is picking up, but the image of the fuel is still linked to trucks - many of them poorly maintained used imports - spewing out black exhaust smoke.

"The perception that diesels are noisy, dirty and smoky is rapidly changing as manufacturers and designers produce new high-tech engines," said Sheed.

The VW Group's latest FSI (Fuel Stratified Injection) direct-injection petrol engines need fuel with a sulphur content of 150ppm or less to work efficiently. That's the current New Zealand limit.

The new Golf V range includes four models: two FSI hatchbacks and two TDI (Turbo Diesel-Injection) units. Three ride on 16-inch wheels, one on 17-inch.

The entry-level Golf V is the 1.6-litre FSI, developing 85kW (115bhp) at 6000rpm and 155Nm of torque at 4000rpm. It costs $34,990 with a six-speed manual gearbox and $37,490 with a six-speed automatic.

The premium petrol model is the 2-litre FSI, producing 110kW (147bhp) and 200Nm. The six-speed manual costs $39,990, the automatic $42,490.

The 1.9-litre TDI produces 77kW (105bhp) at 4000rpm and 250Nm at 1900rpm and comes with a Tiptronic gearbox. It costs $39,990.

The top model is the $46,490 2-litre TDI with the VW Group's direct-shift gearbox (DSG). This engine produces 103kW (140bhp) at 4000rpm and a whopping 320Nm at 1750rpm.

DSG combines the advantages of a conventional six-speed manual gearbox with the qualities of a modern automatic transmission.

DSG allows two gears to be engaged at the same time - a pre-selection process - thereby reducing shift times and providing an almost uninterrupted flow of power. Unlike a conventional automatic, where power is lost through the torque converter.

The design was first patented in Germany in 1940, by Rudolf Franke, a professor of engineering. Audi used a DSG set-up in the legendary Audi Sport quattro back in 1985, with rally champion Walter Rohrl at the wheel.

A new feature of the Golf V is electromechanical steering with speed-related power assistance. It is lighter at parking speeds and heavier and more precise at speed.

Also new is the multi-link rear suspension. A brief run in all four models revealed a ride/handling mix considerably improved on the outgoing Golf. The ride itself is one of the car's strengths.

So is the interior design, one of the most intuitive and functional in the business.

The Golf V is bigger inside and out and comes with an 80 per cent stronger body than before.

Standard safety features include six airbags, five lap-and-shoulder seat belts, a new safety steering column and a pedal assembly that yields to minimise the risk of injury in a crash.

A neat touch is the boot release: it is disguised as part of the rear VW badge.