The Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion has a speedometer that reads up to 160mph.

Slightly optimistic, that: the official top speed is 118mph. It still would have earned me top rankings in the ‘who’s dad has the fastest car’ league, though.

But now, look at the Golf GTI dial set. Same dials, same layout, same colourscheme – but, lo: the speedo’s sporting a different scale, with slightly smaller numbers. That’s because it reads up to 180mph, befitting the GTI’s extra potency.

There’s more, too. The Golf R is obviously different, thanks to its gorgeous blue needles. Notice something else, though? Yup, the speedo scale is even more condensed – because it reads up to a full 200mph.

The story of progressively faster Golfs, in a family of three instrument packs. And it’s not a precedent VW’s setting here with the Golf 6, ether: it’s always used different scales for Golfs of increasing potency.

The Golf 2, for instance, came with a 120mph speedo scale as standard. In the GTI 8v, it crept up to 140mph. And the gorgeous Mk2 16v? You’ve got it – 160mph was its prize.

In a way, then, the Golf Bluemotion is, in the dial stakes, taking up where the 16v Golf 2 left off.

And, neatly tying up it all? Yes, thanks to www.golftiforum.co.uk, a Mk2 160mph dial conversion that sports a Golf 6 R-style blue floodlight colourscheme.

VW details: see why there’s such a cult following?

It’s the little details that car geeks delight in, and there are few family hatchbacks more packed with them than the Volkswagen Golf.

I may (ahem…) have mentioned I rate my long-term Golf Bluemotion highly. Hard not to, I so willingly sing from the clouds. Not when it’s packed with details like this…

Being a cooking eco Golf, it comes sans climate control. Instead, heating stratification is entirely manual. I turn knobs and press buttons, rather than press buttons and let computers automatically do the hard work.

But, not quite. See, I’m not the biggest fan of continuous air con. It dries the air and wastes fuel – neither of which is ideal for this Nivea-loving green geek.

Using air con does, however, help clear condensation more quickly. Essential stuff in the wintertime, particularly when using de-icer on the outside (did you know spraying it to clear one side actually increases condensation on the other?).

So, for those unaware of this, and to make life easier for those who do, is a Volkswagen detail to delight in. Running with a/c off? Turning the stratification dial full to windscreen automatically turns the a/c on. Switch it away again? It goes off. Utter genius.

Yes, it sounds incredibly minor, but it’s details like this that show just how delightfully well thought out the Golf actually is. See this in action and you have absolute confidence in the shape of the seats, the profile of the torque curve and the weighting of the clutch pedal. It’s all been poured over, refined, perfected, over 6 generations.

The Golf isn’t the only car that’s enjoyed such a long and successful lineage, of course. But it is an example of a car that’s benefited, not suffered, because of it. Volkswagen has used the gathered intelligence to make each subsequent one better, rather than rest on its laurels and recycle the same old/same old.

A Golf may apparently be a Golf, no matter what its generation, but each one still packs plenty to please the geeks. Real car fans will appreciate it for demonstrating their fetish on a higher plane. It’s details like this that Volkswagen must never lose.

Golf GTI fans, this week I have been testing the latest 210PS Golf 6 model.

And where have I been spending most of my time in it? Why, scooting around town, of course, accelerating moderately from 0-40mph.

It’s not yet another example of me taking leave of my senses (I hope). Rather, it’s because this GTI is fitted with the mighty DSG gearbox. Technology I’m amazed with, every time I sample it.

Quite something for a self-confessed lover-of-synchro-interaction (and a man who has had a screensaver of a Honda Jazz gearlever), this. It’s because, unlike regular slushyboxes, DSG rewards the car enthusiast.

Particularly in town. Listening to the engine note flash in an instant with each gearchange is something I will never tire of.

Also, each ratio selection ping is never felt; no jolt, no hiccup, nothing. The sense of classic Germanic precision (as also heard in, say, the door-shut-click of a MkI Golf GTI) is all-encompassing.

Even better, use  a bit more throttle. Don’t boot it, but keep it a bit spicy: then, back pressure increases in the exhausts and there’s the most delicious snap-woofle from the pipes at each change. Wonderful.

(Yet more reason to choose a 5-door GTI, incidentally: you can crack the rear windows and enjoy this inside.)

I hope it’s not a sign of age, my choice Golf GTI (5dr) thus being DSG over manual. Hey – you’re not even missing out on a racy gearlever, as the DSG’s stick is easily a match for a manual!

No, the Golf GTI has always been about all-roundedness. DSG, for me, simply enhances that, rather than detracting from it, by using technology to positive effect and adding yet more to the car’s considerable talents.

Agree or disagree? Feed your thoughts in below!

Golf GTI have usually been The Supercars That Rule for we real(ish)-world folk.

Give me a mint Mk2 and I will do anything (anything) for you. I cherish/Tweet Mk1 sightings, would love a Mk6 and often browse Autotrader for cheap Mk5s.

OK, the Mk4 wasn’t ace, but still desirable because of its interior/steering wheel/wheels. I’m that obsessed, I even see the merit in the Mk3 (neon metallic green, please).

But I’m also a bit of an eco nut. An mpg obsessive. (Incidentally, I blame my Mk2 for this: it was my first car to have a trip computer.)

Although the Mk6 does 38.7mpg, and emits 170g/km CO2, that’s still too high for an everyday preacher like me. What to do?

Well, Volkswagen has a solution. Create a new sub-brand, infuse it with GTI-style marketing distinction, make it desirable and wantable in its own right – and continually develop and hone it as you go along.

Golf Bluemotion. The Golf GTI for greenies

Bluemotion is exactly that. Indeed, it is the longest running eco sub-brand (since joined by SEAT Ecomotive, Ford Econetic, Vauxhall ecoFlex… you get the idea). Like GTI, VW invented it as an engineering-led challenge-fest.

How eco, you imagine the tecchies musing, can we make a standard production hatchback? Without hybrids, new-gen engines or special techniquery demands?

The Polo Bluemotion was the first, soon followed by the ‘Mk1′ Golf Bluemotion (Mk5). Now, we’re on the ‘Mk2′ Golf Bluemotion, based on the Mk6 (with me?). It is this car I’m running as a long-termer.

It is this car that gets admiring glances thanks to its lowered suspension, its body styling aero tweaks, its characteristic Bluemotion blue paint.

Those in the know notice the badge on the grille, situated in the same position as many a GTI moniker. They’ll admire the wheels, but also be able to reel off the stats: 99g/km CO2, 74.3mpg. Up (and down!) from the 62.8mpg and 119g/km of the Mk1Mk5, you know. And it uses the EA111 1.6 TDI instead of the EA111 1.9 TDI. And it’s still mated to the 02J gearbox. And… etc…

All of this is GTI-style: the same things that attract there also apply here. That’s the beauty, see. A GTI uses efficiency to hone what’s there and create more speed. The Bluemotion does the same, but to yield more mpg.

It’s just that the route to both – lowered suspension, bespoke body and a new ‘That Badge’ – presses the same buttons for car fans who like their supercars hot hatch sized.

In the future, then, will the Bluemotion become The Supercar That Rules? There’s a thought. See, partly, it already does…

I have but one worry. Will this mean the Bluemotion badge is to be nicked off my Golf, as it was on the GTI?

+ Has hp had its day?
+ Nice dials, mate
+ BMW, you cheeky chaps, you

HOW fast can cars with speed limiters go if the speed limiter is removed?

I mused on this when looking at the VW Golf R’s 200mph speedo. (VW likes to play around with the scale of its speedos; my long-term Golf Bluemotion shows 160mph top; this weekend’s Eos test car splits both with 180mph.)

Limited to 155mph, what would she do with it taken off?

Enter vehicle dynamics God Damian Harty. He sorted the Ford Mondeo BTCC car’s handling, turning it into a race winner, and has done plenty more stuff NDAs mean he can’t talk about.

‘Try this formula,’ he said, in response to my thought on Facebook. The formula being…:

New_Vmax = Current_Vmax*(New_Power/Current_Power)^(1/3)

Damian started with the basic Golf GTI’s 210PS, which saw it good for 149mph. ‘This suggests the R would do 162mph unrestricted’

Dang, that’s a bit far off 200mph! What to do, Damian?

507PS, was his answer, with the gearing set to match, too. ‘Big power gains give small VMax changes; always a little disappointing but there you go…’

Indeed, but it gives a challenge to the VW tuning world. Who’ll be the first to take a Golf R up to 507PS – and who’ll be the first to then break the double-ton?

+ If you’ve ever tuned a car, what have been your findings?

+ Is it realistic to tune a 2.0-litre turbo to 507PS..?

+ How fast would YOUR car be with more power?

SKODA has just launched the Superb estate to the UK press, prior to its on-sale date this Friday (26 February 2010).

Much delight from me on a brief launch visit – particularly with the value, the space, the rear legroom, the prices, the lush ride and the sublime 1.8 TSI engine.

For under £19k, it’s an utter, utter bargain. If I had a growing family, I would have one – full stop.

During the drive, though, I was amazed to find yet more to love. (If you know me, or visit here on occasion, you’ll know I’m not kidding, either).

Yes. The Skoda Superb estate has an oil temperature readout. Just like on a VW Golf GTD.

Almost as good as that, the dials do a fancy full sweep when you turn the ignition key. Just like on a VW Golf R.

It also has a rechargeable magnetic torch in the boot, that will shine a bright-white LED for 2 days non-stop. This isn’t like a VW Golf at all. But is just as car geek-pleasing.

I’d get me coat, naturally. But I lost it in the Superb’s 1865-litre boot. Ahem.

Golf R dials cool blue point

Oil be: It’s back

Colour lightens weird journo mood

BOLD colours are pretty badass. I love ‘em. Give me a colouring book and some BIG BOLD MARKERS and I’m sorted.

So it’s always appreciated here when car makers do colours well. Particularly when they’re backlit and glowing from one of my favourite motoring preoccupations, dashboards.

As promised in my knee-rub of the Golf R’s dials, here’s why I love my SEAT Exeo ST long-termer. Yup, its headlight switch.

Stay with me. Or, even if you don’t, savour the image. It’s like this:

•    Backlit in red
•    When the lights are on, the sidelight symbol changes to green
•    As it’s auto lights, when the function is active, this glows yellow

It means you get a veritable light-like kaleidoscope of colour at night: red, yellow, green. For nutters like me, it’s so unexpectedly appealing, it’s a treat to stop at traffic lights and stare.

Don’t unduly worry. We mutterers had a calling that means such things are, as you perhaps have gathered from this blog, everyday occurrences. Last week, for instance, I spent 10 minutes chatting with colleague CJ about the weighting of column stalks on said long-termer.

That’s a blog in waiting there too, I tell you.

In the meantime, I’ll get me coat.

Golf R dials cool blue point

Ford code read

My hit car colour of 2010

VOLKSWAGEN made our jaws drop in the 90s with its blue and red dials.

The key to it was, yes, the blue background, rather than the red needles. Red needles? Pft. We’d had them for years – it was a proper old school sporting trick, up there with punched leather steering wheels. And shiny black bits for the dash. And strict adherence to primary colours for seat trims.

There’s reason to salute Austin Rover here, too. The Maestro bringing us illuminated needles made VW’s work of genius over a decade later all the more (ahem) illuminating.

By Lord, though, did the R32 cause my dropped jaw to fall off. Years after people had genuinely started buying VWs for the blue and red dials, VW gave us super-special dials for its superhatch. With, yes, BLUE needles! On an ice-white background! Rrrubrubrub!

And so they continue in the latest Golf R.

I had to photograph and film them. See, if I hadn’t done so, I would have to stare at them while driving, and would crash. Indeed, my dially preoccupation would be complete if I called up the oil temperature readout, too.

Details such as this make cars. Well, they do for me, anyhows.

Look out soon for my thoughts on the lights switch backlighting illumination of my new SEAT Exeo ST long-termer. I know, I know – you can’t wait. I promise you, it’ll come soon…

Volkswagen Golf R dials on YouTube

Oil be: It’s back

BMW orange instruments

VOLKSWAGEN is finally pensioning off its long-serving 1.9-litre TDI diesel.

The car that really gave the modern diesel credibility has had a good innings, but it’s now being put out to pasture, after driving (almost) billions of VW Group cars off the production lines.

It’s been around in the Golf since 1994, after production was slowly ramped up in the Audi 80. Coming to the Golf was big-time for this then-startling new powerplant; because, unlike its rivals, Volkswagen had mated 1896ccs of blown four-pot to direct injection.

Controversial, this was, at the time. Direct injection is noisier and rattlier than indirect, you see; every single driver who’s experienced the 1.9-litre’s characteristic rattle ever since will attest to that.

The benefits, foresaw canny old Volkswagen, come in more compact combustion chambers. These lose less heat to the surrounding coolant – which, VW reckoned at the time, equals a 15 percent efficiency saving.

It was punchy. 90hp at 4000rpm was superb for 1994 – particularly in the 1145kg Golf (yes! I had to double-check: 1145kg, for the ‘heavy, safe and solid’ MkIII Golf? Now, a Clio weighs more…). This saw it to 60mph in 11.5secs; fast enough to have Autocar & Motor asking when the GTi-bodykit version would arrive. (Seems they were ahead of their time, too).

But just as impressive was the 149lb/ft torque output, particularly as it came in at just 1900rpm. This, remember, was before the days of PD pump-jet injection; the 1.9-litre TDI’s trademark low-rev surge is an inherent trait, it seems. It’s a damn strong engine from the innards out.

OK, said Autocar & Motor, the tickover is ‘boisterous’, which may put some off. Back in those diesel-pensive days, it more than likely did. A £2k price premium over oil-burning French rivals didn’t help its cause, either. But, such it always is for VW.

This couldn’t dim the significance of a fine engine, though. Even its first mainstream installation saw it mark itself out as special. Evolution through the years, particularly in the MkIV Golf, underlined its place in history.

Will its replacement, the 1.6-litre TDI, be as venerable? Time will tell. For now, though, here’s a cup of oil to a diesel that I’ve seen, through car magazines, develop, delight and dominate. Classic Diesel, here’s your first-issue feature car…

Volkswagen Golf looks to history for GTD inspiration

Volkswagen Golf GTD photostream on Flickr

Audi lit the way in ’88

IT all started after I loved a Golf GTI for a weekend.

You know, I mused in the office, I might even go for DSG over manual. GET OUT came the command. Call yourself an enthusiast, and eschew a manly manual?

Yup, and I’ve been thinking why. See, when I change gear, I’m always (forlornly) striving for the perfect gearchange. I like metering clutch precisely, going off and on the throttle with metronomic timing, savour the happy synchromesh, err, thanking me for saving it some work.

Thing is, it becomes an obsession. I tend to concentrate on it unduly; which makes the pain of a joltly 2-3 shift disproportionate. Which, because I’m no Jackie Stewart-like driving God, can ping up a bit too often at times.

With DSG (and other twin-clutch gearboxes), though, you’re guaranteed perfection. The satisfaction of a delay-free shift from a tricky high-revs 1st to a mid-range 2nd is removed. It does it perfectly, every time. Which means the rewards, even though I don’t have anything to do with it, still tangible.

Cheat, some still say. Yup. But while (and stay with me here) hand-writing a letter and maybe, just maybe, getting every letter just so is uber satisfying, usually it’s just a scrawl. Far better to use a word processor, take the effort out, and get the satisfaction all the same. I love technology, embrace it for the rewards it brings. That’s how I view DSG – brilliant, Apple-like tech that, well, just works.

Every gearchange gives me the feeling, the satisfaction of perfection – and, although it’s nothing to do with me, the sensations are enough for it to win through.

Automatics are different, as they’re slurry cop-outs. Clutchless manuals are, by and large, an ugly disaster. But twin-clutch DSG-style units? You know, PDK and their brethren? It’s technology that rewards me. And why I’m in the pro camp.

(Of course, if the manual alternative were a brilliant Ford or Honda-esque gem, rather than VW’s slick but detached equivalent, my decision may be different. Nothing like a motoring journo sitting on the fence, aye…)

(Oh, and on the subject of cheating, I know the Ferrari F430′s gearbox is robotised manual, not twin-clutch. But the image IS cool, isn’t it…)

Why Ford Econetics break the rules

Oil be: It’s back

RenaultSport past to inspire turbo future