The BlueMotion contains no hidden battery packs, trick alternators, automatic engine cut-offs or any other slice of technological trickery to allow the BlueMotion Polo to claim an astonishing 88.3mpg on the extra-urban cycle.
Instead, VW has gone through the Polo from bumper to bumper with a view to making efficiency savings in all areas.
The smoothed-off bodywork has cut aerodynamic drag, while the low-resistance tyres reduce friction between the rubber and the road.
Under the bonnet, the power and torque output of the 1.4-litre diesel motor remains unchanged. But the new turbo has shifted the torque peak from 2200rpm down to 1800rpm, flattening off the torque curve on the way and improving the engine’s ability to cope with the exceptionally tall gearing it carries.
Otherwise, the car is pure Polo. A simple, spacious shell is hung on suspension that opts for the time-honoured solution of struts at the front and a simple torsion beam rear axle. Interestingly for a car committed to economy, the steering is not fully electric, but electro-hydraulic, building up pressure when required.