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" LONDON\u2014There was a time in my life when reaching the magic ton (100 mph) in the underpowered junkers of my youth was something of a holy grail. Yet recently, when the needle on one of Britain&amp;#039;s most economical cars crept toward that speed on a quiet road near my home, I was more amazed to see 50 mpg (U.S.) flash up on the instant fuel consumption readout than to see 100 mph on the speedometer. I must be getting old.  This epitome of frugality is Volkswagen&amp;#039;s sensible-shoes super-mini, the Polo--a car that makes the Passat seem like a land yacht. But this Polo has a few key differences from the standard, bottom-of-the-range 1.4-liter turbodiesel model. BlueMotion, developed by the German company&amp;#039;s special engineering department, denotes the most thermally efficient model in each of VW&amp;#039;s model ranges.  The Specs The Polo (a notch down from the Rabbit) is a four-door hatchback capable of accommodating four consenting (but not overfed) adults in a modicum of comfort--just not for too long. We wouldn&amp;#039;t choose this sort of conveyance to ferry a family across the U.S. from, say, Los Angeles to New York City. It&amp;#039;s like a proper car, but much smaller. It&amp;#039;s also expensive. The basic Polo BlueMotion 1 model costs \u00A312,125 ($24,150) and \u00A312,935 ($25,800) in up-market BlueMotion 2 spec, with air conditioning, remote central locking, an alarm and ritzier trim.  But it&amp;#039;s also very high-tech, with slight aerodynamic changes to the conventional Polo shell (new grille, extended front bumper and rear wing) on top of one serious engine: VW&amp;#039;s 79-hp, 1.4-liter three-cylinder turbodiesel, with electronically controlled, high-pressure direct fuel injection and a variable geometry turbocharger to lift mid-range torque. Bumping up fuel efficiency even more is a five-speed manual transmission with taller gear ratios on Third, Fourth and Fifth gears, plus a taller final drive. The narrow, low-rolling-resistance tires are said to be good for CO2 reductions of up to 4 g/km. The car weighs a feathery 2389 pounds\u2014about 16 pounds lighter than the standard 1.4-litre TDI Polo.  But this Polo is far from being a stripped-out special with wooden seats: BlueMotion&amp;#039;s specification is plush, with VW&amp;#039;s usual quality and fine interior materials. The front seats are comfortable, but anyone over 6 ft. will find the rear ones cramped. The hatchback opens to reveal just enough room for one medium-sized suitcase, so pack light. The little engine makes a terrific clatter when starting, and when you press the throttle the exhaust-gas recirculation seems like the engineering equivalent of breathing into a grocery bag as the valves open and shut. Once above 20 mph, though, the Polo thrums lustily\u2014albeit with a semi-sluggish performance return at 12.8 seconds for a 0-62 time a top speed 109 mph. The BlueMotion&amp;#039;s 12-gallon fuel tank offers a theoretical range of more than 700 miles.  The Drive On the road, the gearing is very tall, so you do find some large gaps between ratios. At times, you need to hold on to the lower gears for longer than entirely comfortable. And for many routes, Fourth gear is a more practical proposition than top. And, yes, the low rolling resistance tires give a harsh ride with limited grip. But this also means those skinny tires can be a lot of fun for anyone who can handle a slide--not so fun if you&amp;#039;re a learner or cautious driver. For all that, the Polo BlueMotion imparts a special feeling of engineering integrity and technical virtuosity from VW. In combined European consumption testing, the Polo delivered a claimed 61.8 mpg--and that&amp;#039;s no idle boast. We averaged 45.72 mpg on a mix of cold starts and fast runs in freezing temperatures, rain and urban crawls. With me driving (I don&amp;#039;t hang about), that&amp;#039;s very impressive--and it makes something of a mockery out of the Toyota Prius, which last year delivered just 36.8 mpg in similar conditions and routes with my lead foot behind it.  The Bottom Line Still, the BlueMotion is a result of some very political tinkering with the rules over what we drive over here across the pond. In Europe, automakers must meet a mandate for corporate average emissions of 120 g/km by 2012, and cars like this 99 g/km Polo should allow VW to keep building vehicles like the mighty Touareg SUV or sleek Passat CC. There are also carbon-based restrictions and taxes springing up all over Europe. In Britain, there are heavy incentives to buy, say, a Polo--including an annual car tax waiver worth about \u00A3400 ($800) against a medium-sized SUV, rising to \u00A3950 ($1,850) in 2009. There are also suggestions that sub-100-g/km cars like the Polo BlueMotion could get a waiver for city taxes such as London&amp;#039;s congestion charge, as well as resident parking charges that penalize cars with large-capacity engines. The fuel-saving argument is less clear cut, even from over here with diesel prices at about \u00A34.57 ($9.15) per gallon. If you drive like an average owner (covering 8000 miles a year) there are potential savings of about \u00A3108 ($216) per year in gas costs over the next most frugal Polo model.  Sadly, there are no plans to bring this super-frugal Polo model to the States. American buyers hankerin&amp;#039; for a VW diesel will have to be content with the Jetta TDI sedan and Sportwagen that are set for launch this August. Andrew English is a motoring correspondent for London&amp;#039;s Daily Telegraph. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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