IT’S TIME to take the car out of the green debate. No more shall the self-conscious sandal-wearing environmentalist harbour feelings of self-loathing as he presses the throttle in his rusty 2CV in order to make the vegan bake-off.
In an industry determined to remove the car from the crosshairs of the environmental lobby, performance has now taken a back seat to fuel economy and emissions. The recent onset of recession and dramatic fall in car sales have only heightened the focus on these issues. As buyers tighten their belts, the priority is to cut motoring costs. In turn, with governments increasingly tuning their tax policies to give them a strong green hue, low emissions and better fuel economy are win-wins, for buyers and car firms alike.
For all the hyperbole about hydrogen cars and plug-in electric models, what the car industry needs now is deliverables. It needs metal on forecourts that can cut motoring costs.
So, for all the efforts into future fuel sources, short-term savings have caught the mood of many car companies. It’s particularly relevant in the premium sector, where owners may be firmly ensconced in the middle classes but don’t want to be publicly perceived as immune to these straitened times.
The Holy Grail may be zero emissions but a commendable short-term benchmark is 120g/km. That has been the preserve of the Toyota Prius and a few city cars. However, determined efforts by powertrain engineers are starting to bear fruit. Minor tweaking has brought some family cars into the sub-120g/km range. In this instance it’s the Volvo V50.
The V50 is a fine car in its own right, complete with a strong premium image and the ability to overcome issues we have with its sibling, the S40. That saloon is simply too small in the back and the boot to fit with our perception of what a Volvo should offer. This car, on the other hand, ticks all the family boxes. It’s frustrating to see so many Irish buyers opting for the wrong Volvo.
Hopefully the new DRIVe variant will show them the error of their ways. Volvo might not have caught the same media attention as the likes of Lexus and Toyota with its hybrids, but for a relatively small volume player, the Swedish brand – albeit with the benefit of outgoing owners Ford – has cut a decent furrow in the green arena. It initially focused on biofuels but has added to this with some basic fuel-saving endeavours, on display in this new range.
The DRIVe range – which is branded on cars that record class-leading emissions in their respective segments – is as marketing-driven as the name suggests, undoubtedly originating in a group brainstorm marketing meeting over soy lattes rather than on the workshop floor.
The savings involved are relatively simple. Take the 1.6-litre diesel V50 that’s already on the market with emissions of 132g/km and an official fuel consumption figure of 5.0l/100km or 56.5 mpg.
Then, in the same way that Formula One teams look to shave milliseconds off lap times by taking a holistic improvement approach to every millimetre of the car, seek improvements – however minor – in every area.
In the case of the DRIVe range, this has meant improving aerodynamics, lowering road resistance and adjusting gear ratios. These have been altered for higher gears to give better fuel economy at motorway and cruising speeds.
There have also been minor changes to the engine cooling, management system and power steering.
Chassis height has dropped by 10mm, a new spoiler added up front and a wind deflector fitted behind the vents of the radiator grille. Similar deflectors have been fitted in front of the front wheels. The treatment continues with the car’s connection to the road – lower rolling resistance for the tyres.
All of these changes combine to push the emissions level down to 118g/km and official combined fuel consumption up to 4.5 l/100km (62.8mpg).
For the driver, the only real indication is a little dashboard indicator that signals when you should change up or down gear to maximise fuel consumption. There are no bells, no flashing lights, just a simple arrow that you can ignore at your leisure. On the exterior there’s the little green “e” moniker that evokes the desired feeling of moral superiority over your fellow motorists.
Its responsiveness doesn’t suffer unduly from the changes. Kick down and the 1.6-litre engine is well capable of carrying its load without complaint. Unlike several rivals, the eco-version here doesn’t mean it has the puff of an asthmatic octogenarian marathon runner. This engine is well able to hold its own. At motorway speeds it can cruise along at 120km/h and there’s still ample power in the tank – in case you happen to wander onto an autobahn. It’s still only a 1.6-litre diesel, but it’s well suited to this car.
While a week behind the wheel offered little else in terms of ride or handling differences over its non-green sibling, it did reaffirm our fondness for this particular model. We never bought into Volvo’s biofuel offering – for the simple fact that it was impossible to police how motorists were refuelling their cars. You could claim the green kudos but run the car on regular petrol while availing of the tax benefits.
Here you reap no other reward than assistance in reducing your fuel consumption and enough tweaks to bring emissions down below the government-appointed levels for Band A tax. It doesn’t claim to be the all-in solution, but it’s an honest attempt at improvement.
Even the most hard-hearted naysayer on global warming will appreciate the saving in their pockets.
Simply put, this is a full-sized family car with great bootspace, premium image and quality feel that falls into the lowest tax band (€104 annually), achieves over 60mpg officially and costs less than €30,000.
You have to go to some lengths to find a similarly low emissions car of this size and family flexibility. Even eco-friendly models like Prius and the Honda Civic hybrid are not far removed from this “regular” diesel car – whatever about the extra grams in carbon they may withhold from the atmosphere.
From these ever-green cars it’s not a massive leap in terms of current models before you reach the V50 DRIVe. List the current crop of cars by emissions and you find this V50 nestled in a bed of Polos, Pandas, Corsas and Clios. It’s certainly hard to find a rival of similar size, premium branding, price or performance.
It does, of course, beg one obvious question: why don’t they simply tweak all their models and improve every Volvo owner’s green standing? Given it has abandoned its performance variants, it would seem a sensible move for a firm eager to get ahead in an ever decreasing market, and one that has a “for sale” sign on the forecourt, courtesy of current owner, Ford. With fellow Swede Saab also seeking new bosses, it would seem a sensible route to pursue.
For now, we have the DRIVe tag, which you can take or leave. Ultimately, this is an eminently sensible car that should sell well and requires nothing in the way of sacrifice from its owner, save making room for a little more cash in their wallet.
Volvo V50 1.6D DRIVe CC: 1560 BHP: 109 Consumption: 4.5l/100km (62.8mpg) Boot: 417-1,307 litres CO2: 118g/km Motor tax: €104 Price: €29,820
Engine: 1560cc four-cylinder turbodiesel engine putting out 109bhp @ 4,000rpm and 240 Nm of torque @ 1,750rpm
Specification: ABS with electronic brake distribution and electronic brake assistance; DSTC (Dynamic Stability and Traction Control); front side and curtain airbags; alarm; tinted windows; alloys; front foglights; electronic climate control; cruise control on SE and SE Lux versions; electric windows; leather steering wheel; leather upholstery on SE and SE Lux versions
L/100km (mpg): urban – 5.7 (49.6); extra-urban – 3.8 (74.3); combined – 4.5 (62.8)
CO2 emissions: 118g/km
Tax: VRT – 14 per cent; annual motor tax – €104
Price: €29,820-€33,370