New Volkswagen Golf 1.0 TSI review: It may be pricey but it lets you buzz around while saving money on fuel

ALL we hear about these days is green cars . . .  electric this, hybrid that.

(Sit down, Volvo. This isn’t yet another piece about you saving the planet.)

4

There has been another, stealthier engine revolution taking place.

And it is just as cheery news for the Fox’s Glacier Mints frontman.

Not long ago, a one-litre, three-cylinder car would be considered a puny joke, unworthy of owners’ forums and pub bragging rights.

I ride a motorbike with three cylinders, for goodness’ sake.

And those whining lawnmowers the council use are probably three-pot.

But in the past few years, the one-litre, three-cylinder turbo engine has become widespread, a welcome and fiery addition to the B and C-segment motors we snap up by their millions.

MOST READ IN MOTORS

FILL ME IN

'Self-healing' roads could finally end UK's pothole hell using household item

SHUT UP SHOP

Car auction site that sold 200 vehicles a week closes after 30 years

CARN'T BELIEVE IT

Europe's best-selling car of 2024 REVEALED - does YOURS make the top 20?

BARGAIN RIDE

Cheapest EVs to buy second hand NOW from sleek BMW to budget Renault

Ford was at the front, in 2012 introducing a one-litre turbo EcoBoost engine.

It slotted into the Fiesta and purred like a pussy cat.

4

For power per litre, it packed a heavier punch than a Bugatti Veyron, knocking out 136bhp from 999cc. The Veyron produced 123bhp per litre.

Now just about every major manufacturer builds three-pots. A one-litre engine achieves a lot of the things an electric engine does.

4

It is cheap to run, for a start. But unlike EVs, petrol engines are easy to fill up.

And thanks to light displacement, they don’t belch out those naughty emissions.

Naturally, the punch comes from the turbo. But there are other factors at play.

The small plant means it doesn’t lose power as heat like bigger lumps do.

Plus it saves bundles of space and weight.

That all adds up to better power-to-weight ratios.

This week I have been buzzing around in the Golf 1.0 TSI, another example of how capable a small engine can be.

I say “buzzing around”. I have covered half the length of the UK on motorways and made the most of the extra grippy B-road tarmac in the heatwave. And I loved every second.

Confirming its green credentials, I turned the key and the info panel bloomed into life — showing the full tank was good for 500 miles.

The version I drove produces 110bhp but there is an 85bhp sister if you aren’t fussed about fizzy performance.

I recommend you take the 110, though.

Its pulling power is found between 2,000 and 3,5000, so you do feel the seven-speed box dance upwards quickly when you push on.

But it is a fun experience, with a joyous note singing from the engine and a keen-to-please feel to the performance.

This is the ideal urban dweller’s car.

It is hungry for revs but rewards every time.

4

On congested roads it is all the car you will ever need, missing the neck-snapping power of the bigger-engined GTI or R.

Things are less perfect at motorway speeds — high-speed overtakes are not its strong point.

But what do you expect from a one-litre?

The only real downside to this car is its price — at nearly £22,000, a premium tag.

But think of the money you will save in fuel.

And the polar bear will be happy too.