Dan Trent: The case for a diesel Polo (no, really)

The atmosphere obviously has changed since those heady days of 2006 when Volkswagen was making a fuss about its new Bluemotion range of fuel economy optimised road cars, embodying the spirit of Ferdinand Piech's 'one litre car' that eventually became the XL1. Nowdays Bluemotion is just another badge in the model line-up and the purity of vision applied to this little Polo is now a little more… cynically realised.

See, I have a strange attraction to cars that do what they say on the tin and have some engineering credibility to back it up. And the original Polo Bluemotion was more than just a badge; it got proper modifications to bodywork, suspension, gearing and more in the name of improved economy. Modifications that both give it credibility in my eyes. And also make it look rather cool.

There's something lightly Euro-modified about the Bluemotion's look, and in a good way. Indeed, it was developed by an in-house special projects division known as Volkswagen Individual, underlining quite how much was invested in this car. Improved aerodynamics were one way VW sought to improve the fuel consumption so the Polo got a special grille, front splitter and integrated rear wing. Remember, we're talking about a basic diesel supermini here. It also got some rather delightful lightweight alloy wheels and low-rolling resistance tyres.

Mechanical changes included a variable geometry turbo (exotic stuff for a supermini) and longer gearing in third, fourth and fifth, the result being official figures of 74.3mpg combined and VED-free 99g/km. So long is the gearing it'll sit at 70mph with little more than 2,000rpm on the dial.

Still doesn't quite answer the question of why I'd feel compelled to buy one. Honestly? I just like the idea it's got some proper engineering integrity to back up the stated aims – it's more than just a bit of branding with a graphic of a leaf or whatever. Anything with some technical curiosity value about it tickles my fancy. And as a long-range hack car for plugging away at those unglamorous motorway miles I think it would be a useful thing to have on the fleet. Given the glut of long-term 50-limited motorway sections on the road network these days I'd even be up for the challenge of getting 100mpg on a run in this. Got to be possible, surely?

So what would I choose? The colour palette of black, metallic grey, two silvers or white is hardly the most inspiring but the blue-tinged Ice Silver that's become a Bluemotion signature carries off that tuner look quite nicely and sets it apart. Prices start from two or three grand but my chosen one-owner car is £4,595. I wouldn't cherish it, I wouldn't wash it, I probably wouldn't share pictures of it on social media. But I would happily rack up hundreds of miles in it, pouring a thimble of diesel in it every now and appreciating a rare moment where a mainstream manufacturer put its money where its mouth was.