Volkswagen BORA TDI 150bhp Sport
Heres One Unprepossessing Diesel Saloon That Wields An Almighty Wallop. Andy Enright Reports
Although risking sounding like a stuck record, its a fact worth repeating that the British public generally doesnt get the
Volkswagen Bora. Yes, well happily fork out for its Golf sibling (its based on the mkIV version), but tack a trunk on instead of a hatch and we become curiously reticent. Theres no good reason for this, the Bora is a great-looking car and Volkswagens TDi 150 diesel engine makes it a riotously fast one too.
The problem used to be that the stonking 150bhp turbodiesel engine was the main attraction, not the body its cloaked in. To these eyes, the Bora bodyshell is a more attractively proportioned piece of penmanship than the Golfs stubby lines (either mkIV or mkV), but it seems that few agree. Now, though, the mkV Golf is here and it uses a newer 2.0-litre turbo diesel, the 1.
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9-litre 150bhp is still offered in the Bora and its a unit of such quality that it might actually draw customers from the latest Golf. One drive in the Bora TDI 150 and you cant help but conclude that it deserves this better audience. After all, with an engine as good as this, why bother with the otherwise impressive V5 petrol unit also offered in the Bora range? It makes no logical sense whatsoever, but the figures will still show sales of the diesel version lagging behind its similarly priced petrol counterpart. Performance and sticker prices are remarkably comparable between the Bora TDI 150 and the V5, except in terms of midrange acceleration where the diesel car leaves the lusty five-potter trailing in its wake.
Run one for 15,000 miles a year and after three years the fuel bill for the TDI 150 will generate a saving of around £3,000.
"Such is the engines sibilance, you expect it to have something up its sleeve."
But since when did logic ever affect a buying decision? We rarely purchase the most sensible or most worthy car in any particular class, instead opting for something that looks the part outside the office/gym/wine bar. Those wishing to create an urbane impression will be slightly disappointed by the old-school diesel clatter of the Boras engine at start up. Its not one of those cars which prompt you to glance at the red line on the rev counter to establish whether its petrol or diesel, the insistence of the engine note rendering such sleuthing redundant. Its certainly not the quietest diesel unit weve ever encountered.
Effectively a derivative of Volkswagens TDI 130 unit with an even higher-pressure injection system, the TDI 150 is percussive on start up, settling to a background grumble. Were it quieter, the wallop in the back when the turbocharger gets its trousers on would be all the more surprising, but such is the engines sibilance, you expect it to have something up its sleeve. Recompense comes in the form of the Boras thunderous acceleration. With nearly as much torque as a
Porsche 911, the Bora TDI 150 has the ability to sweep all before it on the storm swell of urge welling from about 2,250rpm.
It seems hard to believe that, when alls said and done, this is a mere 1.9-litre engine that flexes such big muscles. Flog the car off the line to 60mph and youll dispatch the increment in a mere 8.4 seconds and top speed, for so long the Achilles heel of diesel cars, is a creditable 134mph, easily enough to hold your own in the cut and thrust of a twin lane derestricted autobahn.
The standard six-speed manual is well up to handling the 236lb/ft of torque and its a delight to snick up and down the box, trying to keep the engine punching at its maximum strength. Do this and the Bora can make devastating cross-country progress, although as we intimated earlier, if fuel saving and fun are your joint priorities, saving that little bit extra for a
BMW 320d could well pay dividends. The £18,845 TDI 150 Sport comes complete with twin front airbags, side airbags, ESP, ABS, a height and reach-adjustable steering column and rear seats incorporating the clever Isofix system for attaching a child
seat. The cabin is a resolutely feel-good place to be, and the sense of sheer superiority that TDI 150 ownership bestows will make you wholly unbearable.
Youve been warned. Cup holders in the front and the rear, the self-dimming interior lights, the chrome tie-down hooks in the luggage area, the gas struts to hold up the bonnet, the special cover on the boot locking pin so you dont get things caught in it; they all betray an attention to detail that makes one wonder if
Volkswagen designers get out at all. Think of the Bora as a Golf with a boot and you probably wont come over all moist with anticipation. Frame the Bora TDI 150 as a car with the midrange power of a Porsche backed up by the parsimony of a
Perodua with resale values that would make Mercedes weep and youve got a beguiling blend.
Management consultants would probably call buying a Bora TDI 150 thinking outside the box. After all why box yourself in when you can Bora way out? Sorry.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Volkswagen Bora TDI 150bhp
PRICE: £18,845 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 10
CO2 EMISSIONS: 149g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 134mph / 0-60mph 8.4s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 51.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags / ABS / Side airbags / ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4149/1735/1439mm
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