Fast and frugal

According to scientists, driving a car is the single most polluting thing humans do. Motorised vehicles emit millions of tons of pollutants into the air each year with several classified as toxics, one of the major being Carbon Dioxide (CO2).

To this end, carmakers are fighting back with avant-garde pollution control measures, which have drastically reduced emissions per vehicle over the past 20 years

Our four participants in this test, the Ford Focus 2.0 TDCI Trend, Fiat Bravo 1.9 Multijet Dynamic, Toyota Auris 2.0 D-4D RX and Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TDI Sportline are fine examples in the race to combat air pollution. It’s the Diesel engine that is at the forefront of the battle due mainly to its frugal fuel habits. With CO2 emissions of between just 148 and 151 grams per kilometre, the four participants are well armed to positively counteract the negative issues caused by unfriendly emissions.

But that’s not to say you’ll be compromised when it comes to performance. And here it’s the Ford Focus that seems to have accomplished the best compromise between ecology and performance. To start with, it’s the quickest. But then it’s also imbued with another basic energy/emission improvement requirement - it weighs 1333kg. Yes, the lighter the car, the less energy and subsequently the less fuel and unwanted emissions consumed.

But added to this is an even more important feature, it’s equipped with a ‘transient over-boost’ facility via the turbo that produces an extra 20Nm of torque in short bursts when required - which not only sees to its great test results but assists in reducing unwanted emissions when not in use.

The Auris is the ‘porky’ of the four with a mass of 1410kg – that’s over 6% more than the Focus. Not only is it heavier but also develops somewhat less in output terms than its rivals here, resulting in slightly higher CO2 emissions, too. As a matter of interest, with the largest 58-litre fuel tank the Fiat Bravo has the longest fuel range.

All four incorporate electronic gas-cleaning systems such as re-circulating of exhaust gases and catalytic converters to further protect the environment. Environmentally friendly friction materials are also used to also assist in the process.

Driving the four on the road proved a pleasure, the Golf perhaps handling urban traffic the best with its 320Nm of torque wound out at a low-low 1750rpm. Another feature is the similar specific torque outputs of the Focus, Bravo and Golf, which are all somewhat better than the Auris – this also being indicated in performance terms. Around the urban sprawl the engine flexibility of these diesels is superior to any of the quartet’s respective petrol driven siblings.

As far as the front suspension goes they all have McPherson Strut set-ups. This system creates low un-sprung qualities that go a long way in offering the positive feedback necessary for refined handling and driving. At the rear the story is quite different. The Bravo and Auris use torsion beams with the Focus using a blade multi-link system and the Golf a 4-link arrangement.

The result? Well there’s not much to choose between them. In fact it may be only at the extreme limits of driving that the differences can be felt and better appreciated

We’ve run with the Focus and Golf before and found them easy on the eye in whatever company they are. However when a totally new design is created such as the Auris and Bravo, carmakers will attempt to introduce something new in overall design terms to attract buyers.

Sometimes it works and other times it doesn’t. In this case both succeeded. To this end Toyota even sent its designers to Italy, and Milan specifically, the world centre of design, to absorb some classic Italian styling cues. Fiat went further. It used none other than design guru Giugiaro to create something special.

The result for Auris was it finally escaped the Jap-centric feel and now looks Continental though still keeping some Corolla design cues. That said, the Auris can hardly be described as stunning, nor does its design evoke universal praise. Neither does the Bravo for that matter, yet its styling is more distinctly Italian and arguably a lot more beautiful.