New Volkswagen TGI 2019: the Polo and Golf go gas

The new versions of the Volkswagen Polo and Golf TGI add more performance and more range, while also improving efficiency.

Volkswagen is also betting on natural gas (CNG), and presents its new Polo and Golf TGI. An alternative to hybrid cars with electric and petrol engines when buying a low-consumption car for daily use that carries the ECO environmental label from the DGT.

One of the main new features of this updated TGI range is the adoption of a third natural gas (CNG) tank. In the case of the Polo TGI, this increases the range when running on gas by 60 kilometres, while the Golf TGI gains up to 80 km extra.

They are not hybrids, but they carry an ECO label

Although they can run on petrol or CNG, the Volkswagen TGI models are not hybrid cars. They can be described as “bi-fuel” cars, but they do not have two engines, as is the case with conventional hybrid cars. Even so, due to their environmental advantages, the DGT awards them the ECO label, just like cars running on LPG or autogas. Here you can see the differences between LPG and CNG cars.

As with the new Seat León TGI, the VW Golf TGI uses the advanced 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine, replacing the previous 1.4. This engine works on the Miller cycle, which allows a very high compression ratio for a turbocharged engine, 12.5:1, resulting in better performance and greater efficiency.

Volkswagen quotes a combined gas consumption from 3.5 kg/100 km for the 130 CV Golf TGI. With the 17.3 kg of gas in its tanks (115 litres of gas in total), it can cover around 500 km in CNG mode. At the current gas price of €0.90/kg, covering that distance with the Golf GTI costs less than 20 euros.

In the case of the Polo TGI, this figure is even more favourable, with combined consumption (again according to homologation figures) at 3.2 kg/100 km. The additional tank here holds 16.5 litres, bringing the total fuel storage capacity to 91.5 litres, equivalent to 13.8 kg of gas. The Polo’s engine is the 1.0 three-cylinder with 90 CV.

According to Volkswagen, in addition to the savings in euros per kilometre driven, cycling with CNG is also beneficial for the environment. The brand quotes a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions compared with a petrol engine, and also improved carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emissions compared with both petrol and diesel engines.

Technical specifications of the cars in this article

HatchbackVolkswagen Golf28 versions · from 24,450 €

HatchbackVolkswagen Polo7 versions · from 22,325 €