Blue Sky Moment

The Volkswagen BlueSport's enthusiastic project leader is the man who gives the game away. At a drive program around Germany's picturesque lake district, Marco Fabiano lets slip that the concept car originally revealed at the Detroit show in January has already been granted a development codename. It's not a case of if Volkswagen will build this neat-looking two-seater, but when.

Fabiano's frank admission of VW boss Martin Winterkorn's recent decision to grant the BlueSport a production green light comes as little surprise. Although it's been hand-built, this mid-engined roadster already drives with a level of mechanical proficiency you'd expect from a prototype in the final stages of development.

In fact, such is its inherent togetherness, it seems to have skipped all the usual early development processes VW models normally undergo and headed straight into the testing phase. I may be ridiculed for saying this, but it already feels like a junior Porsche Boxster.

That's because the BlueSport was conceived from the outset as a production car, right down to the intricacies of its platform architecture, which draws heavily on components from the new, fifth-generation Polo.

"We had a very firm idea of what we wanted: a low but wide roadster that not only looks fresh and appeals to all age groups but is also class-leading in terms of dynamics, and, most importantly given that it's a Volkswagen, is reasonably affordable," explains Fabiano. 

Although it isn't clear when the production car will arrive, it's no secret that Volkswagen intends using the BlueSport to spearhead a renewed attack on the North American market, just as Mazda did in the 1990s with the MX-5. It's likely we'll see showroom versions by 2013.

The BlueSport is a modern-looking roadster bearing VW's latest design cues. As you approach it, you're instantly aware that only a mid-engined car could possess such unique, attractive proportions.

Although you can expect the styling to be further refined by the time it reaches production, the one  thing that won't change much is the BlueSport's roughly MX-5-size dimensions.

The BlueSport gets an uncomplicated fabric roof with heated rear window. It erects manually, weighs just 27kg, and can be raised from inside the cabin.
Open the long door, wriggle into the firmly padded driver's seat and one thing strikes you above all else: the interior appears remarkably production-ready, with the sort of restrained design elements and trim materials you could expect to see in a production version.

For a car of such compact dimensions, there's generous accommodation within the cabin, and, with 180 litres overall luggage capacity (110L up front and 70L at the rear), there's room for a couple of overnight bags.

The essence of the new roadster is a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive platform based around VW's ubiquitous front-engined/front-drive Golf and Polo platforms and engineered to provide maximum levels of production efficiency and economies of scale. 

The idea is simple enough. Volkswagen has shifted the engine bay back to behind the cabin, retaining the same sub-frame, transverse mounting points and positioning of the six-speed dual-clutch gearbox relative to the engine; the 'box nestles down inside the rear left-hand flank.

Engine cooling is taken care of by two radiators mounted in the nose, while induction air is collected by ducts in front of the rear wheelarches.

Keen to highlight its engine tech at the BlueSport's debut, VW decided to fit it with its latest 2.0-litre 135kW/350Nm common-rail turbo-diesel. It's one of a trio of engines being considered for the production version; one other candidate being a 198kW/350Nm, 2.0-litre direct-injection turbo petrol unit in a possible R model.

The BlueSport's retro-inspired driver's seat slides manually and has plenty of adjustment fore and aft, while the sporty steering wheel is adjustable for rake and reach. It's easy to get comfortable.

There is no key. You simply press a starter button that's mounted within a bezel controlling the gearbox's PRND functions. The first touch triggers the ignition. A second nudge fires the engine. Initial impressions? The engine's raspy note sounds more like a petrol unit than a diesel. And it's terrifically refined.

After a few blips of the throttle you turn the centre-console mounted bezel to D, depress the Sport button underneath the wheel's left-hand spoke, nudge the right-hand shift paddle forwards to select first, and you're off.

It may be a diesel, but it lacks nothing in terms of performance. A determined prod of the throttle unleashes a hearty exhaust note and a good turn of speed. The concept's top speed is pegged at 100km/h, but you only need half that on the clock to discover there's real intent here. A distinct rearward weight bias sees
the BlueSport squat and hug the asphalt as you accelerate hard out of third-gear corners.

The apparent speed is partly a product of the 1200kg kerb weight, which gives the BlueSport a power-to-weight ratio of 106kW/tonne, roughly the same as the MX-5. For the record, VW says the production car will hit 100km/h in 6.6sec and reach 225km/h flat out. It's also claimed to return 5.7L/100km (combined), emit just 113g/km of CO2 and comply with North America's strict BIN5 NOx regulations.

Yet there's much more to this car than outright speed. Displaying a level of response and composure well beyond what you might expect from a one-off concept car, the chassis flows in concert with the camber of the smooth-surfaced German country roads, and there's proper feel to the pedals; enough to allow measured increases in throttle and confidence-inspiring dabs of the Golf R32-sourced brakes.

The steering – an electro-mechanical set-up borrowed from the Polo -- is typically light in feel but at the same time terrifically direct. Perhaps it's the lack of mass over the front axle, but there's an eagerness upon turn-in that you just don't find in any existing Volkswagen model.

It all adds up to a wonderfully deft cornering feel, and with 19-inch aluminium wheels shod with 235/35 (front) and 245/35 (rear) Pirelli P Zero Nero tyres, you can be sure of plenty of grip.

To accentuate its stance, the BlueSport sits low to the road. The ride is sufficiently controlled, possessing enough composure to allow you to attack pockmarked roads, rather than simply tootling over them as you would in most concept cars. The suspension layout combines the front strut set-up from the upcoming fifth-gen Polo with the rear multi-link arrangement that will underpin all-wheel-drive 4Motion versions of the sixth-gen Golf – all in the interests of cost saving, apparently, but when it all works this well, there's really no reason to hide the fact.

The best VWs have always been those conceived for broad appeal. But while the BlueSport is never going to sell in the same sort of numbers as the Golf, it proves that even in an increasingly environmentally conscious world, driving fun will remain well within reach, even for those on a modest budget.

If anything, this car is even better to drive than it looks. But even with all the basics seemingly already in place, it's going to take some time before the BlueSport reaches showrooms. By then, the likeable roadster promises to be a much sought-after car. Suddenly 2013 can't arrive soon enough.