Golf GTE PHEV

boardzz

Irish pricing has been announced. €38,500 after the rebate.

Is it a better all-round proposition than the other two 'GTs' in the Volkswagen stable - the diesel GTD or even, dare I say it at the risk of ridicule, the GTi itself?
Can the GTE's extraordinary mix of low fuel consumption and more-than-creditable performance outweigh what the other two bring to the table?
I understand prices for the plug-in will start around the €38,500 mark when VRT rebate and special allowances are factored in.
Admittedly that is still a fair lump of money but if you compare prices with the 5dr GTD you'll find both cost much the same.
However, as the GTE has a 6spd DSG transmission, the nearest automatic equivalent for the GTD would cost close on €41,000.
The 'real GTi' 5dr costs a bit deal less at €36,720. So maybe it is a straight battle between the diesel and the plug-in?
The GTE, here for July sales but with orders being taken now, comes with some unusually impressive statistics.
It can be driven on electricity alone for up to 50km. I'd make that 35km-40km in real-world driving - at least that as been my experience with plug-ins.
However, when the 150bhp 1.4-litre direct injection petrol engine and 102bhp electric motor work together in hybrid mode, it has a potential range of 939km.
Perhaps the truly outstanding statistic is its overall fuel consumption: a claimed 1.6litres every 100kms (166mpg) is one of the lowest I remember.
Even if you got half that in real-world driving it would still be outstanding.
As well as that, official emissions of a mere 39g/km anchor it firmly in the €170-a-year road tax band.
With a combined 204bhp on tap (GTi 220bhp, GTD 184bhp) it is no slouch: it has an 0-100kmh sprint time of 7.5 seconds.
That is the same as the GTD and - believe it or not - just one second slower than the GTi. And, not that you should ever attempt it, there is a top speed of 222kmh.
If you can plan your battery charging in line with your daily commute, you should seldom have to call on the engine during the week.
As most people commute fewer than 50kms a day, it might just be possible to do so on electric power only, especially if you can plug in at work to reboot the lithium-ion battery. It can be charged in approximately 3hrs 45mins from a domestic mains outlet and 2hrs 15mins from a wall box.
They have themed key cabin highlights in blue (to denote electric/frugality); the GTi's signature is red (for performance).
Unlike the e-Golf which is sold through one dealer, there will be a number of outlets for the GTE.
In many ways it is a car that typifies what plug-in technology is about these days. The critical thing is how grants and rebates make such cars competitive on price against diesel equivalents.

Alanstrainor

I'd have one! Very cool car indeed.

fletch

boardzz wrote: »

However, when the 150bhp 1.4-litre direct injection petrol engine and 102bhp electric motor work together in hybrid mode, it has a potential range of 939km...
With a combined 204bhp on tap (GTi 220bhp, GTD 184bhp) it is no slouch: it has an 0-100kmh sprint time of 7.5 seconds.

How does 150bhp + 102bhp = 204bhp?

Anjobe

fletch wrote: »

How does 150bhp + 102bhp = 204bhp?

Some power from the engine must be used to run the generator, but 48bhp?

It all sounds very impressive, but will the real world experience match the claims?

Oafley Jones

Anjobe wrote: »

Some power from the engine must be used to run the generator, but 48bhp?

It all sounds very impressive, but will the real world experience match the claims?

Reviews weren't exactly glowing. Suffers from the weight of the battery pack as well.

cros13

fletch wrote: »

How does 150bhp + 102bhp = 204bhp?

Because it varies power from each powerplant under different conditions.
204bhp or 150kW in real money is the peak output.

GTE reviews are good, don't know what Oafley is reading but I've never seen it get less than 4/5 stars.

I had a test drive in Germany, It's definitely more fun to drive than a GTI. Low end torque of the electric motor gives a good kick during low speed acceleration until the motor spins up to carry you further.
And weight distribution is better than the GTi or GTD too. 0 - 60km/h is at least a second better than the GTi. And of course if your commute is inside the EV range running costs will be at least 5 times lower than a diesel Golf.

Oafley Jones

cros13 wrote: »

Because it varies power from each powerplant under different conditions.
204bhp or 150kW in real money is the peak output.

GTE reviews are good, don't know what Oafley is reading but I've never seen it get less than 4/5 stars.

Not autocar or autoexpress VAGs promotional pieces anyway. Interesting reading about your experiences as I've seen a few reports saying that the extra weight is very apparent in the handling. Economy wasn't great unless you've a very specific pattern of driving otherwise the GTD was advised as probably the better bet for mpg.

cros13

Oafley Jones wrote: »

Not autocar or autoexpress VAGs promotional pieces anyway. Interesting reading about your experiences as I've seen a few reports saying that the extra weight is very apparent in the handling. Economy wasn't great unless you've a very specific pattern of driving otherwise the GTD was advised as probably the better bet for mpg.

Not that I put that much stock in them but most of the Irish papers gave very good scores. I had my quick spin back in January so I was not influenced by any reviews at that point.

You can definitely feel the extra weight, but the weight is distributed and the battery is low down. So the car is closer to 50/50 weight distribution and the center of gravity is lower.
I'd have a bit of a bone to pick with the factory tire choice as I had some grip issues. Don;t know if they changed the tyres since I drove it.

Agree that the GTD is the better bet for long haul or commutes over about double the 30km real world EV range. But the 8.7 kWh battery costs about 60c to charge on the night rate, so your low speed driving or short commute costs half nothing.

wendell borton

This is a GTE!!!

The GTE may make sense in Anti Ev Deutschland where there are a lot less charge points than Ireland and where they sometimes get the chance to drive well in excess of our speed limits on the un-restricted parts of the Autobahn.

As for the claimed 188 IMP mpg this will greatly depend on how often you can keep the battery topped up. On petrol this will plummet.

The claimed 35 miles on a charge may be accurate in city driving but tested in the U.S it hardly got 15 miles after all it only has a tiny 8 kwh battery god knows how much usable.

The GTE may be faster than the Leaf but the Leaf is not boring by any means and feels fast to 100 Kph.

The Leaf is also much cheaper and will be much cheaper to run.

The GTE may suit a lot of small mileage drivers but the Leaf, I3, E-golf etc (full battery cars) are even more suitable to these people. Most plug in owners wish they had a lot more electric range as shown in the U.S.