Volkswagen's original plug-in model, the Golf GTE, gets smarter and more frugal with this updated version of the second generation model. Jonathan Crouch drives it.
Ten Second Review
The improved version of Volkswagen's second generation Golf GTE continues to offer a more dynamic, if rather pricey, take on Plug-in Hybrid technology, combining sporty styling and pokey petrol power along with real world battery range and frugality. The idea is to deliver GTI responsiveness along with ID.3-style EV sustainability. If Volkswagen has done just that, then this could very well be the ultimate all-round family hatch.
Background
Back in late-2014, the first generation Golf GTE was one of the market's very first Plug-in Hybrids, but back then, expectations weren't particularly high when it came to the kind of EV range a car like this should be able to manage. By the end of that decade though, things had changed a lot, hence the need for a second generation CD1-era replacement with a considerably larger 13.0kWh lithium-ion battery, which usefully extended the WLTP-rated all-electric driving range to 40 miles.
Volkswagen knew though that if this Plug-in Hybrid Golf was really to be a properly credible alternative to a full-EV, better technology still was needed. So in mid-2024, the brand provided it, further updating this powertrain by installing an even larger 19.7kWh battery that more than doubled EV range. It's that smarter, further-ranging version of the second generation Golf GTE that we look at here. These days, this isn't the only kind of Plug-in Hybrid Golf you can buy - but it remains the most powerful and dynamic-looking flavour of PHEV Golf you could choose.
Driving Experience
Mid-term model updates aren't usually accompanied by much in terms of re-engineering, but that's very differently not the case here. In place of the 1.4-litre engine and 13kWh battery of the GTE we tried back in 2021, there's now a 1.5-litre unit and a much larger 19.7kWh usable-capacity battery. It's the battery change that's most significant of course, allowing for an enormous boost in EV driving range - up from 40 miles before to 82 miles for this improved GTE. Less obvious in day-to-day driving is the claimed performance gain. Supported by a 110PS electric motor and generated through a 6-speed DSG auto gearbox, the total output of this facelifted model is up from 245PS to 272PS, though that only makes an insignificant 0.1s difference to the 0-62mph sprint time figure of 6.6s. Which if you're interested is just 0.7s slower than a Golf GTI. Top speed is 143mph.
For that kind of driving, the car will already have switched into the combustion-orientated of its two drive settings - 'Hybrid'. It always starts off though, in its other setting, all electric 'E-mode', and if you're light with your right foot, it will do its best to stay there until the charge runs out. In theory, the car can drive in its 'E-Mode' at up to 80mph. If you've inputted a navigation destination, your GTE will also use an incorporated Predictive Hybrid Control system that takes into account road and topographical data to ensure the most efficient use of the remaining available battery range. Also automatic is the car's brake energy recuperation system that a centre screen menu also allows you to manually set that in 'Low' or 'High' settings if you want to take control yourself. If you want to save battery charge until the end of your journey (say for city driving at the end of a long highway trip), there's a centre screen option allowing you to do that too.
If all of this could have been provided with a really authentic Golf GTI-like driving experience, then you'd have the best of both worlds, but of course it can't. Under strain, the little 1.5-litre engine is nothing like the GTI's sweet 2.0-litre turbo and enjoys being revved a lot less. At speed through the twisty stuff, this Plug-in Hybrid's extra 111kg of kerb weight is also very evident, though the 'dynamic'-spec steering is pleasingly accurate. That bulk doesn't affect ride comfort too badly though. In fact, if you pay extra for the DCC adaptive damping system that was fitted to our test car, you'll find that bumps and potholes are dealt with very smoothly.
Design and Build
As before, a big part of the GTE's appeal is that it doesn't look that different to a GTI. Blue-themed touches differentiate this plug-in variant - on a narrow line spanning the front end of the bonnet and on an LED strip in the headlight. A nice touch is the way that the radiator grille illuminates as a continuation of this strip. This GTE of course gains all the most recent Golf visual updates. There are fresh illuminating signatures in the new-look angular LED headlamps and revised bumpers front and rear, plus new sills beneath the doors and smarter LED tail lamps. In profile, you get 17-inch 'Richmond' alloy wheels.
Inside, as on the outside, the Golf GTE features blue highlights where the GTI has red. This includes the interior of the central spoke of the steering wheel and the seams and edging of the upholstery and trim. The main design changes to this updated Golf GTE lie with media connection. The earlier version's widely-criticised infotainment system has been thoroughly updated to what VW calls' MIB4' status, which means it gets quicker processing times, smarter menus and slicker graphics. The centre screen's updated too, now 12.9-inches in size as standard.
Talking of screens, there are a few minor updates to the 10.2-inch 'Digital Cockpit Pro' instrument display, which can be customised to model via different layouts. And there's a better head-up display available. The steering wheel's different too, now restored with proper buttons, instead of the pre-facelift model's fiddly touch-sensitive ones. The awful touch slider below the infotainment screen has been retained, but it's now more responsive and (at last) is back-lit for easier night use. The voice control set-up's also better, thanks to ChatGPT tech, which can be used to control navigation, 'phone and climate functions. The advantage here is that if Volkswagen's own voice activation set-up doesn't know the answer to a question you might be asking the car, it'll be relayed to the ChatGPT AI system - though the same VW voice will still give you the answer.
Otherwise, things are much as with any other Golf, so you get great build quality and decent space for two adults on the rear bench. But boot space falls from the 380-litre total you get with an ordinary Golf to 273-litres because of the positioning of the PHEV system's batteries under the cargo area floor.
Market and Model
It seems a long time ago now that you could buy a Golf GTE for around £25,000. There's no government assistance for plug-in hybrids these days of course and Volkswagen pricing has risen considerably, all of which contributes to an eventual asking price for this car of around £40,000. If you can't stretch to that, there's an alternative Golf eHybrid model with a 204PS version of this same PHEV powerplant, priced at around £36,000.
Standard-fit is Volkswagen's clever 'Travel Assist' 'IQ.DRIVE' system that gives Golf GTE drivers active steering, accelerating and braking at speeds of up to 130mph A key GTE model option is the DCC adaptive chassis control adjustable damping system. Other key standard features include three-zone Climatronic air conditioning, 'intelligent' 'LED Plus' headlamps, exterior ambient lighting, 'sports comfort' front seats and multi-colour cabin lighting.
There's also Adaptive Cruise Control, the Car2X local warning system and LED tail light clusters. Safety kit includes a Lane Assist lane keeping system, Front Assist Autonomous Emergency Braking and Dynamic Road Sign Display. Plus there's Traffic Jam Assist (which basically drives the car for you in urban queues) and Emergency Assist (which brings the car to a controlled stop should you be taken ill at the wheel).
Manoeuvring can be simplified by the latest assist systems including the enhanced 'Park Assist Plus' and 'Park Assist Pro' systems, which are available for the first time for the Golf and enable you to stand outside the car and part it with your smartphone. The 360-degree Area View is another new and useful feature. Five fresh alloy wheel designs and four new metallic paint finishes have also been added to this updated range.
Cost of Ownership
The published figures for the GTE look faintly unfeasible. Volkswagen claims a combined fuel economy figure of 796.3mpg (yes, you read that right) and emissions of up to 8g/km. Compare to 235.4mpg and 26g/km for the pre-facelift model. For reference, the alternative Golf eHybrid 204PS version of this model manages 992.4mpg and 6g/km of CO2. Readings like these really point to the deficiencies of the WLTP economy tests for measuring cars like this, rather than the real world abilities of the GTE. In pure electric mode (activated at the press of a button), the Golf GTE can travel up to 82 miles, 42 miles further than before (it's 89 miles for the eHybrid variant). In other words, if the vehicle is only used for short commutes and re-charged regularly overnight, it is conceivable that this GTE can be run almost entirely without fuel. And conceivably (if you get your charging regime right) on off-peak electricity that'll hopefully cost pennies rather than pounds to consume.
The extent to which you can charge this car up from the mains is also obviously going to make quite a difference to your overall running costs. Doing so inevitably takes a lot less time than it would in a comparable full-electric car - say something like a Nissan Leaf. That's because the batteries of a Plug-in hybrid car like this one are much smaller.
As before, you can set charging via a provided app or via a centre screen menu. A key difference though, with this latest GTE powertrain is the addition of DC fast-charging, which means the battery can be recharged at speeds of up to 40kW. The home AC charging speed has changed too, up from just 3.6kW before to potentially as much as 11kW now. Charge at 11kW and you could potentially completely replenish the 19.7kWh battery in just two and a half hours.
Summary
We've to judge this updated take on the CD1-era second generation Golf GTE quite differently from the pre-facelift version of this model that we tried back in 2021 - and there are pluses and minuses to that. On the plus side is the game-changing nature of this enhanced model's much larger 19.7kWh battery, which is able to make this GTE something its predecessors never really were - namely, a credible alternative to a full-EV. Around 70-80 miles of range a day is all most people actually need. And this Golf provides that fossil-free - without the lengthy charging and long range restrictions of an EV.
For all that, we'd struggle to justify a Golf GTE at a time when Volkswagen will sell you an almost equally impressive Golf eHybrid PHEV model for around £5,000 less. A car which would take you even further on EV charge and in which you'd struggle to notice much difference in power. That eHybrid variant wasn't available the last time we tested this model. But since it now is, we'd counsel you to first try that car before signing off on this one. With an eHybrid test drive completed, you might still be seduced by this GTE's sportier looks. And still feel that one of these would be cleverer choice than you could make by spending the same sort of money on a comparably-sized EV. Right here, right now, we'd struggle to disagree.
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