What is it?
The second generation of the electrified Volkswagen Golf GTE, driven here in the UK for the first time.
The brief for this front-driven plug-in hybrid hatch remains as seemingly contradictory as it’s ever been: deliver an elevated level of performance and driver engagement while simultaneously offering lower running costs and a wallet-friendly benefit-in-kind tax rating. That sounds like a fairly appealing - if challenging - recipe on paper, doesn’t it?
The thing is, the previous GTE was a refined and slick-operating plug-in hybrid by the standards of the day, but as an electrified take on the excellent Mk7 GTI, it felt a bit, well, tepid. Its powertrain lacked the endearing effervescence you’d normally expect from a fast family hatch; and although it handled competently, the additional weight of its battery and electric motor dulled its agility and left it feeling a bit sedate.
So hopefully, this new one will be a more convincing take on an eco-friendly GTI - even if its general blueprint hasn’t really changed all that dramatically. Up front, you’ll still find a turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine and an electric motor that’s integrated into the same housing as the six-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Individually, those power sources develop outputs of 148bhp (petrol) and 107bhp (electric, a 9bhp uplift) but they combine for a system output of 242bhp. Not only is that a match for the current GTI, but it’s a 41bhp improvement over the previous GTE, too. Torque, meanwhile, stands at a combined 295lb ft - 37lb ft more than last time. Brake-based torque vectoring should help through corners, as should the optional adaptive dampers that were fitted to our test car.
There’s also a bigger, 13kWh (gross capacity) battery, which gives the GTE a WLTP zero-emissions range of 39.7 miles and helps slot it into the 10% benefit-in-kind tax bracket. Of course, in the real-world, you’d be lucky to get that much, but for what it’s worth, the GTE quoted us a range of 24 miles with the battery at about 80%. So you can probably expect 30 miles or so between charging sessions, depending on how you use it, which is par for the course with rivals.
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Like many other manufacturers VW are playing the 'numbers game': they need to hit a 'pass-mark' across their range of vehicles to satisfy current and forecast legislation. Ergo, the headline figures for many models will show 'terrific' green credentials.
VW know that few people will fork out the kind of money that these cars cost and that they will sell millions of conventional cheaper ICE vehicles. What matters is the AVERAGE figure across the catalogue range from the Up! to the big SUVs; not the average of sales!
The UK market and its company car tax régime are idiosyncracies that are not repeated across many other countries, therefore they matter little to the overall sales world-wide. And don't forget, all it takes is a decision from N° 11 to change the UK landscape completely!
Interesting times!
As I don't pay company car tax and never will, there is precisely naff all No11 can do to alter my situation. Unless you're suggesting he's going to knock £15k off the price of a new car. The fact that so many people are happy to pay £500-£700 a month for a car means that people who would rather not live in perpetual debt (smart people) and actually own their car, just won't replace their cars. I like having pension savings and money in ISAs. 48 months of £500 and then nothing at the end of it, will lead to a load of people still working at 70 and probably wondering what they did wrong.
If you don't want to take credit you're not getting any decent discounts either. I could get £7000 off a VW ID3 if I signed a credit agreement. That's a good deal. If a cash buyer, I get £3000 off. No new cars for me.
VW Taking the piss all round.