VOLTSWAGEN (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_volkswagengolfgte_2021

By Jonathan Crouch

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 Reviewword count: 67

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.

Backgroundword count: 176

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 Experienceword count: 436

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.

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