2024 Volkswagen Golf GTE review

Sometimes vehicles happen along and you wonder why you’re driving them. So it was with Volkswagen Golf’s GTE, a plug-in hybrid.

Are we driving it because the Golf has just turned 50? Kind of, yes. The milestone happened in May, and evidently VW has made 37 million Golfs during the past half century.

It’s not the world’s best selling car, which would be Corolla, but it is in second spot if you ignore full-sized pick-ups, like the F-150.

Golf has just been updated overseas, and is now into its Gen 8.5 iteration. It features new lighting and bumpers up front and rear, and new tech inside, including AI-enhanced voice control.

But it’s not here yet and instead we are sampling a PHEV variant of the outgoing model. That’s in part because everyone is really into hybrids of all kinds at present.

And that’s on account of the EV revolution being on-pause currently, as governments can no longer afford EV subsidies.

And to add insult to injury here, they’ve slapped on road user charges that are the same as those for the high-emitting diesels. Doesn’t seem quite fair does it, given EVs are emissions-free.

Anyhow, hybrids and PHEVs are flavour of the moment, even though they’re petrol burners and the EU is saying no more sales of ICE power vehicles from 2035. Still, that’s quite some time off.

They also go well, though aren’t quite as nippy as the GTE, but they have decent EV range of 519km. That of the Golf PHEV is ‘up to 60km’.

Only being a test unit, this one wouldn’t show more than 42km range when charged. Either way, that’s not much in the PHEV scheme of things; some are cracking 100km these days.

However, the reason for the limited EV range is that the Golf GTE is built on the MQB platform and there really was not any more room under the boot floor for a battery pack bigger than 13kWh.

As it is, said power source has robbed the GTE of a fair amount of storage space, down from 380L to 273L.

Which is what many will end up doing on a trip because it is so much easier than faffing around charging. You can plug into a public AC charger (7-22kW) but it makes no difference to time spent hooked up because the on-board charger is 3.6kW.

So figure on 3.5 hours, the same as it takes a conventional home wallbox to recharge it from flat.

Volkswagen rates mean fuel economy at 1.2L/100km. That’s under optimal conditions for folk living in town who recharge regularly when they need to.

Using the engine, however, it took the better part of 100km to refill it, and fuel use for that time was 8.5L/100km.

Now the engine at the basis of the PHEV is a 1.4 TSI that develops 110kW and 250Nm. In a regular Golf, that uses fuel in the mid-fives area.

When it’s not also acting as a generator our GTE got down to 6.2L/100km.

If you use this as directed, you really can expect amazing fuel economy of next to nothing. With an 85kW/330Nm motor you can easily drive the GTE in town without the engine ever firing.

And it goes well as a pure EV, away from the lights in snappy fashion, without the hybrid delay as it happens.

So it really does earn its GT(E) stripes. The GTI is in runout at $64,990 so if you want as much performance as that but a greener alternative the GTE would be that.

Why, it even has the tartan cloth seat trim that is the calling card of the GTI. Only VW calls it something a bit different (Scale Paper). This GT gets sports seats as well.

They’re not electric or anything but they are supportive, delve down deep when you need them to, and have manual lumbar adjustment. Not enough mind you but better than none at all.

It doesn’t have quite the spec you might expect of a car that started out at $76k. There’s no traffic sign recognition, and no powered seats or electric fifth door either.

Nor seat heaters, but there’s head-up display, smart 18-inch alloys, interior ambient lighting and external door handle welcoming lights. Figure also on a Qi charger, and wireless phone hook up.

Aside from the EV and hybrid modes, there’s Eco, Normal and Sport, the latter also available by shifting between D and S modes at the stubby wee gear lever.

And there are all the expected safety and convenience items, other than those we mentioned earlier.

So the GTE pretty much fulfills VW New Zealand’s remit. Its GM, Chanelle McDonald, says: “Volkswagen is committed to embracing the shift towards sustainable transportation, providing consumers with eco-friendly vehicles that allow them to reduce their carbon footprint without compromising on performance.”

Just make sure you use it as directed on the tin to get the most from it. It’s aimed primarily at folk who live and work in the city, and travel out of town occasionally.

Golf Gen VIII is now in runout. Expect the next GTE (version 8.5) to have more power (202kW), a bigger battery (19kWh) and added range (100km).

Model

Volkswagen Golf GTE

Price

$59,990

Engine

1395cc, IL4, T, DI

Power

110kW @ 5000-6000rpm

Torque

250Nm @ 1550-3500rpm

Motor Output

80kW / 330Nm

Drivetrain

6-speed twin-clutch, AWD

Turning circle

10.9m (2.6 turns)

Fuel Use

1.2L/100km

C02 Output

26g/km

0-100km/h

6.23 sec

Tyre Size

f/r-225/40/R18

Fuel Capacity

41.5L

Stability systems

ABS, ESP, TV

Safety

AEB, ACC, BSM, LDW, RCTA, ALK, AHB

Luggage Capacity

273L

Tow rating

750kg (1500kg braked)

Service intervals

24 months/30,000km

Warranty

5 years/150,000km

ANCAP rating

5 Stars (2022)

Weight

1602kg (claimed)

This article first appeared in the September 2024 issue of NZ Autocar Magazine.

This article was originally published on autocar.co.nz