2021 (21) Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI GTE 5dr DSG

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 reports.

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

Hybrid cars used to be dull, compromised, soul-less things. In buying one, you sacrificed driving enjoyment for eco-minded technology and positioned yourself amongst smug, green-minded folk. It isn't like that any more - or at least it doesn't need to be, according at least to this car, Volkswagen's Golf GTE. This second generation model, originally launched early in 2020, succeeded an original Golf GTE that was one of the market's very first Plug-in Hybrids when it was first announced back in late-2014. This replacement's key change was a 13.0kWh lithium-ion battery twice as large, which usefully extended the WLTP-rated all-electric driving range to 40 miles. In mid-2024, Volkswagen further updated this powertrain, installing an even larger 19.7kWh battery that more than doubled EV range. And it's that smarter, botter-connected Golf GTE we look at here.

Driving Experience

The GTE is the faster of the two Golf PHEV variants. Instead of the 204PS powertrain you get in the lesser eHybrid, there's a punchier 272PS set-up here. Otherwise though, the powerplant's pretty much the same between the two cars, uprated as part of this MK8 Golf's mid-term facelift from 1.4 to 1.5-litres in size and embellished with a much larger 19.7kWh battery (up from 13.0kWh before). That's provided for a much longer EV driving range of 82 miles for this GTE (only 7 miles less than the eHybrid). So for suburban driving, you really could use this Golf PHEV much like an EV. As before with the GTE, drive is via a 6-speed DSG dual clutch auto gearbox and there's sprightly performance - 62mph from rest now takes 6.6s en route to 143mph. The all-electric top speed is 80mph. The PHEV system's operation is much as before. When the battery is sufficiently charged, the GTE always starts in its all-electric E-MODE, switching to the alternative 'Hybrid' mode only if the energy capacity of the battery drops below a certain level or the vehicle's speed rises above 80mph. As before, the driver has the option to 'save' battery charge for urban driving later in any trip. Once you've entered in a navigation destination, the battery manager (using so-called 'Predictive Hybrid Control') can predictively take into account road and topographical GPS data to ensure the most efficient use of the available driving range. Through the turns, a driving dynamics control system known as the 'Vehicle Dynamics manager' controls the XDS torque vectoring system and the optional DCC adaptive chassis control adjustable dampers to achieve significant perceived difference between the feel of the car in its comfort and more sportily-orientated drive settings.

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, 10.4-inches in size as standard, with a bigger 12.9-litre monitor being optional. 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 272-litres because of the positioning of the PHEV system's bateries 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 £37,000. 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. Powering this Volkswagen up from a domestic socket would take around five hours, but most owners will want to find an extra few hundred pounds to install a Wallbox charger in their garages. Use such a wallbox - or indeed plug in to one of the many public charging points springing up around the country - and you'll be able to reduce your charging time period from empty to around three hours and thirty minutes.

Summary

So: the best of both worlds, at the push of a button. Is that what we've got here? Pretty much, yes. The Volkswagen Group weren't the first to bring us the benefits of plug-in motoring but they've been the first to really perfect it - or at least perfect it as far as is possible within the limits of current battery technology. As a result, if you've never thought much of electric mobility as an automotive solution, here's a car we think might convert you. Everything's so straightforward - so normal. Just leave the thing in its 'Hybrid Auto' setting and you'll get diesel-like fuel economy with a real surging turn of pace when you need it. Even if you never once plugged this car in, you'd probably be perfectly happy with what you had. So no, you don't have to press buttons and select menu options to enjoy and benefit from GTE motoring. But devoted owners will want to do that. These people will see ownership as being all about mastering and getting the most from the Plug-in hybrid concept. For them, there'll be nothing normal about what this Volkswagen can do. They'll talk of its silent all-electric operation. Or running costs that decimate their annual tax payments and see a potential three-figure range achievable from every gallon. Or maybe the way in which when used for short journeys, it can make fuel station visits a thing of the past. It's all deceptively unique - and rather futuristic. In a car very much for today.