Volkswagen Golf GTE
Can petrol and electric live in perfect harmony? Nick ODantzis gives his verdict…
SPECiFICaTIONS
PRICE From £33,995 URL volkswagen.co.uk power 204bhp doors Five fuel economy 166mpg 0-62mp h 7.6 seconds top sp eed 135mph gears Six-speed automatic DSG PHEV
Let me just say something right off the bat: I’ve loved every minute of driving this car. It’s (relatively) fast, it’s exceedingly comfortable, and it oozes style without shouting, “Look at me – ain’t I a bit of a geezer, innit?” Despite the Golf’s legendary status, though, it’s not been a completely blissful stint of ownership.
First of all, the electric motor… though it’s handy for nipping around town in silence, smug in the knowledge that you’re not polluting your fellow citizens, the battery doesn’t have enough juice, meaning you have to charge it up every other time you want to go out. The indicated range of 30 miles is nonsense, too. You can head off from a full charge and five minutes later it’s showing 22 miles, even when you’re light-footed. There were other gremlins, too, like the car occasionally not responding when I pressed the start button, meaning I had to turn it off and on again, like some kind of naughty laptop.
What I did thoroughly enjoy, especially on long journeys, was the active cruise control. Switch it on, sit back and the computer brakes if you get too close to the car in front, applying throttle again when the coast is clear. It’s genius because you never have to touch the foot controls on a motorway or A-road again.
I may not be convinced by the hybrid scene yet but, foibles aside, the Golf GTE is an altogether brilliant driving experience.