Plus more powerful Golf GTE ramps up the fun factor
A MORE more potent version of VW’S current Golf GTE plug-in hybrid is also being worked on – and we have been for a quick drive to see how it’s shaping up.
Engineers have taken the existing eco-focused GTE and re-written the software that controls its gearbox-mounted electric motor, freeing it up to use “more power and torque”. But VW won’t say how much has been added to the regular GTE’S 75kw and 350Nm.
Many of the GTE’S existing parameters remain, including the 120km/h (75mph) limit for pureelectric running. But there’s a bit more punch from the electric motor to propel you to that speed.
In GTE mode, the electric motor provides useful assistance to a 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine unchanged from the regular car.
It’s a promising glimpse of how VW could inject more fun into a model that does, after all, contain the letters ‘GT’ in its badge. And we’d be surprised if a version of this prototype doesn’t form part of the Mk8 Golf line-up.