On the roads of Wolfsburg in the electric ID.3, new Mk8 Golf GTI and hybrid Golf GTE
For all sorts of reasons, VW has force-quit its old ways and reset. On the streets of their home city, we drive the key cars of its new era, the electric ID.3 and the feisty new GTI, and ride in the Mk8 GTE hybrid
FUTURE FIRST: ID.3
You can see what they’ve tried to do, and you can understand why they’ve tried to do it. If the inside of the ID.3 looks a bit Apple and a bit Tesla that’s no coincidence. For the mass market Apple defines classy consumer electronics, just as Tesla defines electric cars. And the ID.3 is very much intended as a car for the masses, like the Beetle and the Golf before it.
The overall proportions and the clean detailing are modern. Thanks to a wheelbase 100mm longer than the Golf ’s, the cabin is roomy and the boot a useful 385 litres. But even this well-kitted test car – close to 1st Plus spec, the only model initially available in the UK – could do with a bit of extra colour and some more sophisticated surfaces. The materials used in the lesser variants are even more mundane, the ambience dipped in various shades of grey and the wall-to-wall plastics not particularly kind to eye or touch. The ID.3 is de-contented and minimalist like you’d imagine an iCar might be, but the classiness typical of Apple products got lost in translation.
Still, a few average plastics can’t dampen today’s thrill of anticipation. Within days of Dieselgate, Tesla boss Elon Musk suggested VW might use these darkest of days as a chance to change direction, to pivot to a cleaner electric future. In truth, it had little option. And here, finally, is our chance to drive the ID.3 properly, just as some fortunate hack once got to first drive the Beetle and the Mk1 Golf.
Climbing in, you face a busy multi-function three-spoke wheel, a small rectangular instrument panel the size of the largest iPhone and a mid-mounted colour touchscreen featuring five buttons and four touch-sliders – VW’s latest obsession, and much less user-friendly than traditional knobs.
Hit the button, twist the blocky gear selector attached to the steering column into Drive, and remember to go easy on the throttle. The only battery available at this point is a 58kWh lithium-ion pack – larger and smaller variants will follow. (The MEB skateboard architecture stows the batteries between the axles, for neat packaging and a handy weight distribution. The motor drives the rear wheels through a single-speed transmission, averaging a competitive 4.3 miles per kWh.) 58kWh may not sound potent but the point is that its peak torque of 229lb ft is available instantaneously, and it does a good job of overcoming the portly kerbweight of 1794kg. The bagful of hush-quiet torque is disconcerting for the first few seconds, until your neck muscles start feeling the effect of hard acceleration from low speeds.
The mid-range ID.3 can spool 0-62mph in 7.3sec, thereby losing by 1.1sec to the new GTI in its standard manual form. But while the GTI is all revs and noise and shift action, its electric brother glides into orbit so effortlessly it’s as if it can defy gravity. That’s the great thing about EVs: they waft like they’re running on air, only to flit to full attack mode in the blink of an eye, with no clutch, gear ratios or rev limits to trip you up.
The ID.3 combines whiplash take-off action with su¡ciently long legs for whisper-quiet cross-country junkets, and if you’re in the mood you can persuade all four tyres to squeal as you challenge the VW EV through tighter bends; the odd bit of inner front wheel lift-off is possible too. Unlike the Renault Zoe and Nissan Leaf – which are so chaste they could have been trained in a girl’s boarding school – the emission-free Volkswagen is happy to indulge your enthusiasm.
However, the ride is compromised on poor surfaces. Not terrible, but there’s an underlying harshness that pops up more than you’d expect on a car that isn’t particularly performance-orientated. And in the 25-50mph bracket the speed-sensitive steering is not su¡ciently direct and responsive. While the turning circle is formidably tight at 10.2 metres, the ID.3 requires more than another entire turn to go from lock to lock than the brisker-handling Golf GTI. The brakes are on the heavy side even when warm, and the feedback is a bit too relaxed for confidence-seeking drivers.
But, as chief operating o¡cer Frank Welsch tells me, VW is in the process of making some final adjustments. ‘Although the sign-off mission is almost accomplished, the fine-tuning never ends,’ says the former R&D chief.
The drive mode selection process is also far from satisfactory in its current form. It lets you personalise six different elements (steering, drivetrain, sound, cruise control, lighting and air-con) according to four parameters (Eco, ⊲
UNLIKE THE RENAULT ZOE OR NISSAN LEAF, THE EMISSION FREE VOLKSWAGEN IS HAPPY TO INDULGE YOUR ENTHUSIASM
Comfort, Sport, Individual), each of which is adjustable in no fewer than 15 steps. That would be okay if adjustment was intuitive, but it’s not. Even more complex is the Travel Assist feature, which is a stepping stone towards fully autonomous driving (and which is also fitted to UK Golf GTIs). It can take charge of brakes and accelerator on a highway cruise, but it’s handicapped by vague and tremulous steering when keeping within lane, for which it needs really clear markings. While the ID.3 can cope with sailing through some junctions hands-off like a pro, stopping at red lights and restarting on green is not yet part of its repertoire.
There’s only so much you can learn about the ID.3 in a morning. I’d need to live with it to compare the actual driving range to the claimed numbers, and to experience the different charging processes, which can take between 35 minutes (at 100kW) and nine and a half hours (in auntie’s garage). In addition, it would help to find out how the huge glass area affects the energy balance: in summer, when the air-con is running non-stop; and in winter, when the heating is bound to drain the batteries. Another question that needs answering is whether the touch-sliders that dominate the MMI eventually become second nature… Here’s hoping.
Dynamically, the ID.3 already eclipses most rivals. And while it is better built than a Tesla Model 3 and offers much more car for the money than the BMW i3, the Hyundai Kona and Kia e-Niro may still be smarter buys. But in this pre-production car the essentials are mostly very impressive. The ID.3 feels grown up, reassuringly competent and highly desirable.
OLD FLAME: NEW GTI
Like its seven predecessors, the new Golf GTI wears tartan, sports red accents on the grille and throughout the cabin, shifts gears via a knob shaped like a golf ball (though the car in the photos is DCT), and had its chassis trained in the gym. And unlike some other markets, the Mk8 Golf GTI will come to the UK fitted with a good level of standard equipment, including 18-inch wheels, those signature five-spot foglamps and LED matrix headlights.
Under the bonnet, the new base GTI is fitted with the very same 241bhp/273lb ft 2.0-litre turbocharged four which powered the Mk7.5 Performance version. Although the latest top-of-the-line Golf boasts a more slippery drag coecient – down from 0.3 to 0.275 – the top speed is again limited to 155mph. In two-pedal form, the go-faster Golf can accelerate in a hand-stopped 5.9sec from 0-62mph. There are no ocial fuel economy figures yet.
The GTI wardrobe includes a large roof spoiler, bespoke wheels, wraparound front splitter, black full-width honeycomb lower air intake, subtle sill extensions, rear diffuser and twin exhausts. In combination with the road-hugging suspension, wider track and fatter tyres, this is clearly the best-looking Mk8 Golf. It’s also is the most rewarding drive by a long way. Power is not the decider here – with a meagre-by-current-standards 241bhp, how could it be? Instead, it’s the sweet yet sharp handling, the compliant but not exactly cushy ride, the reassuring zip-strength roadholding and the intuitive bond between car and driver that makes this a more complete hot hatch than the BMW M235i xDrive, Merc-AMG’s ⊲
POWER IS NOT THE DECIDER WITH THE NEW GTI WITH A MEAGRE BY CURRENT STANDARDS 241BHP, HOW COULD IT BE?
A35 and the Audi A3 45 TFSI. Only a direct comparison will tell whether it also edges the Hyundai i30 N, let alone the latest Honda Civic Type R. Unlike some rivals – among them the upcoming 335bhp Golf R – the GTI can only be had with front-wheel drive. This may cost a couple of tenths against the stopwatch, but it in no way diminishes the remarkable driving pleasure, which clearly prioritises balance and involvement over speed, traction and grip.
Although it shares a platform with the Mk7, the new GTI beats its forerunner on the 2.06-mile handling track in the vast Ehra-Lessien testing facility by a remarkable four seconds. How come? For a start, the engineers recalibrated the springs (five per cent tauter up front, 15 per cent in the back), shocks, mounting points and bearings. To shed a couple of kilos and increase lateral stiffness at the same time, the steel rear subframe has been replaced by the aluminium item used in the previous GTI Clubsport S, while the wheel carriers were redesigned. VW still charges extra for must-have adaptive damping, which is even faster acting now thanks to a major software boost.
The key innovation is perhaps the so-called Driving Dynamics Manager, which masterminds the integration of all the stability systems and the electronic differential. A wet clutch directs torque to the wheel that needs it most, thereby virtually eliminating steering fight and understeer. To make the car follow the chosen line, more oomph is gradually transmitted to the outer front wheel, a move which swiftly reduces the turn-in radius and thus the tendency to run wide. If need be, the inner wheel(s) are simultaneously decelerated for a subtle chip-induced and apex-focused at-the-limit cornering attitude which feels totally natural.
Controlled by the Driving Dynamics Manager, Dynamic Chassis Control also suppresses bodyroll, speeds up the steering response and – in combination with XDS – ensures a predominantly neutral cornering style even when pushed. Not enough goose pimples? Then hit the Sport button, which duly increases the locking ratio for improved traction while preloading the differential for a more emphatic throttle response. At only 2.1 turns from lock to lock, the variable-rate progressive power steering feels extremely agile in direction changes while being totally at ease around the straight-ahead position, which is a big bonus during fast autobahn stints.
In addition to the standard DNA spectrum, which ranges from Comfort to Sport, both extremes can be further extended by a couple of notches to SuperComfort and MegaSport. With ESP off and MegaSport activated, you are free to indulge in third-gear four-wheel drifts. The main improvements made to the brakes are a bigger master cylinder, which enhances the pedal feel, and a speed-sensitive booster which co-modulates the pedal effort in sync with specific driving conditions.
The first things you notice when entering the latest GTI are the red pulsating starter bar, the stubby drive selector, the dished three-spoke steering wheel loaded with shiny things to do with your fingers, and the nicely integrated touchscreen. Now start the engine and check out the redesigned digital instrumentation, which offers three different views. Few physical buttons remain. ESP O? Take a deep dive into the relevant sub-menu. Dampers in Sport? Ditto.
Unfortunately these – and other regularly used functions – cannot yet be addressed by the ‘Hello Volkswagen’ voice control system. Which is an idiosyncrasy in itself, because VW swapped the widely accepted conventional controls for advanced future-generation ergonomics before the chips had completed their ripening process.
Fortunately the GTI’s strengths lie elsewhere. Like on the country lanes between Wolfsburg and Braunschweig, via Gi¢orn. It’s noon, we are between two shifts at the vast factory complex, and the feeder roads are lockdown-empty. The countryside between Hanover and Berlin is as flat as a pancake, but there’s a good selection of corners of varying radius, width and surface. ⊲
WITH STABILITY CONTROL OFF AND MEGASPORT ACTIVATED, YOU ARE FREE TO INDULGE IN THIRD GEAR FOUR WHEEL DRIFTS
We begin the loop with the DNA in Comfort, which is okay for a couple of miles, then Sport – which doesn’t last long either. As always, the best compromise is in the mix: dampers in Comfort, everything else in Sport. Sport very nearly puts the throttle on fire, speeds up the steering and plays the loudest exhaust music. It’s impossible not to admire the quick-shifting DCT for its cleverly spaced ratios and the rapid shift action, but under hard braking it’s occasionally caught out.
The finest GTI since the very first lightweight four-speed 108bhp crackerjack is not an overwhelmingly strong performer. It’s quick, but not outright fast; its twist action sits at the bottom end of the acceptable scale and the package lacks an electric, variable-vane turbo or a mild-hybrid system. What makes the 2021 vintage stand out instead is the sum of its abilities: its broad range of talents; the smooth yet swift interaction of the key dynamic elements; the buzz and delight of its company.
The steering is a real-time 3D terrain scanner, an incorruptible feedback authority and a surgically precise pathfinder. The brakes’ deep pedal feel, robotic stamina and hurried response bring together the graceful action of a high-board diving athlete and the absolute determination of a top short-distance runner. Driving is believing, and drive it you must.
HAPPY HYBRID? GTE
Think of it as a Golf with the heart and soul of the previous plug-in Passat. Thanks to the slightly bigger 13kWh lithium-ion battery, enhanced power electronics and a much stronger 113bhp e-motor, Wolfsburg’s latest PHEV – which we’ve ridden in – can cover up to 35 miles without fouling the environment. Or, if you don’t mind draining the battery, maxing out the GTE in e-drive at 80mph for 20 minutes might be a fun way to go.
The fuel-fed propulsion partner is a 1.4-litre TSI engine rated at 148bhp. Together, the two units muster a combined 241bhp and 295lb ft – numbers which compare favourably to the GTI, if only for a short period of time. When the state-of-charge read-out drops below the 20 per cent mark, the combustion engine takes over, and the performance drops accordingly, which should be remembered before one ventures a boost-less overtake.
Like most plug-in hybrids, the Golf GTE offers a selection of driving modes from pure electric via Eco and Comfort to PHEV and, eventually, Sport, which pulls out all the stops until the battery taps out. The e-motor sounds like a big solitary bee humming somewhere behind the rear seats and is potent enough to allow the GTE to swim near-silently with the flow. The electric motor has more than enough punch to win the daily drive to work, but the range will still be too short for many. The petrol engine takes over above 80mph, or if you floor the throttle at lower speeds. Like the GTI’s 2.0-litre unit, this 1.4-litre four is not going to win any awards for refinement, but it’s much more mued than the GTI’s engine.
So, is the GTE the best of all worlds? Sounds too good to be true, and it is – the two ‘pure’ 2020 VWs are the more compelling cars. The ID.3 is a huge step for Volkswagen, which is betting everything on electromobility. The first ID model is a promising appetiser which harbours plenty of potential to grow in variety and ability. Not yet ready to go the full electric? The plug-in-hybrid GTE attempts to fuse past, present and future, and seems to be a significant improvement on the previous car. But it needs a more generous e-drive range to convince.
No, it’s the latest Golf GTI that really shows where VW’s true talents currently rest. Just as it should be looking long in the tooth and irrelevant, this most iconic of VWs is more compelling than ever.
IT’S THE LATEST GOLF GTI THAT REALLY SHOWS WHERE VW’S TRUE TALENTS CURRENTLY REST