BATTERY CHANGE HAS BOOSTED GTE’S RANGE BY 40%

Volkswagen launched a plug-in hybrid version of its Passat in 2015 and very good it was too. Much more entertaining to drive than I expected it to be.

Now with the recent facelift of the Passat comes a new version of the electric/petrol powered GTE.

Visually, VW has done very little to the outside. The name Passat is now spelled out on the back of the car, the bumpers are different and on this GTE version the daytime running lights are C-shaped which is a visual clue used by VW to signify electrification.

The GTE is available in both saloon and estate body styles.

We’re testing the estate version for the simple and selfish reason that I love estate cars (and the fact that I needed to do some serious furniture shifting).

Inside the refreshed Passat you’ll find the latest infotainment system and digital instruments, both of which are straightforward to operate.

I didn’t have a lot of luck with voice recognition, but most systems are patchy at best.

A more substantial and meaningful change to the GTE is hidden under its skin. The old 9.9kWh battery has been replaced by a 13kWh unit which increases the car’s electric-only range by

Volkswagen Passat GTE Price: £40,860

Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol, 150bhp, plus 110bhp electric motor

0-62mph: 7.6sec

Fuel consumption: 180.8mpg Co2 emissions: 39g/km

40%. Volkswagen claims you’ll be able to go up to 34 miles on a single charge. I didn’t manage to get near that – but that’s in cold weather on wet roads with the wipers running. I suspect that in ideal conditions 30 miles would be possible. Anyway, the range will be