VW Golf GTE driven

There’s a petrol turbo for the Volkswagen Golf GTI, a turbodiesel for the GTD, and a 101bhp plug-in electric motor teamed with a downsized 148bhp petrol 1.4-litre for the more eco-friendly GTE. All three performance cars have just been given a mid-life facelift, along with a generous price cut, so we try out the top-spec GTE Advance to see how it’s bearing up halfway through its lifecycle.

One thing that’ll please green-minded GTI buyers is that the new PHEV costs just over £32,000, compared with its predecessor’s £36,000 – and even taking into consideration the fact that the Government’s old £5000 plug-in hybrid grant has been cut to £2500, that still represents a substantial saving. The GTE is also now cheaper than the equivalent five-door GTI DSG.

Pushing its combined drivetrain total of 201bhp through a standard-fit DSG auto, this ‘green GTI’ hits 0-62mph in 7.6sec yet produces CO2 emissions of a mere 9g/km and has a claimed 31-mile electric-only range. Its generously kit incorporates blue-accented LED lights and an Active Info Display instrument display.

The various drive modes include an all-electric setting, which proves impressively quiet, powerful and peppy both in town and on B-roads.

A real-world 18-to-25-mile EV range beats that of some rivals. GTE mode gives strong and satisfying performance, with particularly energetic acceleration and an instant electric surge. Make the best of the strong mid-range torque here by switching to paddleshift manual mode, as the DSG can get confused in auto mode.