Volkswagen Golf GTE 2017 Review

Volkswagen Golf GTE
Road Test
Munich, Germany

Stung by the PR disaster of its Dieselgate emissions cheating fiasco, Europe's biggest car-maker accelerated its drive towards cleaner, greener vehicles powered only by electricity (at least, they are if they're not recharged with coal-fired power). VW has promised to release an all-new family of five EVs post-2020, and to be the world leader in EVs by selling a million of them a year worldwide by 2025, by which time battery technology will be cheaper and better. In the meantime, plug-in hybrids make the most sense for most people -- especially in Australia, where a lack of recharging infrastructure, and long distances between cities make them the most effective 'green' vehicles for the masses. It's no wonder, then, that the Golf GTE is almost certain to become Volkswagen Australia's first electrified model.

Hybrid vehicles have been an abject failure in Australia, where Toyota's locally-made Camry is bought almost exclusively by fleets, where Prius sales continue to dwindle and where most Lexus buyers continue to choose petrol over petrol-electric.

We're even further behind other Western markets when it comes to all-electric cars, with Nissan's all-electric LEAF finding just 42 Aussie buyers this year despite a circa-$10K price cut to $39,900 drive-away, and Mitsubishi's pioneering iMiEV now long gone.

Plug-in hybrids remain the almost exclusive domain of luxury brands, with the exception of Holden's now-discontinued Volt, which notched up less than 250 registrations in four years, while sales of BMW's i3 are down almost 50 per cent in just its second year of sales.

Nobody is quite sure how readily the public will embrace EVs, with the likes of Audi and Mercedes-Benz predicting up to a quarter of their sales will be electric by 2025, and VW targeting 10 per cent within the same decade.

The German giant has resisted electrification Down Under, but now seems ready to at least embrace the Golf GTE, which should set a new price benchmark for a plug-in hybrid here and, like all range-extending PHEVs, overcomes the pure-EV issue of range anxiety.

"We're working on a business case," confirms VW Group Australia's general manager of passenger vehicles marketing and product, Ben Wilks. "It makes perfect sense for Australia, where it could hit the sweet spot with people passionate about technology and efficiency."

Wilks says that if the GTE – a moniker VW also applies to the Passat in Europe – is approved for Australia, it will "definitely be this generation", meaning it will arrive before the Golf Mk8 lobs around 2020, but after the upgraded Golf '7.5' due here by mid-2017.

That means it's likely to bring mildly updated front styling, VW's latest infotainment system and at least the option of the MY17 Passat's Audi-esque Active Info digital instruments – features lacking in the current model VW was keen for us to drive in Germany last week.

Volkswagen Oz also says pricing will be "somewhere between [Golf] GTI and R", meaning less than $50,000 and a new low water mark for a PHEV in Australia, given Audi's mechanically similar A3 Sportback e-tron is currently the cheapest at $62,490.

Yes, that's still a lot more than the entry-level turbo 1.4-litre 92TSI that employs the same basic engine and opens the Golf range at $22,840, and more than the $41,340 Golf GTI with which it shares its chassis.

But the Golf GTE also promises to be two cars in one, combining sporty GTI handling with A3 e-tron levels of efficiency. In fact, it's slightly even more efficient and has an even sportier chassis focus than its Audi sibling.

It's not by accident it looks a lot like the Golf GTI – except for the badging and blue (rather than red) interior and exterior highlights, including front brake callipers. A charging port behind the VW grille badge is the only other difference, and the GTE even offers the same boot capacity augmented by split/folding rear seats.

The numbers back up its sporty intent too. Aided by a 75kW electric motor -- powered by an 8.7kW lithium-ion battery pack beneath the rear seat -- the 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbo-petrol powertrain outputs total system power of 150kW and 350Nm – slightly less power than the GTI but more torque than a Golf diesel.

Driving the front wheels through the same six-speed dual-clutch auto as the Golf GTI, the GTE is claimed to hit 60km/h in 4.9 sec, 100km/h in 7.6 sec and a top speed of 222km/h.

It feels every bit as quick as that off the line and at urban speeds -- and sometimes even quicker thanks to the electric motor's 330Nm from standstill – and offers strong, seamless overtaking capability at Australian freeway speeds.

But the GTE's party trick is a claimed 50km of pure-electric driving range, although we managed only about 40km on the Autobahn south out of Munich, before the petrol engine chimed in at 130km/h and offered a relatively effortless top speed of about 215km/h.

The only difference inside, apart from graphic displays to show remaining battery power, is an E-Mode button with which you can select from EV Hold mode, Max Regen mode (in which the regenerative braking system harvests maximum energy, increasing engine braking) and Auto mode, which combines both power sources for maximum performance.

Volkswagen claims a total driving range of 939km – on par with a diesel Golf, far more than any petrol Golf and about four times the range of a LEAF or i3 – and says the battery takes less than four hours to charge from a household socket (or two from fast-charger).

It also admits you should flattening the battery at least once a day if you want the GTE to pay for itself over your ownership period.

But the beauty of the GTE is it can be driven just like a conventional car. Indeed, some drivers may never even bother charging their battery, letting the braking and coasting do all the regeneration.

Of course, we never got close to the GTE's claimed European fuel consumption figure of just 1.5L/100km, which equates to CO2 emissions of just 35g/km, averaging 6.4L/100km over a mostly-freeway return run from Munich to Zurich. But in those conditions, at an average speed of about 140km/h, a Golf GTI would've consumed much more.

Downsides? There aren't many, as we reported after our first drive in Europe two years ago, given the GTE comes with the same high equipment levels, the same impeccable build quality and the same sporty interior trim – albeit it with blue tartan cloth trim – as the GTI.

It was here that we eked out 2.3L/100km over one 150km drive taking in Swiss hills and valleys, and where we noticed the long list of standard equipment including LED headlights, sat-nav, Bluetooth, 16-inch alloys, radar cruise control, lane departure warning, semi-automatic parking and a multi-function, flat-bottom leather steering wheel.

OK, so brake pedal feel isn't as consistent as in other Golfs, making them harder to modulate at low speeds and when coming to a stop, and the steering feels super-light as carpark speeds.

Engine braking is considerably stronger too – especially in Max Regen mode -- but we found that useful at all speeds, reducing the need for braking and/or downshifting via the steering wheel paddle shifters.

The biggest negative, besides the initial purchase price premium, is the considerable extra weight of the battery, which at 125kg brings total weight to 1599kg, although weight distribution remains better than a diesel Golf.

So while it's not obviously nose-heavier than the GTI, there's no missing the extra heft in tight corners, where the slightly softer suspension set-up allows a bit more body roll but delivers high-quality ride comfort on irregular surfaces.

That said, with a base car as polished as the Golf 7, the GTE still delivers sold handling, plenty of grip, sharp steering and generally more smiles per mile than Audi's more luxury-oriented A3 e-tron.

For those that like to be seen as green, it might not screen 'environmentalist' as loudly as, say, a Prius. But for those that want to significantly reduce their fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for a relatively small price premium without compromising their driving enjoyment, nothing comes close to the Golf GTE.

2017 Volkswagen Golf GTE pricing and specifications:
Price: Under $50,000 (estimated)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol, electric motor
System output: 150kW/350Nm
Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 1.5L/100km (NEDC Combined)
CO2: 35g/km (NEDC Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star Euro NCAP

Also consider:
>> Audi A3 Sportback e-tron ($62,490 plus ORCs)
>> Nissan LEAF ($39,900 drive-away)
>> Toyota Corolla Hybrid ($27,530 plus ORCs)