Review: MY24 Volkswagen Golf GTE

Volkswagen New Zealand is offering a $16,000 discount on the MY24 Golf GTE plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), so we took the opportunity to test one before it was sold out.

At $59,990 plus on-road costs, the GTE offers significant value for money as it’s well-equipped and as much fun to drive as the GTI but far more frugal.

Blue accents on the exterior and inside the cabin distinguish the GTE as the current environmental champion of the Golf 8 family In the New Zealand market. 

Our test car arrived in the shade of Pure White and was fitted with the standard 18-inch “Bakersfield” alloy wheels with 225/40/R18 tyres. The GTE is also equipped with unique front and rear bumpers, the front with its own honeycomb lower grille, and the red brake callipers are also unique to this model.

The numbers

The GTE powertrain joins a 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with an 80kW electric motor for a combined output of 180kW power and 400Nm of torque.

It is equipped with a 13kWh lithium-ion high-voltage traction battery, which provides up to 60km of pure electric driving range. Recharging at home using a domestic power socket will take 7 hours 20 minutes or 3 hours 50 minutes using a 3.6kW Wallbox-type charger.

Volkswagen quotes a combined fuel economy of 1.2 litres/100km for the GTE, and the fuel tank capacity is 41.5 litres. The drive is sent to the front wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic.

In hybrid mode with a depleted battery, our average consumption ranged between 6- to 8L/100km.

The equipment

Except for the rear fog lamps, all other lighting on the GTE utilises LED technology; there is also an LED light strip across the front grille and LED lighting in the door handle recesses.

The LED Plus headlamps also provide automatic low and high beams, dynamic range control, and a “coming home and leaving home” feature.

The GTE is also equipped with every possible active and passive safety feature, including autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keeping assistant, blind spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control with travel assist and emergency assist. In addition to park distance control, it also provides assisted parallel parking.

The electrically controlled side mirrors have a defog function and fold away when the car is switched off and locked.

However, given the high level of standard equipment on the GTE, we were surprised by the lack of a powered tailgate.

The interior

The blue-accented cloth upholstery complements the ambience of the GTE cabin. The two sports bucket seats for the driver and passenger have manual adjustments but provide excellent support and comfort over a long journey.

Four average Kiwi blokes will find the GTE a more than comfortable travelling companion.

For the driver, stainless steel sports pedals complement a leather-clad GTE multifunction sports steering wheel with gearshift paddles. The multifunction wheel’s haptic controls, as well as those controlling the heating and ventilation functions, require a light and deft touch.

The black headliner complements the black metal chrome decorative inserts on the dashboard and front door panels, and the 30-colour ambient lighting provides additional ambience in the cabin.

The drive

In full EV mode, the GTE provides the usual fun-to-drive dynamics of a Golf but in a near-silent package that makes daily commuting much more enjoyable, as you quietly waft along in heavy traffic.

But in hybrid mode, the car becomes even more animated and responsive as the petrol engine and electric motor work in tandem to maximise available power and torque. 

The torquey powertrain will spin the front wheels off the line if the driver puts their foot down too quickly, but thankfully the taut chassis and suspension package of the GTE handles the power with aplomb. 

The steering response is excellent as is the ride quality for such a firmly suspended vehicle, but there can be some tyre roar from coarse chip sealed roads, a fairly typical problem encountered by many European marques in this country.

Overall, we felt that the GTE is a well-rounded and well-sorted plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, with few direct competitors. In the current market, it is priced to sell out quickly, so procrastinate at your peril.