How could one arm of VW be producing such a clever, clean machine while its other has sold more than 11m motors that knock out anything up to 40 times the pollution they claim? I fear that VW’s so-called “defeat device” will defeat a lot more than it was intended to. But, and a BUT could not be BIGGER, what’s the point of it? VW claims an average of 166mpg (depending on how you drive, of course) with emissions of just 39g of CO 2 per km. It has a range of 31 miles using its fully charged electric engine alone (and most daily journeys are a lot less than that), and it will do up 580 miles on a single tank if both systems are engaged. It’s one of VW’s great strengths that its cars can be totally fresh and yet familiar all at the same time.īeing a hybrid, the car’s eco credentials are clearly what sets it apart. Within minutes of taking the wheel you feel completely at home. One of VW’s e-mobility taglines is “The future is familiar” – and the GTE is certainly that. Inside and out the car is almost identical to every other Golf on the road. It does 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds with a top speed of 138mph. Despite all that heft the car still feels quick and agile around the park (rather like the Fijians themselves) which is testament to the raw power of the GTE. That’s like driving everywhere with the Fijian rugby team’s front row sitting in the back. Whichever mode you select the car always pulls away in pure electric and it takes a while to get used to that sudden, silent lurch.Īll the extra gubbins associated with two engines and a large battery mean that the car is 300kg heavier than the standard model. It seemed to know what it was about far better than me, anyway. VW has made the technology that controls each option incredibly straightforward, but like many others, I suspect, after fiddling about with the various settings, I clicked on auto hybrid and let the car sort itself out. It has five operating modes: pure electric, electric plus, battery hold, battery charge and auto hybrid. Its power sources are a 150PS version of VWs peppy four-cylinder 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a respectable 105PS electric motor, charged by a high. The car is a plug-in hybrid with both a 1.4 TSI petrol (no diesel here) and a snappy electric engine. Inside story: the Golf, despite its futuristic powertrain, will be familiar to all VW drivers.
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