‘GTE’ was always a fast Vauxhall moniker but it looks like becoming a VW mainstay with the introduction of a plug-in hybrid Golf. With a
GTI
GTD
for Diesel, it shouldn’t take too much thought to infer what GTE is for...
Subtlety the name of the game for GTE
The hybrid powertrain combines a 150hp 1.4 TSI petrol engine and a 102hp electric motor. Don’t combine the two for a GTI-beating 252hp, as the total power output is 204hp. With 258lb ft as well, the Golf GTE is capable of 135mph and 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds. Combined mpg is rated at 188mpg with 35g/km of CO2. These are provisional figures so don’t be surprised if they aren’t matched in the real world. A ‘theoretical range’ of 580 miles has also been suggested.
VW claims the GTE can travel up to 31 miles on electricity alone (no doubt contributing to that crazy mpg figure) at up to 81mph. The 8.8kWh lithium-ion battery that supplies the motor can be charged in three and a half hours through a regular mains outlet or two and a half with a wallbox. It also adds 120kg to the Golf’s kerbweight, with a porky 1,520kg the result.
Available as a five-door and DSG only, the Golf GTE unsurprisingly takes a lot of its styling cues from the GTI and GTD. Red accents are replaced by blue (natch) and it even gets a GTE badge in the GTI font. 18-inch ‘Serron' wheels are standard and the interior gets the GTI-aping makeover with tartan seats and further blue highlights.
The Golf GTE will debut at the Geneva show and go on sale in August; expect price details at some point during the summer. Deliveries will begin by the end of this year.