RE: VW Golf GTE: PH Carpool
Discussion
Not enough power? Been a passenger in a friend's and it doesn't feel slow, with that instant torque. And i'm coming from a 600bhp RS6!
They make sense as company cars. Think of them as a £40k posh GTI and they don't make sense. See them as a run-of-the-mill Golf with barely any tax and they are clearly appealing.
In white with the LEDs they look like some kind of Apple product. For my mate, it was seen as a great upgrade from a mundane 1.6 Golf he had previously.
They make sense as company cars. Think of them as a £40k posh GTI and they don't make sense. See them as a run-of-the-mill Golf with barely any tax and they are clearly appealing.
In white with the LEDs they look like some kind of Apple product. For my mate, it was seen as a great upgrade from a mundane 1.6 Golf he had previously.
I think any Merc with a 0-60 time of under 6 seconds wouldn’t usually be described as lacking in power.
Back on topic, I think the GTE’s are too compromised by the tiny boot to be a useful family car and if you’re wedded to the VW brand then the Passat one could be a better bet.
Autoexpress did a review of these against the Mini and Outlander PHEVs recently (http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/mini/countryman/100311/mini-countryman-s-e-vs-vw-golf-gte-vs-mitsubishi-outlander-phev)
They’re plainly not suitable for the masses as yet but you can’t dent the appeal for company car drivers when the BiK rates are down at 9% compared to early 20s for diesel equivalents.
Back on topic, I think the GTE’s are too compromised by the tiny boot to be a useful family car and if you’re wedded to the VW brand then the Passat one could be a better bet.
Autoexpress did a review of these against the Mini and Outlander PHEVs recently (http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/mini/countryman/100311/mini-countryman-s-e-vs-vw-golf-gte-vs-mitsubishi-outlander-phev)
They’re plainly not suitable for the masses as yet but you can’t dent the appeal for company car drivers when the BiK rates are down at 9% compared to early 20s for diesel equivalents.
Another user here - albeit the Audi E-tron version, which is pretty much identical beneath the skin.
Roughly speaking will return 20-23 miles on a charge if driven sensibly, quite a bit less if not. I'm averaging about 56mpg overall whilst only using the charge point when at the office.
In the winter you'll deplete the battery very quickly if you have the heating on, but as is mentioned above, being able to set a departure time so it's nice and warm when you get in does certainly offset this.
Although relatively quick ( there are youtube video's showing a 0-60 of about 6.5s, which is quicker than the published figures ) they are certainly a little compromised as something to hack across a decent B-road in when compared to a GTI / GTD, as the extra weight is definitely noticeable when you push on in tight turns.
Also, as the Audi doesn't have the noise generator that I believe the Golf uses in GTE mode, using the DSG in it's manual mode isn't that much fun. The rev counter is just a tiny digital display and as the engine is so well insulated it doesn't really lend itself to changing gear by "feel", so will invariably just leave it in auto.
However, on a nice flowing A-road they do come into their own nicely, the extra weight softens down the suspension and it can be made to "flow" pretty well.
That lack of noise which hinders enjoying the DSG in manual can be a plus point though. Even after having it for over a year now, I still find that driving along in EV mode, wafting about in near silence - particularly with the sunroof and windows open at night when the roads are quiet, is really quite surreal!
Contrary to how VW market their GTE version, I would probably class the E-tron as a mini barge rather than a hot hatch, comfortable / smooth riding / quiet and with a lovely interior. In fact part of the reason for choosing the Audi over the Golf was that it doesn't really make any visual pretence to being a hot hatch.
So they're generally pretty good, albeit not the perfect solution yet, but if you can run one as a company car they are a bit of a no brainer - the BIK for this compared to the Volvo D5 it's replaced has saved me well over £300 a month in tax.
Mine will be due for replacement just as the Tesla model 3 becomes available in the UK, and daft touchscreen aside, will definitely be giving that some consideration now I've had the chance to try EV driving.
Roughly speaking will return 20-23 miles on a charge if driven sensibly, quite a bit less if not. I'm averaging about 56mpg overall whilst only using the charge point when at the office.
In the winter you'll deplete the battery very quickly if you have the heating on, but as is mentioned above, being able to set a departure time so it's nice and warm when you get in does certainly offset this.
Although relatively quick ( there are youtube video's showing a 0-60 of about 6.5s, which is quicker than the published figures ) they are certainly a little compromised as something to hack across a decent B-road in when compared to a GTI / GTD, as the extra weight is definitely noticeable when you push on in tight turns.
Also, as the Audi doesn't have the noise generator that I believe the Golf uses in GTE mode, using the DSG in it's manual mode isn't that much fun. The rev counter is just a tiny digital display and as the engine is so well insulated it doesn't really lend itself to changing gear by "feel", so will invariably just leave it in auto.
However, on a nice flowing A-road they do come into their own nicely, the extra weight softens down the suspension and it can be made to "flow" pretty well.
That lack of noise which hinders enjoying the DSG in manual can be a plus point though. Even after having it for over a year now, I still find that driving along in EV mode, wafting about in near silence - particularly with the sunroof and windows open at night when the roads are quiet, is really quite surreal!
Contrary to how VW market their GTE version, I would probably class the E-tron as a mini barge rather than a hot hatch, comfortable / smooth riding / quiet and with a lovely interior. In fact part of the reason for choosing the Audi over the Golf was that it doesn't really make any visual pretence to being a hot hatch.
So they're generally pretty good, albeit not the perfect solution yet, but if you can run one as a company car they are a bit of a no brainer - the BIK for this compared to the Volvo D5 it's replaced has saved me well over £300 a month in tax.
Mine will be due for replacement just as the Tesla model 3 becomes available in the UK, and daft touchscreen aside, will definitely be giving that some consideration now I've had the chance to try EV driving.
Ahbefive said:
TooMany2cvs said:
Ahbefive said:
So by most accounts this is a pretty useless hybrid. Great.
Aren't they all?Having previously owned a Mk7 GTD and now doing a much shorter commute I quite like the look of these. Seem very cheap to lease at the moment so VW are obviously trying to push them. But I think I'd struggle to find where to charge it since I live in a flat, and I'd miss my M135i too much!
Jonobigblind said:
I think any Merc with a 0-60 time of under 6 seconds wouldn’t usually be described as lacking in power.
drive one and you'll understandas a company car i'd actually prefer a gte than the 350e, the only thing the merc has going for it is the prestige and badge - the small wheels with high profile tyres don't help things either
TooMany2cvs said:
PhantomPH said:
Gswizzle said:
i am lucky to get 38mpg out of it never mind the 166mpg advertised.
At the risk of covering ground no doubt discussed elsewhere on PH, how on earth can that be acceptable in this day and age?http://www.dft.gov.uk/vca/fcb/the-fuel-consumption...
The official economy test is just not set up for hybrids. It dates back to 2001, amended slightly in 2008.
"friends with much more powerful cars but surprisingly they could not shake me due to the strong torque of the GTE."
Very surprised to hear that! What more powerful cars are we talking about here out of interest? When I had the Golf R the GTE a work colleague has couldn't keep up on any stretch of road. Are you sure they weren't just being kind to you
That isn't to say it's slow of course, it felt pretty nippy to me when I've been in the passenger seat. However it didn't feel very agile at all, no doubt due to the weight!
Very surprised to hear that! What more powerful cars are we talking about here out of interest? When I had the Golf R the GTE a work colleague has couldn't keep up on any stretch of road. Are you sure they weren't just being kind to you
That isn't to say it's slow of course, it felt pretty nippy to me when I've been in the passenger seat. However it didn't feel very agile at all, no doubt due to the weight!PhantomPH said:
True enough I suppose. One would assume a new test is due any day now, tho?
Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure.I dunno about "any day now", though - the 20th session of negotiations and discussions is happening in Seoul later this month, the 21st in Geneva next January...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwide_harmonized...
https://wiki.unece.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageI...
I have one on the way - to replace a R estate. We have two young kids and their seats fit OK in a Golf, the boot will hold all the day to day stuff (pushchair and a bag or two) just fine, it'll have roofbars anyway for carrying my bikes so no hardship to stick a roofbox on for the odd weekend away. The Golf is a "family" car after all, I don't want a silly SUV or MPV just because we have two small kids.
R is great but totally wasted and drinking fuel on the mostly short local (and traffic-filled) trips we do. Neither of us commute, but loads of short trips for nursery drop/pickup and other activities. Even if it only does 40mpg on a longer run that's better than the R. Most common trip further afield is to my parents (30 miles away) and we can charge there.
Agreed on the need for a better way to measure economy/running costs with plug-in cars - the standard test is nonsense, and your results will vary massively with your usage. For every driver barely using fuel on their commute, there's another who's picked it because of the low company car tax moaning about poor MPG when they pound up and down the motorway all day.
R is great but totally wasted and drinking fuel on the mostly short local (and traffic-filled) trips we do. Neither of us commute, but loads of short trips for nursery drop/pickup and other activities. Even if it only does 40mpg on a longer run that's better than the R. Most common trip further afield is to my parents (30 miles away) and we can charge there.
Agreed on the need for a better way to measure economy/running costs with plug-in cars - the standard test is nonsense, and your results will vary massively with your usage. For every driver barely using fuel on their commute, there's another who's picked it because of the low company car tax moaning about poor MPG when they pound up and down the motorway all day.
Raoul Duke said:
Another user here - albeit the Audi E-tron version, which is pretty much identical beneath the skin.
Roughly speaking will return 20-23 miles on a charge if driven sensibly, quite a bit less if not. I'm averaging about 56mpg overall whilst only using the charge point when at the office.
In the winter you'll deplete the battery very quickly if you have the heating on, but as is mentioned above, being able to set a departure time so it's nice and warm when you get in does certainly offset this.
Although relatively quick ( there are youtube video's showing a 0-60 of about 6.5s, which is quicker than the published figures ) they are certainly a little compromised as something to hack across a decent B-road in when compared to a GTI / GTD, as the extra weight is definitely noticeable when you push on in tight turns.
Also, as the Audi doesn't have the noise generator that I believe the Golf uses in GTE mode, using the DSG in it's manual mode isn't that much fun. The rev counter is just a tiny digital display and as the engine is so well insulated it doesn't really lend itself to changing gear by "feel", so will invariably just leave it in auto.
However, on a nice flowing A-road they do come into their own nicely, the extra weight softens down the suspension and it can be made to "flow" pretty well.
That lack of noise which hinders enjoying the DSG in manual can be a plus point though. Even after having it for over a year now, I still find that driving along in EV mode, wafting about in near silence - particularly with the sunroof and windows open at night when the roads are quiet, is really quite surreal!
Contrary to how VW market their GTE version, I would probably class the E-tron as a mini barge rather than a hot hatch, comfortable / smooth riding / quiet and with a lovely interior. In fact part of the reason for choosing the Audi over the Golf was that it doesn't really make any visual pretence to being a hot hatch.
So they're generally pretty good, albeit not the perfect solution yet, but if you can run one as a company car they are a bit of a no brainer - the BIK for this compared to the Volvo D5 it's replaced has saved me well over £300 a month in tax.
Mine will be due for replacement just as the Tesla model 3 becomes available in the UK, and daft touchscreen aside, will definitely be giving that some consideration now I've had the chance to try EV driving.
Having had a loan of an e tron A3 , it's nothing like the GTE to drive, far less sporting in every way. Roughly speaking will return 20-23 miles on a charge if driven sensibly, quite a bit less if not. I'm averaging about 56mpg overall whilst only using the charge point when at the office.
In the winter you'll deplete the battery very quickly if you have the heating on, but as is mentioned above, being able to set a departure time so it's nice and warm when you get in does certainly offset this.
Although relatively quick ( there are youtube video's showing a 0-60 of about 6.5s, which is quicker than the published figures ) they are certainly a little compromised as something to hack across a decent B-road in when compared to a GTI / GTD, as the extra weight is definitely noticeable when you push on in tight turns.
Also, as the Audi doesn't have the noise generator that I believe the Golf uses in GTE mode, using the DSG in it's manual mode isn't that much fun. The rev counter is just a tiny digital display and as the engine is so well insulated it doesn't really lend itself to changing gear by "feel", so will invariably just leave it in auto.
However, on a nice flowing A-road they do come into their own nicely, the extra weight softens down the suspension and it can be made to "flow" pretty well.
That lack of noise which hinders enjoying the DSG in manual can be a plus point though. Even after having it for over a year now, I still find that driving along in EV mode, wafting about in near silence - particularly with the sunroof and windows open at night when the roads are quiet, is really quite surreal!
Contrary to how VW market their GTE version, I would probably class the E-tron as a mini barge rather than a hot hatch, comfortable / smooth riding / quiet and with a lovely interior. In fact part of the reason for choosing the Audi over the Golf was that it doesn't really make any visual pretence to being a hot hatch.
So they're generally pretty good, albeit not the perfect solution yet, but if you can run one as a company car they are a bit of a no brainer - the BIK for this compared to the Volvo D5 it's replaced has saved me well over £300 a month in tax.
Mine will be due for replacement just as the Tesla model 3 becomes available in the UK, and daft touchscreen aside, will definitely be giving that some consideration now I've had the chance to try EV driving.
Fine if you are a high miles company car drivers and you want to save - especially the 330e with possibly a weekend toy - otherwise avoid for the moment.
A bit like the na diesels of old - terrible imho - only after a few years of development, the addition of turbos and a couple of extra cylinders made them comparable to petrol
A bit like the na diesels of old - terrible imho - only after a few years of development, the addition of turbos and a couple of extra cylinders made them comparable to petrol
I'm running an A3 E-tron as a company car too. No brainier for the commute and the BIK. Coming up a year I've had it and I do like it a lot. I don't love it, but for me it's a great all rounder. Never seen more than 25 miles expected range from a full charge and in reality get about 16 before ICE kicks in but that's pretty much my commute to work. Can regenerate about 4 miles of battery on the way home using hybrid hold and regen braking etc. However, it's been with Audi for 4 weeks as I had an E-tron hybrid system fault which has thrown up an HV ISOLATION ISSUE on the diagnostic. Had to wait on the specialist coming up from Milton Keynes and it looks like the battery needs replacing. Thankfully a warranty issue as I've heard £8k for a replacement battery. Hope to get it back by the end of the week.
biggrim said:
I'm running an A3 E-tron as a company car too. No brainier for the commute and the BIK. Coming up a year I've had it and I do like it a lot. I don't love it, but for me it's a great all rounder. Never seen more than 25 miles expected range from a full charge and in reality get about 16 before ICE kicks in but that's pretty much my commute to work. Can regenerate about 4 miles of battery on the way home using hybrid hold and regen braking etc. However, it's been with Audi for 4 weeks as I had an E-tron hybrid system fault which has thrown up an HV ISOLATION ISSUE on the diagnostic. Had to wait on the specialist coming up from Milton Keynes and it looks like the battery needs replacing. Thankfully a warranty issue as I've heard £8k for a replacement battery. Hope to get it back by the end of the week.
So one of these would be a big no no when out of manufacturers warranty.If a turbo fails or even timing chain need replaced that's nothing compared to battery failure on a hybrid.
Unless they offer extra long i.e. 5.6,7 year warranties on the batteries ?
TooMany2cvs said:
PhantomPH said:
True enough I suppose. One would assume a new test is due any day now, tho?
Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure.I dunno about "any day now", though - the 20th session of negotiations and discussions is happening in Seoul later this month, the 21st in Geneva next January...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwide_harmonized...
https://wiki.unece.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageI...
Like the article author, I went for a GTE as the most interesting car of a pretty dull bunch offered by my company car scheme.
Having run the car for ~20 months it has more than lived up to expectations - it is fast (but there is no getting away from the weight of the thing) and for us, very efficient.
How you use the car is key - most of our journeys are within the ~28 mile electric-only range, so the (very small) petrol tank only gets filled up about once every 3 months and the long term MPG indicator showed 154mpg last time I checked. On longer runs, the car is significantly less efficient (though the 154mpg figure includes a few ~200 mile trips).. It is also important to get the most out of the car to plug in and charge it daily (to a standard household 3 pin socket, no special charge station required) to charge, something we do this using solar generated power whenever possible, but failing this, the on-board timer is set to charge overnight using cheap rate electricity).
Whilst we have enjoyed the car, I cannot see hybrids being anything but a stop-gap. There is no sense in lugging 2 drive trains / power sources about.
Having run the car for ~20 months it has more than lived up to expectations - it is fast (but there is no getting away from the weight of the thing) and for us, very efficient.
How you use the car is key - most of our journeys are within the ~28 mile electric-only range, so the (very small) petrol tank only gets filled up about once every 3 months and the long term MPG indicator showed 154mpg last time I checked. On longer runs, the car is significantly less efficient (though the 154mpg figure includes a few ~200 mile trips).. It is also important to get the most out of the car to plug in and charge it daily (to a standard household 3 pin socket, no special charge station required) to charge, something we do this using solar generated power whenever possible, but failing this, the on-board timer is set to charge overnight using cheap rate electricity).
Whilst we have enjoyed the car, I cannot see hybrids being anything but a stop-gap. There is no sense in lugging 2 drive trains / power sources about.
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