Used Golf GTE?

[BFleming]

I'm tentatively thinking about replacing our 1 series (2013 114i F20) with a hybrid when the time comes. It's my wife's daily, and she does a round trip of 24 miles/day to/from work. We have the ability to charge it up overnight. I know 2 people with 2016 GTE's - one charges it at every opportunity & the thing has a ridiculous average MPG from new (140mpg equivalent at last count); the other drives it because BIK is so good & doesn't have the ability to charge it often. But both cars have been reliable, and generally nice places to be.
So, for the minimum 24 miles our car would do, would the Golf GTE be a good fit? I've suggested a BMW 330e, mostly as I think they're phenomenal value, but it seems a saloon is a no-no. Is there any obvious car I'm overlooking? Thinking 4 years old max, and definitely looking at plug-in hybrids (as opposed to anything else with a hybrid badge on it). Friends had a BMW i3 with Range Extender for 4 years, but it grated on them in the end - the range was vastly over-exaggerated and the rear door thing proved to be a pain (in their opinion).
Or should I possibly look at a BMW 225xe?
Thanks for your input.

Edited by BFleming on Monday 20th January 23:13

[BFleming]

sjg said:

We replaced it with an eGolf which I'm delighted with, and I'd say unless you need the PHEV ability to do long trips on petrol, it's well worth looking at the proper battery options.

What range are you getting from the eGolf, and I assume that it's direct drive & you no longer have the DSG gearbox (probably the most stupid question ever)?

[BFleming]

Great write up & advice - thank you.

[BFleming]

Mouse Rat said:

We've had our GTE advanced 2 years. In that time I've also ran a 330e and a 530e.

The GTE is a great car, no issues. When I had the choice I always chose it to drive over the 330e and 530e.

We don't get much more than 15 miles on battery in winter. The max I squeezed out in summer with HVAC off and feathering it was 27 miles.

Yes the boot is smaller but we managed a weeks family holiday in one including body boards, it was tight especially as our previous family car was a disco! If you can afford it go for the GTE advanced.

However, the ride in the 330 / 530 is much better

Good insights there. I'm keeping my 5 series, so that'll be used for family trips. Although my brother brings his GTE on family holidays (in preference to his 996), complete with a roofbox. Works ok for them.

[BFleming]

Boot space is not an issue - and having now looked at a couple of them, the 225XE is too... big! They're more MPV than hatch. The Golf is winning so far.

[BFleming]

Minor update... went to a used car supermarket place to try some cars on for size; they had a few Golf GTEs there, but also a few Audi A3 e-trons. Price-wise there isn't much between them, but the Audi just felt 'nicer' in the spec we looked at. Short test drive & it was very impressive. Much more refined and comfortable than the Golf. So no deal done yet, but it's looking likely.

[BFleming]

Question that someone might know the answer to - why are so many secondhand A3 e-trons registered in Hampshire? I'm assuming they were never hire cars, but are more than likely ex-lease cars... anyone?

[BFleming]

Back to all things GTE... I put a deposit down on a late 2017 GTE Advanced today, off to see it in the morning / do the deal. More to follow over the weekend.

[BFleming]

dmsims said:

BFleming said:

Back to all things GTE... I put a deposit down on a late 2017 GTE Advanced today, off to see it in the morning / do the deal. More to follow over the weekend.

Make sure they have charged it!

Ensure they include the granny charger (check it) and the type 2 cable

Servicing should be every 10K

Went to see it, and did the deal! Picking it up next weekend, so more to follow then. A great drive, the virtual cockpit will take some getting used to, as will the various modes etc. Stand by!

[BFleming]

Pionir said:

The most important mode being "Depeche"

Depeche indeed!

Picked the car up yesterday; such a change from the BMW 1 series (F20) we had. Refinement is off the scale, tech is excellent (Apple Car Play, Nav, Sunroof, alcantara trim (no tartan to see here), virtual cockpit). We are back in the 21st century! 2 charge cables with it too.

Wanted to ask... what is the correct sequence for plugging in the charger? My wife was plugging it in last night, but she found it tricky (it wouldn't stay charging when she locked it). She sorted it eventually, but I just wondered if there's a definitive sequence.

First picture (I went a bit mad with blurring)...

[BFleming]

mids said:

I don't think it matters what order you plug it in but make sure you've not got scheduled charging set. If that's on and you plug in you'll experience a quick 30 second handshake but then then charging will stop which is maybe what your wife encountered. You can over-ride this and get it to charge straight away by using the squidgy button next to the plug.

Are you still on the OEM Bridgestones? I couldn't stand the lack of grip and swapped them to Michelin PS4's within the first thousand miles of getting the car. Made a decent difference.

Thanks for the above - maybe that was it. More playing required.

I'll have a look at the tyres when I'm home on Thursday. All I remember was there are different pairs front & back, but they're all premium.

[BFleming]

Rappa said:

Hi OP,

How have you found the car now you’ve had it a while?

Sean

Hi Sean. In a nutshell, it has been excellent. I should have added an update, so here goes!
I wasn't around for the first few days of ownership. The charge difficulties my wife encountered were due to the rubber boot on the car end of the charger lead - it was not seated properly, so the charger wouldn't easily lock in position. I adjusted it, and there were no more issues after that.
Servicing has been ok & inexpensive - although due every 9000 miles. We took it to Marshalls in St Albans, and they overfilled the oil, so it needed to go back to them to have some removed. The factory warranty ran out in Dec 2020, so I took out an extended warranty, which was just over £200 for the year. Earlier this year, the charger packed up; there was a lot of to & fro about whether this was covered under the extended warranty (they said not) but eventually the dealer just gave us a new charger as a gesture of goodwill - and it had another service while it was there, also cheap.
The tyres were Michelin Pilot Sports when we got it; someone hit a pothole and destroyed one of them, but the size (225/40-18) wasn't that expensive to replace. I do find it'll easily spin the front right wheel pulling out of a junction.
The wheels are showing the usual corrosion ("whiteworm") that machined wheels do, and they seem to be easily kerbed too. Grrr. But I can live with them for now.
Slight sunroof rattle on cold mornings, but the rest of it is well screwed together.
Apart from the now-resolved charger, there have been no other faults.
The tech works perfectly - the virtual instruments are crystal clear and glitch-free; great sound system, and it's quick to heat up on these cold winter mornings. The reverse camera is excellent (not had one before mind).
Electric range at this time of year is about 25 miles. It'll go to 30 in the summer, but never any more than that. I haven't noticed any difference in our home electricity bill when overnight charging, so that's 25-30 cheap miles.
The journeys the car does are usually short; maybe a 30 mile commute daily. The average MPG in 20 months... 115mpg. It feels like it too - we rarely put petrol in it. We leave it in electric mode usually, and the gear selector in the B (regen) position for max efficiency. The gearshift paddles on the steering wheel have never been used.
GTE mode is a blast, as the car is properly quick, but the heavier steering can catch you out!
We used it for a family trip a couple of weeks ago; it did the job, but we were only in the car 2 hours each way - it was slightly cramped. A roofbox might be the solution, but trips like this are rare anyhow.
There is a 2016 GTE in the family too, and that one has had issues - gear selector interlocking springs to mind; but I believe a. lot of the issues were resolved in the 2017 facelift.
I hope this helps.

Edited by BFleming on Wednesday 8th December 10:15