Meet the new Golf GTE

The electric motor is perfect for cruising along, but if you’re feeling the need for a boost, a press of the GTE button combines the driving force of the petrol engine to that motor, doubling the power from 100bhp to 201bhp, and getting you from 0 to 62mph in a mere 7.6 seconds.

Just how convenient would it actually be to own the GTE on a day-to-day basis though? Well, the e mode setting allows you to get a whole day’s city driving done on one charge, with an intelligently recharging battery that makes life easy.

If the key decision makers in your life still need convincing, they won’t when you can roll seamlessly into a vacant electrical parking bay in a prime urban location.  This really is a plug-in hybrid that lets you have your cake and eat it. One that has the benefit we all crave in these environmentally conscious times: a more responsible use of power.

You can engage Hybrid mode, ideal for longer journeys, seamlessly switching between the electric motor and petrol engine to give you a combined range of 514 miles. You’ve got all the right-foot grunt you need, but with an enviable economy of up to 166mpg and CO2 emissions from 38g/km, it’s a more responsible way to drive.

“But what if you run out of charge in the middle of your trip?” Answer: It doesn’t matter. In Battery Charge mode, the petrol engine is engaged while the electric battery recharges using energy recuperation from braking and acceleration.

But the real excitement comes with pressing the GTE button, and unlocking power that can take you all the way to 138mph (where the law permits). Though, to experience that at its best, you might have to head to Dunsfold.