Volkswagen Golf GTE review

The GTE’s 268bhp is more than you’ll find in the current GTI – only by seven horsies, but it’s enough for the plug-in to demolish 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds, only a few tenths down on its lighter, non-electrified brother. It’ll run on to a top speed of 143mph. Not bad, but not outstanding when you’ve got 270bhp+ Ford Focus STs and Hyundai i30Ns stalking the classifieds.

How does it compare with the GTI? 

The main problem with the PHEV is that it never comes alive as a hot hatch should. It grips well and VW has ensured there’s a lovely weight to the steering, but the dual powertrain means it won’t cock a wheel, pop from the exhaust or put a proper smile on your face like an ICE-engined competitor would.

When you’re really pressing on it’s flat-footed, and that 1.5 is about as tuneful as a blender processing a bag of gravel. At full throttle the revs spike and strain – most PHEVs do this, but it actively discourages you from spirited driving. In an effort to include regen there’s little feel to the brakes too.

Ready for the WLTP consumption? It’s 849.9mpg. Surely it won’t be long before someone breaks four figures in the never-gonna-happen fuel economy Olympics? A full charge of the 19.7kWh battery will probably bank you 60 miles of e-range, and after that you’ll tickle along at 48mpg ish without charging. Which you’ll want to do on the regular, because once the battery is flat you’re left with a sluggish four-pot hatch that weighs over 1,600kg. There’s nothing hot about that.

Is the GTE a better cruiser then? 

Well, yes. Forget the sporting pretensions and the GTE can settle into the role of sensible plug-in hatchback fairly seamlessly. The optional (£755) Dynamic Chassis Control allows you to stick the suspension into Comfort, the DSG box is slick, and you can set how much electricity you’d like to save for city driving later in a journey. It’s got grown-up motorway manners too, and the switch between petrol and electric drive is as smooth as in any PHEV we’ve tested.

If less was made of the GTE being a ‘performance’ plug-in hybrid then we might be more forgiving of the way it misses the hot hatch brief. Instead, your main takeaway is that PHEV powertrains are unlikely to become the hot hatch norm any time soon.