Volkswagen Golf GTE review

Regular readers of these pages will know that we’ve not been the biggest fans of any Mk8 Golf interior yet. Recent sticking plasters – like the introduction of buttons on the steering wheel, and an overhaul of the touchscreen software – have improved things, but the GTE’s cabin is still a bodged effort with little sign of joined-up thinking.

Case in point: you get a panel of capacitive buttons on the lower part of the dash, one of which changes the drive mode… exactly the same job as the shortcut atop the touchscreen. Why have both? The touch-sensitive slider beneath the screen is diabolical, so you just won’t go there. There’s gloss black (aka fingerprint magnet) throughout. And no switch to engage EV mode. Quick, fetch a facepalm gif.

It’s baffling how a company as accomplished and experienced as Volkswagen let a system like this out of the factory – at best it’s a frustrating experience, at worst a dangerous distraction from the road.

What’s the interior spec like?

The touchscreen is a 12.9in number, now running VW’s faster and more human-friendly OS. It’s still information overload, but at least the graphics are pin-sharp and the menus are easy to hop around because VW has understood the importance of colour-coding the interface. The voice assistant – powered by ChatGPT – isn’t worth your time. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility is standard.

Elsewhere in the GTE there’s blue tartan cloth and the same sports steering wheel as you’ll find in the GTI. Generally speaking the Golf is a pleasant place to be, with nothing particularly untoward about the fake leather or money-saving plastics. The ‘carbo grey’ dash insert is an acquired taste. The front seats are heated, you get three-zone climate control and there’s LED ambient lighting too.

What about practicality?

The virtue of a spicy Golf is that in theory you combine the thrills with a solid everyday car that offers the practicality to carry three or four passengers and a decent slug of bootspace. Of course, smaller plug-in hybrid cars will often have to sacrifice some of that luggage space in the name of ramming in a few batteries and it’s no different for the GTE. You get 273 litres of room in the boot, compared with the GTI’s 374 litres. Ouch.

The back seats are reasonably accommodating for six-footers, and there’s even a ski-hatch that you’re probably more likely to stick curtain rails and planks of wood in. Up front there’s a storage box under the armrest, but it’s not huge; there are two cupholders, plus a small cubby with a lid that houses the wireless phone charging pad. There are four USB-C ports, two up front and two in the back.