Volkswagen Golf GTE review: more warm than hot

Volkswagen is to blame. After all, it is the company that has raised the new Golf GTE to the level of the iconic GTI, not only in looks - with very few differences between them - but also in power and even chassis hardware. The message could scarcely be clearer.

Expectations were therefore fairly high when I first got behind the wheel of the new Volkswagen Golf GTE.

Would it live up to them? More importantly, does this electrified approach to the hot hatch have the legs to succeed?

First, what is the Golf GTE?

Picture a Golf GTI, but instead of relying solely on an internal-combustion engine - in this case, a more modest 1.4 TSI producing 150 hp - it also has a 109 hp electric motor. The result is that the GTE matches the GTI on the headline figures: both deliver 245 hp, although the GTE beats it by 30 Nm for peak torque, reaching 400 Nm.

The electric motor naturally requires a battery pack to power it. It is now rated at 13 kWh, 50% more than in its predecessor, and sits beneath the rear seat. This pushes the fuel tank underneath the boot, taking more than 100 litres from its capacity. The combined power and torque are still sent to the front axle through a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

An additional motor, battery and associated hardware increase kerb weight from the 1,463 kg (EU) of a DSG-equipped GTI to the 1,624 kg recorded by the Golf GTE - an increase of 160 kg.

Its electric side does, however, give the GTE capabilities that the GTI can only dream of, including an official all-electric range of up to 64 km, allowing guilt-free driving without the combustion engine. There is considerable fuel-saving potential if the battery is charged regularly for everyday journeys.

Is it a good hot hatch formula?

For now, the short answer leans towards no - although future iterations may change that. Several factors work against the Golf GTE, preventing it from reaching the same level as its Golf GTI sibling and, consequently, leaving something to be desired as a hot hatch.

Before examining its hot hatch credentials more closely, though, the new Volkswagen Golf GTE impresses with its effectiveness and competence. As a plug-in hybrid, its priorities become obvious as soon as you start driving.

Provided there is sufficient charge, it defaults to Electric mode. With a full battery, and without making any special effort to maximise the range, I managed almost 50 km of electric-only driving per charge, despite never reaching the official 64 km.

It is noticeably firmer than other Golf models, even in Comfort mode. Our test car was a GTE+ with standard adaptive suspension - an essential feature, as will become clear - which offers a marked and perceptible range of damping firmness. It is far from uncomfortable, but road imperfections are felt more clearly.

Everything else feels like… a Golf. The controls are generally light, it is easy to drive, and at normal speeds in this more civilised setting, the automatic transmission handles the interaction between the combustion and electric motors smoothly and seamlessly in Hybrid mode.

At higher speeds, however, on dual carriageways and motorways, its sound insulation seems less accomplished than that of its conventional siblings. This contrasts with the distant murmur of its smooth, linear powertrain - if you ignore the excessively obvious artificial sound. Tyre noise is more pronounced, with the GTE+ using 18-inch wheels rather than 17-inch items, and more wind can be heard passing around the car than in the Golf TDI I tested some time ago.

Letting the Golf GTE off the leash

Put those considerations aside, because a series of corners is approaching. Goodbye Comfort mode, hello Sport. The suspension stiffens, the steering gains weight and the artificial engine note becomes louder and more aggressive still.

Press the accelerator harder and the 245 hp produced by that mix of octane and electrons fires the car forward decisively - it does not feel as though any power is missing. I brake lightly for a reasonably quick left-hander, followed by a slower right that tightens into an almost chicane-like right-left sequence, before opening onto a short straight ending in a fairly pronounced right-hand bend. It is enough to wake anybody up…

It quickly becomes clear that the Golf GTE can corner very rapidly indeed. Grip levels are high and the chassis is unquestionably effective.

Sport mode disappoints, however, especially its steering, which becomes excessively heavy. The front axle responds keenly and accurately, but the added effort required at the wheel bears no relation to what you are asking the car to do, nor does it improve communication through the front tyres.

The transmission, too, which until then had acted decisively, smoothly and accurately of its own accord, seems somewhat confused in Sport mode. It occasionally downshifts when exiting bends despite there being no need, or keeps the engine revving high when selecting the next gear would be the better choice.

Fortunately, there is an Individual mode. For the first time, it allows you to go beyond the preset modes when adjusting damping firmness. Sport felt rather firm to me, suited to smoother tarmac than the road I was on, but Individual can make it firmer still - or softer than Comfort. There are 15 damping settings to choose from.

The next few minutes were spent like a racing simulator session, attempting to find a more satisfying configuration. After several tries, I found a competition-driver-style “set-up” in which the new Golf GTE finally began to make more sense from behind the wheel.

“My” Golf GTE

Using Sport mode as a starting point, I selected Individual and reduced the damping firmness slightly, setting it two points below Sport for greater compliance. I also returned the steering to its lighter Comfort setting. As for the gearbox, I chose to change gear myself, despite the small paddles behind the steering wheel - and, worse still, the fact that they turn with it. It is surely time for others to copy Alfa Romeo’s excellent paddles…

Happiness! At last, the Golf GTE and I were beginning to understand one another. Its cornering ability was now complemented by a more pleasing fluidity over uneven tarmac, while the steering’s response and weighting became much more natural. Even with the impractical little paddles, the gearbox responds promptly to my inputs, although it will occasionally decide to change up or down by itself, depending heavily on the engine speed.

What did not change was its attitude. Is it quick and effective? Undoubtedly. You can cover any winding road at a very rapid pace and the Golf GTE will not break a sweat. Yet the rear axle feels static. It simply follows the path set by the front wheels, with the rear end refusing even a slight rotation that might help point the nose where you want it to go or make the experience more engaging. Is the extra ballast, almost all of it positioned over the rear axle, responsible for making it so firmly planted?

The brakes also deserve a mention. Pedal feel and modulation leave something to be desired, even though the braking power is there when required. It is a fairly common trait in hybrid vehicles that combine regenerative and mechanical braking.

Is the Golf GTE the right hot hatch for me?

The plug-in hybrid Golf GTE is almost certain to become the standard formula for the hot hatch of the decade now under way. Not because it is the best formula, but because it is very likely to be the only viable one in a regulatory environment that is becoming ever more demanding.

The drive to reduce emissions continues, and plug-in hybrids, despite the recent controversy surrounding them, are an effective way of doing so while retaining access to high-performance models combined with lower fuel consumption.

When the battery charge is low - it never fully discharges - spirited driving produces fuel consumption figures no different from those of the Golf GTI, easily rising beyond eight litres. The GTE’s advantage comes in more restrained driving, where consumption sits at around 5.0 l/100 km, or in town, where it can be driven using Electric mode alone. Neither the GTI nor any other combustion-only hot hatch can compete on that front.

Yet, despite its added rationality, it cannot offer the same level of emotion at the wheel as its GTI brother, or as one expects from a hot hatch. The Golf GTI, while undeniably very good, has never been the market’s most exuberant or exciting hot hatch either. The recipe for a finely honed driver’s car involves more than the numbers on a specification sheet.

Portugal’s anomalous tax system favours the plug-in hybrid Golf GTE. Whether choosing the GTE or the more expensive GTE+, the price is always lower than that of the Golf GTI - by €4,100 and €2,400 respectively - and buyers will discover a car that is almost as fast as the GTI and highly capable dynamically. It also brings appealing tax benefits when purchased by a company.

However, while the Golf GTI is unquestionably a hot hatch - it was the car that defined the formula in 1976 - its electrified Golf GTE sibling is more warm than hot. That may be enough for many, but I hope future iterations can raise this new breed of compact performance car to at least the same level as the others.