Category Archives: Golf GTE

News and reviews on the Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in car.

Holy Electric Moly, the 2020 Volkswagen Golf Mk8 Hybrid is More Powerful Than the GTI

December 4, 2019Electric Cars, Golf GTE, News, Reviews and Comment, VolkswagenRepost

The highly-anticipated 2020 Volkswagen Golf Mk8 is finally out and the really big news is that it comes with five hybrid drivetrains.

The regular TSI engines are now paired to 48-volt systems, but Volkswagen also offers two proper hybrids with electric motors. One of them is basically similar to the old Mk7-generation GTE, but the new Mk8 GTE is a wild one and packs more punch than the outgoing GTI. I bet you didn’t expect that.

While the regular gasoline Golfs are now fitted with 48-volt systems that don’t add much performance-wise but improve on efficiency, the GTE features an electric motor, just like its predecessor. But Volkswagen now offers two versions. There’s a base model with 204 PS (201 horsepower) that’s identical to the Mk7 GTE, but the Germans also crafted a beefed-up variant that generates a solid 245 PS (242 horsepower). That’s 18 horsepower more than the outgoing GTI! Granted, the GTI equipped with the Performance Pack is just as powerful, but it’s still incredible to have a hybrid Golf with similar power ratings.

Before you bring out the tar and the feathers, I have to say that the new GTE probably doesn’t sound as mean as the GTI under full throttle. But apart from that and the red body accents that make the GTI look cool, the GTE is the better car in every department. Not only is the new GTE a bit more powerful, but it’s probably just as fast as well. Volkswagen has yet to reveal performance figures, but the new, 242-horsepower GTE should be notably quicker than the old model and just as quick as the GTI.

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

The Germans are Coming!

August 1, 2017Blog, e-Golf, e-Up, Electric Cars, EVEC, Golf GTE, Milton Keynes, Passat GTE, Sales, VolkswagenTrevor Larkum

Volkswagen e-Up charging outside the Experience Centre (Image: T. Larkum)

The biggest manufacturers of all-electric cars sold in Europe are Nissan with their Leaf in 1st place in terms of sales (and e-NV200 van in 5th), Tesla with their Model S in 2nd place, and Renault with their ZOE in 3rd place. These manufacturers are, of course, Japanese, American and French respectively. What is interesting is that there is only one German entrant in the top 5, BMW with their i3 at 4th place, despite the fact that German manufacturers dominate the European market for fossil-fuelled cars.

Volkswagen Passat GTE (Image: T. Larkum)

The Germans do make electric cars – Mercedes has the B Class Electric and Volkswagen has the e-Golf and e-Up – but they appear to make no effort to market them. Historically they have also had lacklustre range and high prices. The bottom line is that they haven’t sold in significant numbers.

German Plugin Hybrids (PHEVs)

Instead it seems that German manufacturers have decided that the plugin hybrid (PHEV) combining an electric drivetrain with a conventional petrol engine is what people want. Or at least they see it as an intermediate step towards full electrification. Considering PHEVs, the top 10 sales now include Mercedes with the C350e in 2nd place (after the Mitsubishi Outlander), the BMW 330e in 4th place and the Volkswagen Golf GTE at 6th place.

In fact, Volkswagen has arguably embraced PHEVs more than any other manufacture. They currently offer both of their two biggest selling cars, the Passat and the Golf, in PHEV form as the ‘GTE’. Both of them offer the ability to commute (up to about 20 miles) on electricity with the option of using petrol for longer distances – they also have pretty good 0-60 times too.

VW on the Rise

With these cars in the vanguard, and with the e-Up and newly improved e-Golf to come, Volkswagen may soon make significant inroads into plugin sales in the UK.

These were some of the thoughts that came to me looking at the row of EVs charging outside the Milton Keynes Electric Vehicle Experience Centre (EVEC). Of the eight cars, three were from Volkswagen (so nearly 40%). We ourselves are looking to start offering VW plugins soon, and I’m sure we’ll see VW as an EV brand on the rise from here on.

As ever, if you want to test drive any of the cars mentioned here just get in touch.

Electric Cars to Test Drive at the Experience Centre – How Many Can You Name?

July 27, 2017Blog, BMW, e-Up, Electric Cars, EVEC, Golf GTE, i3, i3 94Ah, Kia, Leaf, Milton Keynes, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Outlander PHEV, Passat GTE, Renault, Soul EV, Volkswagen, ZOE, ZOE Z.E. 40Trevor Larkum

There weren’t cars only on display inside the Electric Vehicle Experience Centre (EVEC) at the launch. There were also a large number charging up outside, presumably getting ready for test drives for the public for the opening the next day.

Electric cars ready for free test drives in Milton Keynes (Image: T. Larkum)

The large numbers and broad range of EVs available was impressive.

How about a quick quiz: can you identify them all? The answers are given below.

Of course, whether you own an EV or are considering your first, you’re welcome to test drive any of the vehicles on show for free. Just get in touch and we’ll help arrange it.

Answers to the Quiz: these are the electric cars waiting to give test drives (from nearest the camera to furthest away):

Renault ZOE ZE40
Nissan Leaf
Volkswagen e-Up
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
Kia Soul EV
BMW i3
Volkswagen Passat GTE
Volkswagen Golf GTE

The Milton Keynes Electric Vehicle Experience Centre (EVEC) has Launched

July 26, 2017Blog, BMW, BP Chargemaster, Charging, Electric Cars, EVEC, Golf GTE, i3 94Ah, Leaf, Milton Keynes, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Outlander PHEV, VolkswagenTrevor Larkum

Last weekend saw the long awaited opening of the Electric Vehicle Experience Centre (EVEC) in Milton Keynes. It officially opened to the public on Saturday 22nd July. It is funded through a government scheme awarded to the local council and is managed by Chargemaster, the company that has installed the majority of charge points around Milton Keynes.

The Preview Event at the Electric Vehicle Experience Centre (Image: T. Larkum)

The EVEC is essentially a car showroom for electric cars but is located in a shop space on Crown Walk in the main centre:mk shopping centre (it’s close to the middle and next to Boots). It doesn’t resemble an out-of-town dealership so much as the boutique style shops developed by Tesla, Apple and most mobile ‘phone companies.

EVEC Purpose

The aim of the Centre is to both showcase existing electric models and be an information point for EV ownership in general. Visitors will be able to talk with staff about all elements of owning and running an EV, with test drives available too. It has been established to increase the number of EVs sold in the area. Milton Keynes’ target is for 23% of all new cars registered locally to be electric by 2021.

We are grateful to Chargemaster for inviting us to the Preview Event on Friday Night (Jo’s thoughts: A Little Bit of Zen). Most of the other guests appeared to be existing EV owners. The showroom housed examples of the Nissan Leaf, BMW i3, Volkswagen Golf GTE and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. There were drinks and snacks, and then introductory speeches by David Martell, Chief Executive of Chargemaster, and Ted Foster, the new EVEC Manager. After the talks we had an opportunity to talk to Ted and the other staff.

EVEC Test Drives

As well as providing help and guidance on electric cars and EV driving, the EVEC is also making cars available for test drives. These can be short accompanied drives, however there is also the option of week-long extended test drives. For these there will be a charge (we understand about £70) largely to cover the inevitable cost of insurance. That’s seems fair to us – £10 per day to drive a new car, particularly considering the fuel costs will be negligible.

The Preview Event at the Electric Vehicle Experience Centre (Image: J. Pegram-Mills)

The enthusiasm of the EVEC ‘gurus’ is clear and we certainly appreciate the enthusiasm and resources that have gone into building and staffing the first dedicated electric vehicle showroom in the UK (and probably in the world). We wish it every success and will be supporting it by passing local customers to it for test drives.

If you live near Milton Keynes and are interested in taking a test drive in any one of a large range of new electric cars (including the Renault ZOE, Nissan Leaf, BMW i3, Golf GTE, and others) just get in touch with us on 01908-904020, or by email at sales@ fuelincluded.com.

Golf GTE | Fully Charged

Jonny Smith drives the 2017 plug in hybrid VW Golf GTE and he likes it.

Source: You Tube/Fully Charged

2017 set to be landmark year for electric cars

January 28, 2017330e PHEV, A3 Sportback e-tron, Audi, BMW, Electric Cars, Golf GTE, News, Reviews and Comment, VolkswagenTrevor Larkum

The future is bright for electric cars in 2017, as new figures released recently indicate that more than 100,000 plug-in cars could be on UK roads by the middle of this year.

This prediction is fuelled by record numbers of electric car registrations in 2016, with volumes rising 29% on the previous 12 months. In fact, every quarter of 2016 produced year-on-year growth, with the total number of EVs on UK roads now at more than 87,000.

More and more UK drivers are becoming switched on to the cost-saving benefits and convenience of electric motoring, which resulted in 36,907 electric vehicles being registered between January and December last year, a number that’s set to grow this year.

The ever-increasing selection of electric cars available in the UK is another factor aiding the rise in the market. More than 35 plug-in models are available at the moment, which is four times the number on the market just five years ago.

Plug-in hybrids were particularly popular in 2016, as registrations rose by over 40%. Models such as the BMW 330e, Volkswagen Golf GTE and Audi A3 Sportback e-tron proved to be among the most in-demand.

Source: Go Ultra Low

VW Golf GTE Business Lease from £390 per month

May 12, 2016Blog, Electric Cars, Golf GTE, VolkswagenTrevor Larkum

Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-content\plugins\maxbuttons\assets\libraries\simplehtmldom\simple_html_dom.php on line 1389

Warning: preg_match_all(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-content\plugins\maxbuttons\assets\libraries\simplehtmldom\simple_html_dom.php on line 694

Warning: foreach() argument must be of type array|object, null given in C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-content\plugins\maxbuttons\assets\libraries\simplehtmldom\simple_html_dom.php on line 701

Warning: preg_match_all(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-content\plugins\maxbuttons\assets\libraries\simplehtmldom\simple_html_dom.php on line 694

Warning: foreach() argument must be of type array|object, null given in C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-content\plugins\maxbuttons\assets\libraries\simplehtmldom\simple_html_dom.php on line 701

Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Attempt to assign property "href" on array in C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-content\plugins\maxbuttons\blocks\basic.php:171 Stack trace: #0 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-content\plugins\maxbuttons\classes\button.php(382): MaxButtons\basicBlock->parse_button() #1 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-content\plugins\maxbuttons\classes\button.php(476): MaxButtons\maxButton->parse_button() #2 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-content\plugins\maxbuttons\classes\button.php(903): MaxButtons\maxButton->display() #3 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-content\plugins\maxbuttons\classes\maxbuttons-class.php(525): MaxButtons\maxButton->shortcode() #4 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-includes\shortcodes.php(434): MaxButtons\maxButtonsPlugin->shortcode() #5 [internal function]: do_shortcode_tag() #6 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-includes\shortcodes.php(273): preg_replace_callback() #7 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-includes\class-wp-hook.php(324): do_shortcode() #8 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-includes\plugin.php(205): WP_Hook->apply_filters() #9 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-includes\post-template.php(256): apply_filters() #10 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-content\themes\twentythirteen\content.php(43): the_content() #11 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-includes\template.php(812): require('...') #12 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-includes\template.php(745): load_template() #13 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-includes\general-template.php(206): locate_template() #14 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-content\themes\twentythirteen\category.php(28): get_template_part() #15 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-includes\template-loader.php(106): include('...') #16 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-blog-header.php(19): require_once('...') #17 C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\index.php(17): require('...') #18 {main} thrown in C:\inetpub\vhosts\fuelincluded.com\httpdocs\wp-content\plugins\maxbuttons\blocks\basic.php on line 171