Category Archives: Passat GTE

The EV Battery: Everything You Need To Know and What’s Coming Next

November 17, 2023Electric Cars, MINI, News, Reviews and Comment, Passat GTE, VolkswagenRepost

Although electric cars are almost as old as the automobile itself, they didn’t become a worthy alternative to ICE vehicles until Li-ion batteries changed everything. These energy storage devices help power everything around us, from watches to electric cars and even cities. Let’s see how EV battery evolved and where it’s leading us.

Electric vehicles are now promoted as humankind’s best tool to curb global warming and reduce pollution inside cities. Not everyone is convinced they are the best solution, but electric vehicles have advantages over their ICE counterparts. These start with lower operating costs and are boosted by the fact that EVs can turn about 90% of the energy consumed to charge them into mechanical work. If this sounds unrealistic, remember that EVs can recoup during braking an important part (more than 20%) of the used energy and feed it back into the battery.

Electric vehicles are disadvantaged in certain areas, with the most talked about being limited range, long recharging times, and high prices. If you group them like that, you’ll notice that the advantages stem from using electricity, while the disadvantages are all generated by their Li-ion batteries. Once you realize that, it’s a no-brainer that the auto industry should channel its efforts into improving the batteries that power electric vehicles to make everyone happy.

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New Volkswagen Passat Mk8.5 gets new tech and plug-in hybrid boost

February 22, 2019Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Passat GTE, VolkswagenRepost

The Volkswagen Passat range has been facelifted for 2019, with the GTE model getting longer electric-only range of 35 miles

Within the next month or two, the 30 millionth Volkswagen Passat will have been produced. Eight generations have hit the road since the car’s launch back in 1973, and UK orders for this newly updated Peugeot 508 rival will open in June.

The latest version is still based upon the Mk8, but VW believes the changes are significant enough to consider it a ‘Mk8.5’. Under the subtly massaged metal, the revised Passat packs improved safety tech, updated infotainment and connectivity systems, semi-autonomous driving capability and an overhauled engine range.

Perhaps the most significant change under the bonnet is an improved GTE plug-in hybrid. The power output from the petrol/electric set-up remains the same as before, at 215bhp, but a larger-capacity battery – up to 13kWh from 9.9kWh – sees the electric-only range rise to 35 miles on the latest WLTP standards. That’s an increase of 40 per cent. However, there’s no fast-charging tech, so at best the GTE can replenish its cells in four hours.

Volkswagen Passat GTE Estate long-term test review: first report

August 28, 2017Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Passat GTE, VolkswagenJo

A plug-in hybrid load-carrier sounds like it should be a frugal, refined and practical antidote to the hassles of everyday life. Will that be the case here?

We’re all for diversity around here. Among the current 30-odd cars on the fleet, we have a V-twin three-wheeler, a petrol V8, a tri-turbo diesel V8, a petrol W12, an EV, a parallel hybrid, two hydrogen fuel cell cars, a petrol-electric sports car and now this, the plug-in hybrid Volkswagen Passat GTE Estate.

Those last six cars are interesting because they represent a disproportionate 20% of Autocar’s long-termer lineup – disproportionate because for now the real-world percentage of alternatively fuelled vehicles on our nation’s roads is much lower.

Diversity, then, and pioneering the future of motoring – whatever that may turn out to be. And I suppose it’s worth asking if that future is going to be one in which the plug-in hybrid prevails, and it’s a question to which I hope to find an answer or, more likely, several answers, depending on your point of view. I already have a feeling, you see, that this car is going to cause some head-scratching.

We’re pretty well acquainted with the Passat GTE. We’ve already road tested it, albeit in saloon guise, and subjected it, as an estate, to a comparison test, and the car has scored a solid four stars on each occasion. This Passat uses the Volkswagen Group’s increasingly familiar petrol-electric set-up of a 1.4 TSI petrol engine, here making 154bhp, mated to a 113bhp electric motor and driving through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. It’s good for 0-62mph in a claimed 7.6sec, which isn’t exactly slow.

The electric motor is powered by a 9.9kWh battery, which takes about two and half hours to fully charge via a wall box charger (at the office) or four and a half hours via a three-pin domestic plug (at my house). The battery lives under the rear seats and reduces fuel tank capacity from the 66 litres of a regular Passat to 50 litres.

You can have your Passat GTE in regular form, which comes quite well equipped, or in Advance trim, which is much more generous. We’ve gone for Advance, which includes VW’s Discover Navigation Pro with an 8.0in touchscreen, adaptive cruise control, emergency braking, a panoramic sunroof and a fully configurable 12.3in-wide TFT instrument display. To that, we’ve added metallic paint, Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC, or switchable suspension settings to you and me) and the tech-tastic Driver’s Assistance Pack. We’ve also got ‘St Tropez’ leather trim.

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.

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

Volkswagen Passat GTE plug-in hybrid prices and specs announced

September 26, 2016Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Passat GTE, VolkswagenTrevor Larkum

Prices and specs for Volkswagen’s plug-in hybrid Passat GTE have been announced; it costs from £36,525 before a £2500 government grant

Volkswagen’s Passat GTE plug-in hybrid will arrive in showrooms this month, costing from £36,525.

Four models are available – two saloons and two estates. The prices exclude a government plug-in car grant of £2,500.

When this grant is applied, costs come down to £34,035 for the GTE saloon. The GTE Advance saloon costs £40,180, or £37,680 after the grant.

The Passat GTE estate costs from £38,075 (£35,575 with the grant), while the GTE Advance estate is £41,730 (£39,230).

All models are powered by a turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine and an electric motor, which give a combined output of 215bhp and 295lb ft of torque.

The car runs by default on electric-only ‘E-mode’, with 113bhp, 243lb ft of torque a range of up to 31 miles from a lithium-ion battery mounted under the rear seats.

The petrol engine kicks in when the battery is depleted. At this point, the Passat GTE runs as a full hybrid, recharging the battery using kinetic and braking energy. The driver can also select Battery Charge mode to save up electric power, for example for electric city driving at the end of a petrol-powered motorway journey. GTE mode runs both systems in tandem.

With both petrol and electric power engaged, the Passat GTE will go from 0-62mph in 7.6sec and reach a top speed of 140mph. It comes as standard with a six-speed DSG gearbox that features a third clutch, which disengages at the appropriate time to harness kinetic energy and increase efficiency.

The Passat GTE can have its battery charged from a home electricity supply in about four hours, 15 minutes, or using a dedicated 3.5kW wallbox in around two and a half hours.

The specifications of the Passat GTE are generous, and based on the Passat GT. Standard equipment includes LED head and tail lights, Alcantara and leather seats and a GTE-specific blue-stitched gear knob, as well as adaptive cruise control, parking sensors and Bluetooth connectivity. The Passat GTE also comes fitted with VW’s Car Net e-Remote system, which lets you control several functions from a smartphone, such as the locks, climate control and charging settings.

The GTE Advance model adds features that include an 8in Discover Pro sat-nav screen, a digital Active Info Display dashboard, LED premium headlights and Nappa leather upholstery.

Visually, you can spot a Passat GTE by its C-shaped LED running lights and a blue line running across the radiator grille, as well as a redesigned front bumper and 18in alloy wheels.

Source: Autocar

Volkswagen Awards Success – Passat GTE

May 26, 2016Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Passat GTE, VolkswagenTrevor Larkum

Volkswagen is beginning 2016 with victories in a brace of influential industry honours.

Today (13 January) Volkswagen is receiving two trophies at the renowned What Car? Awards in London with success for both the Passat Estate GTE (Best Electric Car) and new Touran (Best MPV). Meanwhile, the Volkswagen up! takes a ‘price point’ honour in the publication’s Best City Car class.

The class wins in the respected automotive awards – now in their 39th year – continue a positive start to the New Year for the brand in the UK which began with a category victory for the Golf R in The Sunday Times’ Top 100 Cars.

Scoring a win in the Electric Car ‘Best Buy £20,000-£40,000’ category, as well as taking overall honours in the Electric Car class, the expert What Car? judges said of the Passat Estate GTE:

“This really is the kind of hybrid you could use every day without even thinking of it as an EV.

“The Passat GTE mixes a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor and VW’s six-speed DSG automatic gearbox, and it shifts between the two power sources smoothly. The interior quality is every bit as good as on other Passats, there’s enough room for five adults to sit in comfort, and our preferred edition, the Estate, has a boot that’ll take all but the largest loads.

“Best of all, the Passat Estate GTE makes a great potential company car choice thanks to its official CO2 emissions of just 39g/km and a benefit-in-kind tax rate of 5%. It’s easily the best family hybrid we’ve seen to date.”

Awarding the Passat Estate GTE overall honours in its class, the judges added:

“It feels like the sort of executive car that you could drive to and from work on electric power, then turn into a carry-all family car to travel the length of the country at weekends. It has space, a beautifully finished cabin, and succeeds in integrating its technology so well that you needn’t even be aware that it’s there.”

Source: VW

Renault and VW win electric What Car? awards

January 28, 2016Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Passat GTE, Renault, Volkswagen, ZOETrevor Larkum

The What Car? Car of the Year Awards 2016 saw prizes awarded to the Renault Zoe and Volkswagen Passat GTE in the electric car categories.

The Passat Estate GTE scooped the overall Best Electric Car prize, along with winning the Best Buy £20,000-£40,000 category. Meanwhile, Renault’s Zoe Dynamique Nav Rapid Charge took the Best Electric Car for less than £20,000 title for third year running.

The judges said of the Passat GTE:

“This really is the kind of hybrid you could use every day without even thinking of it as an EV. The Passat GTE mixes a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor and VW’s six-speed DSG automatic gearbox, and it shifts between the two power sources smoothly.

“The interior quality is every bit as good as on other Passats, there’s enough room for five adults to sit in comfort, and our preferred edition, the Estate, has a boot that’ll take all but the largest loads. Best of all, the Passat Estate GTE makes a great potential company car choice thanks to its official CO2 emissions of just 39 g/km and a benefit-in-kind tax rate of 5 per cent. It’s easily the best family hybrid we’ve seen to date.”

Commenting on the decision to give ZOE the award for a third consecutive year, Jim Holder, Editorial Director, What Car? said:

“The Renault Zoe was our favourite electric car for less than £20,000 a year ago, and tweaks to the specification and the added ability to go further have only increased its appeal. The Zoe’s main strength is that it feels like a conventional, stylish, nippy small car that happens to cost pennies to run.

“The electric motor has enough shove for the Zoe to lead the charge away from traffic lights, and the cabin seats four in reasonable comfort. Even the boot is larger than you’ll find in many regular small cars – easily big enough for a week’s shopping.”

VW To Focus On Electric and Plug-In Hybrid Tech

October 22, 2015e-Golf, e-Up, Electric Cars, Golf GTE, News, Reviews and Comment, Passat GTE, VolkswagenTrevor Larkum

The Volkswagen diesel-emission cheating scandal has caused executive heads to roll, cars to be yanked off sale, and regulators to pore over real-world emission data with a laser-like focus.

It has made the future of the VW Group as the world’s largest carmaker seem far more perilous than it did just one month ago.

This morning, the company’s board of directors released a statement laying out its plans to move forward, even as it cuts capital investments by 1 billion Euros ($1.14 billion) to cope with the crisis.

It contains a laundry list of adjustments to VW’s planned future technology investments, including more focus on electrified drivetrains.

First Drive of 2015 VW Passat GTE

If anyone needs proof that the world is slowly changing, look no further than the major car manufacturers. These lumbering dinosaurs are being forced, kicking and screaming, into the eco driven future to the extent that they’re even converting their major sellers into green machines. The latest example is this Volkswagen Passat GTE, a plugin hybrid (PHEV) which boasts ‘official’ consumption figures of 149 mpg and 31 miles of all electric range. And at a price which is very nearly the same as the diesel version it will presumably one day replace.

What makes this new car so special is the fact that 70% of all Passat sales go to fleet buyers, the faceless men who buy thousands of cars for their corporate, mile eating executives who spend their lives driving up and down the nation’s highways. These guys demand the best deal for their bulk buying, so when a hybrid becomes a part of the menu, you know that times have indeed changed.

First impressions

The new Passat is an impressive saloon/sedan, no question. The sleek elongated bodyline looks every inch a motorway cruiser, and it’s clear that the company has its sights set on the BMW and Mercedes equivalents with the introduction of this new 2015 model. The car we tested had all the fancy trim and upmarket materials of a deluxe limo, thankfully with a character to match. Watch our video below to get an idea of how the car performs in practice.