Friday , March 29 2024
Home / Auto News / Volkswagen speed dating

Volkswagen speed dating

What’s it like driving four of Volkswagen’s latest models around the English countryside?

Recently Volkswagen held a series of “driving days” for motoring journalists. I popped down to one of them in Buckinghamshire and managed to take out four cars for a quick spin. Here are my first impressions…

Volkswagen Golf GTE

Volkswagen Golf GTE

The Golf family is as big as The Waltons now and the GTE is one of the newcomers. A plug-in hybrid, it’s driven by two engines – a 1.4-litre 150PS TSI and a 102PS electric motor, together producing 204PS. Mated to a six-speed DSG gearbox, this is performance with a conscience because, in theory, it’s capable of 166mpg, yet can reach 62mph in 7.6 seconds and go on to 138mph.

Under the skin it’s not a million miles away from the Audi A3 e-tron, which I have also driven, and the GTE definitely feels more lively and is a more enjoyable ride. Don’t get me wrong, the Audi’s a good car, but this is more fun – especially when you switch to GTE mode which combines the petrol and electric engines to give optimum performance.

There are four other modes, notably electric-only, which has a range of up to 31 miles and is capable of speeds up to 81mph.

The Golf GTE’s 8.8 kWh lithium-ion battery can be charged in 3.75 hours from a domestic mains outlet, or 2.25 hours from a domestic wallbox.

If you do a lot of motorway miles you might be better off with a GTD, but if you’re driving is mixed, then the GTE could save you a packet and you can really enjoy yourself too.

The Golf GTE costs £33,035, or £28,035 including the Government’s £5,000 plug-in grant. It’s exempt from car tax and the London Congestion Charge too.

Volkswagen Scirocco R

Volkswagen Scirocco R

The current Scirocco was launched in 2008. Last year in received a subtle refresh and the range-topping R now has even more power with the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 280 PS – 15 PS more than before.

My car was fitted with the six-speed DSG auto box and it was capable of 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 155, while returning 35.8mpg in ideal conditions.

The R is well built and comfortable, while the cockpit feels retro (and I mean that in a good way) with an auxiliary instrument cluster above the centre console with extra dials.

And yes, it may look like a bit of a pussycat, but it has fangs. The R looks certainly felt fast and the low engine noise is infectious, but ultimately it’s not as exhilarating as the Golf R which costs slightly less.

For the record, the manual Scirocco R is £32,580 and the DSG is £34,080.

Volkswagen Polo GTI

Volkswagen Polo GTI

The new range-topping Polo GTI now boasts a 1.8-litre turbocharged 192PS petrol engine mated to either a six-speedbmanual or seven-speed DSG gearbox.

Compared to the standard Polo, the GTI looks the part with new bumpers, GTI badges, 17-inch alloy wheels, red radiator grille strips, a honeycomb grille, lowered suspension and a GTI roof spoiler.

It shifts too, taking 6.7 seconds to reach 62mph with a top speed of 146mph, yet is still capable of achieving around 50mpg.

The Polo GTI is classy, comfortable, refined and feels fast – a kind of grown up small hot hatch. I only tried the manual version which wasn’t quite as slick as I’d hoped, so I suspect the DSG box is the one to go for.

Prices start at £18,850 and it’s available with three or five doors.

Volkswagen Street up!

Volkswagen Street up!

Based on the flagship High up!, the special edition Street up! is loaded with more styling features for only an extra £610, including 16-inch alloy wheels, exclusive paintjobs, rear tinted glass, lots of “Street” badging inside and out, plus the cool stripes.

Powered by the up!’s most powerful 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, it can return 60.1 mpg and emits 108 g/km of CO2.

Apart from its funky looks and quality feel, the up! is hugely rewarding to drive with an extremely slick five-speed manual gearbox and surely the smoothest most refined three-pot engine out there.

The Street up! is available in three and five-door bodystyles, priced from £12,370.

Twitter @Garethherincx

 

About Gareth Herincx

Gareth is a versatile journalist, copywriter and digital editor who's worked across the media in newspapers, magazines, TV, teletext, radio and online. After long stints at the BBC, GMTV and ITV, he now specialises in motoring.

Check Also

Ford KA

Top 10 cheapest cars to insure with temporary insurance

With the average cost of annual car insurance hitting a record high of £924 last …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *