Volkswagen Ireland has confirmed that, as part of the Golf 8 line-up, it will bring a new plug-in hybrid model to the Irish market. Previously, the only plug-in hybrid Golf was the expensive GTE version, but this new model will have less power than the GTE and a cheaper price tag.
204hp Golf Style plug-in hybrid
This new plug-in model will use a 204hp version of the 1.4 TSI PHEV powertrain (the GTE gets 245hp) and will be available as a Style-spec model. That will give it a price of roughly €37,295 (that's still TBC) compared to the €40,000+ for a GTE. The new PHEV Golf gets a 13kWh battery pack, which when fully charged will allow it to cover approximately 56km (again, that's TBC) on electric power alone.
Volkswagen Ireland says that it will cost only around €900 extra compared to the equivalent Style-spec 150hp 2.0 TDI diesel, and will come with extra equipment including a heads-up display and Matrix LED headlights. Not to mention potentially much lower running costs.
Volkswagen Ireland's new head of brand, Rodolfo Calixto, told CompleteCar that plug-in hybrids still probably make a better fit for Irish conditions than battery-electric vehicles. "A PHEV offers the best of both worlds, so from a customer's point of view right now, they probably make a better fit. That will change though, when EVs start to become more common. But PHEVs will still make a lot of sense for city dwellers, who want to gain the advantages of an EV, but who want to make occasional longer journeys without much effort."
Streamlined line-up
As for the rest of the Golf 8 range, Volkswagen Ireland says that it has taken some of the complication out of the range, and made it easier to customers to pick the model that they want. The new trims and prices have been set according to what Irish customers were buying from the previous Golf 7 lineup, so while price tags are a little more expensive across the board, standard equipment is much improved, and there are more digital features as standard.
The range kicks off with the plain Golf model, which starts at €23,950 for the 90hp 1.0 TSI turbo petrol three-cylinder model. That comes with standard equipment that includes LED headlights, lane-keeping steering, wireless smartphone connection and Volkswagen's 'App-Connect' digital services system, digital instruments, keyless ignition, climate control, and 15-inch steel wheels.
Upgrade to a Comfort model, which starts at €26,695 and highlights include 16-inch alloys, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, parking sensors, and adaptive cruise control. Go for a Life model, starting at €27,750, and you get a 'welcome light', rain sensing wipers, voice-control for the infotainment system, dynamic headlights, comfort seats, interior ambient lighting, anti-theft alarm, wireless phone charging, and a ten-inch infotainment screen.
Then we move into the big sellers - Style and R-Line which, together with the GTI-GTD-GTE models, represented 60 per cent of the previous Golf range sales.
A €30,750 Style model will add 30-colour ambient lighting, keyless entry and ignition, a rear-view camera, more chrome trim, 17-inch alloy wheels, upgraded LED headlights, the 'Travel Assist' suite of electronic driver aids, three-zone climate control, and an exterior lighting strip running through the radiator grille.
A sporty €31,050 R-Line model will add the 30-colour ambient lighting, as well as progressive steering, sports suspension, R-Line-specific 17-inch alloys, selectable driving modes, a heated steering wheel, tinted windows, and R-Line styling packs for the exterior and interior.
Within that line-up, basic Golf 1.0 TSI models are actually €1,045 cheaper than the outgoing Golf 7 equivalent, in spite of the extra equipment. In general base prices for most models are down, but Style and R-Line versions are actually between €1,300 and €2,800 pricier than the previous Golf.
Improved diesels
On the engine front, the mild-hybrid 1.5 eTSI engine sees a CO2 emissions cut from 145g/km (for the old 1.5 TSI with the optional DSG gearbox) to just 129g/km, and that on the tougher WLTP emissions test. The 2.0-litre TDI diesel lineup sees its fuel consumption cut from an average of 5.4 litres per 100km to 4.3 litres per 100km, which Volkswagen says could save high-mileage drivers as much as €7-800 per year. The diesel engines also get a new twin-injection AdBlue system, which is designed to reduce harmful emissions of NOX by 80 per cent compared to the previous engines.