How much does it cost to get a plug wired in these days? About €38,000, it would seem, as Volkswagen has announced that is what the plugin hybrid Golf GTE will set you back; €38,495 to be exact.
For that, you get a car that is said to be an environmentally sensitive brother to the GTI and GTD models. Actually, it is as closely related to the Audi A3 e-tron, and uses the same 1.4-litre TSI turbo petrol engine combined with an electric motor and a stack of lithium ion batteries.
Combined, it has a GTI-matching 204hp and Volkswagen says you can squeeze 904km out of one tankful. Charge up the batteries and you can get 50km out of them, at speeds of up to 130km/h. Overall CO2 emissions are pegged at 39g/km and its official fuel economy is 166mpg. It is brisk too - the 0-100km/h time of 7.5 seconds matches that of the GTD.
The car's 8.7kWh lithium-ion battery can be charged in three hours 45 minutes from a domestic mains outlet or in two hours 15 minutes from a special wall box. The battery weighs 120kg adding up to a kerbweight of 1,599kg for the GTE, which comes only as a five-door model. There is one high-specification variant available for the car, which comes with a host of features such as a six-speed DSG automatic gearbox, 18-inch 'Nogaro' alloy wheels, 5.8-inch touchscreen interface with SD card reader, LED headlights front and rear, Adaptive Cruise Control and Park Distance Control, all as standard.
"This is a car that really offers everything you could ask for in one package," said Paul Burke, Operations Director for Volkswagen Passenger Cars. "The GTE is first and foremost a Golf, which is Ireland's best-selling car for a reason - it's comfortable, beautifully built and practical, but by combining a 1.4-litre TSI engine with an electric motor, you get a car that is both potent when it comes to performance and incredibly fuel-efficient."