Video / 5 October, 2018 / Ellie Thompson

How Family Friendly is The VW Golf GTE?

I think everybody appreciates just how super-slick the VW Golf is, from the very first mark 1 back in the early 80’s, to today’s new hybrid Golf GTE, and boy, has technology come a long way since then!

I was personally very excited to take the very sexy looking VW Golf GTE out for a spin, as part of the Zipwagen borrowing car scheme in London. This hybrid GTE Golf medium hatchback, with 5 doors and 5 seats combines GTI dynamics with e-Golf sustainability and economy. You’re able to drive 31 miles fully charged in all-electric mode, and at the switch of a button, the electric engine can be switched to combine the electric motor and the TSI petrol engine, to go up to a grand total of 580 miles.

Its 1.4TSI engine with electric motor means it has grunt, putting your foot down is great fun, but it’s also very quiet to drive, each time I turned on the engine I had to check the ‘READY’ light, as I had no clue the car had even switched on. Much like other Golfs, the seats and surrounding interiors are comfy, and the signature blue tartan cloth upholstery is a nice touch. There’s a touch screen multi device interface, and I love how the inside of the car lights up at night – each button has its own LED light, it’s how I’d imagine sitting in the cabin of a space craft would be,  just so cool. There are also blue trim LED lights around the headlights and rear lights to finish off the super-slick exterior of the car.

Getting back to the sensible stuff, there’s great boot space, plenty of leg room in the back for three children, or two child car seats, and all in all, we think the Golf GTE makes for a very nifty car for a small family.

Zip Car is a fab hire scheme in London. You can reserve cars and vans with 24/7 fuel, insurance, and congestion charge. Travel up to 60 free miles per day, and top up your fuel with the fuel card kept in the car. Simply choose a model from your desired location and time, unlocked the car with your card or mobile, and access the keys which are kept safely in the glovebox. Zipwagon is an innovative partnership between Zipcar and Volkswagen to bring cutting edge plug-in hybrid cars to the streets of London.