Come on chaps, to make electric feasible on a daily use basis, you've got to get the vehicle size/weight down to Suzuki van, smart car, Tata levels.

 

Current conception of a hybrid is just a marketing con aimed at people with more disposable income than they know what to do with who want to get a nice warm feeling by going semi-green.

 

Nick

Come on chaps, to make electric feasible on a daily use basis, you've got to get the vehicle size/weight down to Suzuki van, smart car, Tata levels.

 

Current conception of a hybrid is just a marketing con aimed at people with more disposable income than they know what to do with who want to get a nice warm feeling by going semi-green.

 

Nick

 

So no different to most cars then.

If we want to be green, have more range and/or reduce running costs all cars (wether electric petrol or diesel) need to be smaller.

 

Yet cars keep getting bigger and people keep buying them.

Plenty of NHS and the Police are now using vehicles that are Working 24 hour days in shifts and are running as EV,s. Full size vehicles. If your workplaces and public parking has charge points then there is not really and issue where the distances on journeys is as suits the use and vehicles.

Edited 2 June, 201511 yr by goneoffSKi

When the GTE was first previewed it had a full width high level brake light. I didn't see one on the show car in Geneva but is it an optional extra now?

 

Current conception of a hybrid is just a marketing con aimed at people with more disposable income than they know what to do with who want to get a nice warm feeling by going semi-green.

 

Nick

I think you will find most people buy hybrids due to the tax breaks, the fact a hybrid offers diesel economy (Or better) with lower emissions is a happy coincidence 

I just want to reduce my fuel bill. Close to £450 / month on diesel is a large chunk I'd be interested in reducing without having to move job or house.

 

If the fuel and tax costs are reduced enough to offset the higher purchase or lease price I'd consider it.

 

A Golf is as small as I'd want to go. If the only real way to make these things work is by putting them in city cars then I guess I'd be out. 

Hybrids can work for you depending on your mileage and commitment to make them work.

I was totally in the anti hybrid camp but after a few days with one I have to say it's actually a great idea.

Interesting 'Fully Charged' vid that - but say this has passed me by, and I didn't realise it was available to order. It's a nice option to have available, certainly. And of course works out well from a Company Car perspective. 

 

Did look quite high riding in the video though, suppose it has more weight to pull around. Be interesting to see how it looked lined up next to a GTi and GTD.

 

Great discussion and a few varied points of view.

 

 My personal reason for going for the Golf was personal financial benefits on BIK, mine will be a company car, I currently have a 116d with fuel allowance, this costs me in the region of £280-£300 a month, changing to the Golf is a step up in performance and will cost me less than £100 per month for the car and fuel! Work will also pay installation of a fast charge point at home and pay the bill for consumption.

 

 My boss is a car nut, he has a Ferrari 430 Scuderia F1, his daily is an M50 X5, he was quite surprised I chose a Golf as he had suggested BMW 330d X drive or the Bi Turbo Passat if I had wanted it, even a Golf R was available to me, as my commute is a lot shorter when I move to Yorkshire I chose the Hybrid as it looks like a GTi and goes like a GTi for a lot less cost, I would rather have the money in my pocket these days, it must be an age thing..

 

 As for a hybrid for environmental reasons, the car does not stack up, it still burns petrol and uses electric to charge that has to come from somewhere (coal fired Drax) so environmentally friendly it is not, cheap, it is.

Here you go Wardy:

 

http://media.caranddriver.com/images/14q3/630259/2015-volkswagen-golf-gtd-golf-gte-and-gti-photo-633334-s-986x603.jpg

 

Here you go Wardy:

 

http://media.caranddriver.com/images/14q3/630259/2015-volkswagen-golf-gtd-golf-gte-and-gti-photo-633334-s-986x603.jpg

 

They look very similar to me and they also perform well with the hybrid being slightly quicker than the diesel.  

Is this a PCP?

 

How much of a deposit was needed for the £396 / month?

 

How many years did you go for?

 

Hello

 

It's a business lease £1200 ish deposit then 35 x £396 a month.

They look very similar to me and they also perform well with the hybrid being slightly quicker than the diesel.  

 

I'm looking forward to the pay rise!

Cheers for the photo link. Will display it directly:

 

 

Bit far away, but GTE does look to ride a bit higher. Not as noticeably as I thought though, looking at them all side-by-side.

Really interesting thread this I've been looking at hybrids for a while now, since bossfox had his leaf and he highlighted the pros and cons of ownership, however the golf is really interesting I have the bluemotion and I'm contemplating a move from diesel, the amount of issues arising from faulty egr , economy, dpfs and badly designed AC compressor protection ( or the total lack of ) my drive /commute is 30 miles on a dual carriageway there and back and I never go ever 60mph

And free charging http://www.extraservices.co.uk/service/electric-car-charging-points/

If Skoda created an e-up! what would it be called?

I might be waiting a while but I'm looking forward to an electric vRS.

I got my hands on a Golf GTE today, I have it until Wednesday this week and so far have travelled 20 miles from work to home and did not use a drop of petrol!

 I have to say I am surprised at how good the car is, typical German build quality and even when driven in pure electric mode we easily kept up with the flow of traffic on a mixed road commute home, a bit of A63, M1, A1 and A64, traffic light grand prix and then cruise control on the motorway, this is adaptive and keeps a safe distance from the car in front if it is going slower or if the traffic slows, tomorrow we will try out the GTE button to see how it really goes when petrol and electricity combine to give 201 PS.

 

 Meanwhile we are charging from the plug in the house so this could take a while  :zzz:

 

 

 

 

 

A64, are you anywhere near Scarborough?  I'd be interested to have a look if you are!

 

Unless you knew what you were looking for, it doesn't stand out as an 'eco' car, which is a good thing.  It's amazing how they pack all this new technology into a car and it still looks & drives almost the same as a normal Golf.  I saw an Ampera today and again, it looked quite good.

A64, are you anywhere near Scarborough?  I'd be interested to have a look if you are!

 

Unless you knew what you were looking for, it doesn't stand out as an 'eco' car, which is a good thing.  It's amazing how they pack all this new technology into a car and it still looks & drives almost the same as a normal Golf.  I saw an Ampera today and again, it looked quite good.

Wrong end of the A64 skinnyman, I am at Tadcaster.     The Golf has very slight differences to the GTI that to the untrained eye or a Golf fanatic would easily go un noticed.

 

 Under the bonnet there is a lot of bright orange cables and things I don't know what they do!

 

I have found an app for the car and am looking at battery condition, journey data and I can control climate control from here in the house, probably more things can be done but I am still working things out yet. 

I went through Tadcaster today!  As for the tech in the car, it sounds pretty geeky.  Having said that I'm still impressed with calculator watches and am reluctant to let go of my CD collection in favour of MP3.

I like the gte idea a lot

What I'd really like for my short commute would be a vw Polo version

Fingers crossed!

Volkswagen / Audi do the A3 e-tronic.  Golf GTE, then the all Electrics like the e-Golf & e-Up!

 

It time really that Skoda were allowed to do a 'Hybrid' using the 2015 All New Fabia 'e', with the 1.4 TSI as used in the cars in the Class above, but which are really not much roomier but heavier. A parts bin special that the VWG are good at.

'Lighter & Greener'

'Simply Clever',

 but then they might just sell too well for the Volkswagen Groups liking.

I'll be interested in your further updates and reviews on the GTE. I like the idea of it a lot and it'll be interesting to read some real world driver experiences.

It's the best looking hybrid/electric car I have seen. Why do all the others have to look like Stevie Wonder designed. For instance the Prius wants the runner up prize for ugliest car on the road after the SsangYong Rodius.