The Volkswagen Golf GTE is exactly what I was hoping for; an affordable, performance-oriented plug-in hybrid that lets you go fast without the gas-guzzling guilt. With a combined 258 ft-lbs of torque and a top speed higher than the Tesla Model S, this little hybrid Golf promises to be big fun without sucking down a whole lotta gas.
Just as speculation suggested, the Volkswagen Golf GTE gets a 1.4 liter turbo engine good for 148 horsepower mated to an electric motor at the front wheels with a maximum output of 101 horsepower. Combined output of both drivetrains is 201 horsepower, with 258 lovely ft-lbs of torque. Just as important though, the Golf GTE can go up to 31 miles on electric power only, up to a maximum speed of 81 MPH.
That gives the Golf GTE the equivalent of 157 MPG, though real-world numbers are likely to be a lot lower. Still, as the Chevy Volt proved, if your commute is amicable to plug-in hybrids, you can go literally thousands of miles on just a few drops of fuel…and the GTE promises to get you there quickly as well, with the shifting handled by a dual-clutch six-speed slushbox.
The Golf GTE can go from 0 to 60 MPH in 7.6 seconds, only about a second slower than Volkswagen’s own version of the hot hatch, the Golf GTI. It can also achieve a top speed of 135 MPH given the space, a full 10 MPH more than the standard Tesla Model S (top speed, 133 MPH). It’s the latest addition to the Golf GT line that also includes the much-coveted Golf GTD turbodiesel.
The only real problem as far as I can see it? Volkswagen has no plans to bring this awesome car to America, instead giving us an electric e-Golf model to hold us over. Whomp whomp whommmmp.
Source: Volkswagen
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment