Golf GTE?

I charge my Tesla on a 3 pin overnight without issue (only do 30 miles a day typically though

What do you have at the moment. I just have an ev and would never imagine a situation where I would need a petrol car

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Hi,
To my knowledge the software issues are still there in some vehicles. Major software update was promised by Dec 21 but is only just being released (very slowly) now and to specific vehicles only. That is how I understood the situation 6 weeks ago, it may have changed. I have also heard that since the software is in use across the VAG group there is some evidence in other sister brands. As mentioned before check the internet sites. For me it was the continuous warnings indicating faults eg light issue which technically makes the vehicle illegal to drive knowing lights are faulty. Most of the time I would check all the lights and not find any fault but it was a bit of a drag having to check all lights every 4/5 days or so. Perhaps it was just my car. I only got rid of mine 6-8 weeks ago.
Assuming you are looking at the mk8 it has an all up 245 ps iirc so is pretty nifty but not quite gti level. It is hauling a 75 kg battery plus the ICE as well so is like having an additional passenger all the time.
Must confess like @Ryder35 I am now totally relaxed about ev and do not have any range worries at all. I assume as you have 2 x ev you are well used to the routine

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Lol, also a Tesla (2nd car situation been a bit volatile), more than 2 years now and we couldnā€™t be happier, just works and there is virtually no point you cannot reach with their superb charging network, however we would like to keep some more flexibility and freedom for various more remote trips and destinations, at the same time not having to burn petrol daily, and not having to keep 3 cars!

Reaching a destination is one thing (itā€™s the easy part) while spending time there for a few days or a week with daily smaller regional trips or in the mountains, although doable with an EV (done it quite a few times) becomes just a bit too much of a hassle to keep the car charged and plan around unless one is e.g. at a place with a Tesla destination charger.

@Orac - much appreciated, yes looking at the same model version but looks like these software issues are more serious and widespread than I initially understood, hm!?: )

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Hence the suggestion to look at the 308. More reliable and supposed to be a more engaging drive as well. This is only from reviews though, so best to compare for yourself.

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Hi @garcon

Similar thread. Might help, then again might not. :laughing: :laughing:

KR
Orac

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Oops, interesting read!

And Golf 8 possibly the last Golf?? They better make it right then! :star_struck:

Personally Iā€™d steer clear of hybrids. Worst of both worlds. A petrol car that is heavier than it should be, or an electric vehicle with no range. In 2022 Iā€™d go either EV or have a last hurrah with a petrol Golf. Hybrids werenā€™t created for the driver, they were created to help manufacturers meet group emission standards

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Having used a hybrid for a year and subsequently moved on to full EV I now tend to agree. I have read some interesting articles about how manufacturers have used hybrids as a way of meeting EU quotas regarding emissions at the expense of producing reliable vehicles.
I did own a Golf GTD which was a really good car in terms of performance, reliability and cost to run. Diesel is a consideration in some scenarios eg where high mileage is expected/required. Some new diesels are not that polluting compared with petrol when real life testing is undertaken.

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Good choicšŸ˜‰. I I had your use cas I think I would just hire an ice when needed

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I have just got a phev (Volvo xc90 T8) after three years in a full EV (Jaguar iPace)and three years before that in a range extender EV (bmw i3 Rex).

I have fairly regular days in which I do more than 300 miles and the chargers on those routes currently generally manage less than 50kW. So day trip to Edinburgh requires minimum two hours charging and Aberystwyth 1.5hours. Longer if the small number of chargers in convenient locations are broken or in use (last trip to Edinburgh in the jag lost me a third hour finding a working charger). On holiday in Scotland in February we had a couple of stressful episodes where I struggled to find a charger that worked on the ipace- the charging network is improving but not there yet

Another issue is there isnā€™t (at the moment) a decent range EV (minimum 200 miles) with a big enough boot for us - the ipace was too small but the xc90 is great

So far including three days of over 300 miles the xc90 has averaged 40mpg - nearly all my local motoring is electric (though it only manages 15-17 miles electric at the moment - mine is five years old as I couldnā€™t get the latest version) - and for slightly longer trips and days out (up to around 200 miles) my wifeā€™s EV (Volvo c40) gets used

The xc90 phev isnā€™t perfect, but for us at the moment it is the best compromise.

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Tesla is the only EV for me due to charging issues with current infrastructure.

I thought Iā€™d give an update here for anyone interested - we did end up getting the GTE after some further deliberation (including also seeing the Peugeot 308).

Weā€™ve been reassured by VW that after the initial software related issues these have largely now been resolved, for this model at least? After just over a month of ownership weā€™ve had no issues whatsoever (fingers crossed!).

Focusing on the GTE badge more specifically:

  • Itā€™s smart and operating very smoothly between modes, yet not overly complicated and leaving you with a feeling of control.

  • First, as an EV only? It does give you about 30 real miles (with no boy racing). More than quick enough and nippy for city driving. Essentially all our local daily driving so far has been electric, though often with 3-5 EV miles remaining. Daily charging is obviously essential. Any less than the 13KWh battery and it would have been insufficient for us in this respect. Still, I should say Iā€™ve been impressed at times to see e.g. as on this occasion a 22 miles EV range remaining after 21 EV miles done (shown at the bottom of the screen) of mixed driving (about 70% motorway at 65-75 mph and 30% in city traffic).

  • As a hybrid? Even on its own the petrol engine is adequate (kind of) but in sports mode with the combined hybrid power all on, and the added cabin exhaust sound (I think?), it can offer a genuine bit of fun and an escape from the weekly EV only boring commute - it does all the right things, sounds almost good and if you floor it, the front wheels readily go face grinning mad. In fact I find myself too tempted to use it in hybrid full GTE mode, must stop!

  • Is the GTE then 2 cars in one? Well, kind of, and it seems to make sense if it covers your daily needs as a pure EV (or at least most of the time), with the occasional longer trips, especially those more off the main beaten track.

  • What I would have liked, ideally, is a (slightly) longer EV range and fast charging capability, but for me itā€™s not so much the battery capacity and the range as the slow charging that could be an issue if the car is to be even more efficient as a hybrid on long journeys. I noticed that e.g. the 308 offers an optional ā€œfastā€ DC pack (7.4KW I think) which is an advantage over the GTE but in reality even that is not so much of a significant difference. I believe these cars need faster charging (e.g. 20-22KW min) to make them actually useful for longer trips in real life where you would normally want to allow to charge for about 30 mins or so max. For charging at home or at work, in the shopping centre etc, I find the 3.7KW or 7.4KW adequate for their battery size.

So there we are, go GTE!:slight_smile:

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Just drove to York from the Pyrenees in a day using ICE engined car. Not sure how weā€™d have managed this is an EV??

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wow, nice and easy! ~ 1000 miles?! + the Channel timeā€¦

I assume you took rest stops?

You would gave overdosed on caffeine on the charging/coffee stops.

Duration: 19 h (970 mi)

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2 of us shared the driving. Approx 25 mins stopped - apart from waiting at the Chunnel.

Well I guess you could always just hire a nice car for holidays abroad with the money you would save on petrol from running an electric car all year