Say hello to…
…the revised Volkswagen Golf in five-door hatchback, plug-in hybrid form. When the eighth generation Golf was released there were several small areas of the car (mostly tech based) that added up to result in a package that was far from best in class. With this the new mk8.5 car, Volkswagen has gone about fixing all of the little niggles that detracted from the all new model.
What’s more, VW has also introduced a new plug-in hybrid powertrain, tested here, that offers an official EV range of 88 miles.
Of the non-GTI/GTE or full-fat R versions of the Golf there are five regular trim levels.
- Life
- Match
- Style
- R-line
- Black Edition
Standard equipment on the Life includes 16-inch alloys, auto LED headlights, cloth trim, auto-dimming rear view mirror, auto wipers, 12.9-inch infotainment system, satnav, keyless start, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and dual-zone climate control.
Match adds 17-inch alloys, tinted rear glass, keyless entry, high beam assist and a rear view camera.
Style adds 17-inch alloys, body coloured bumpers with chrome trim, cornering light, uprated headlights, sports seats, three-zone climate control and rear traffic alert.
R-line adds uprated seat material, R-line body kit, sports suspension, lane keeping assist and drive modes.
Black Edition adds 18-inch alloys, black trim, matrix LED headlights, heated front seats and illuminated logo.
Is The Volkswagen Golf PHEV Suitable For My Fleet
Having had all the annoying software and tech issues ironed out, the updated Golf immediately becomes hugely more appealing. The addition of a class-leading PHEV version makes the Golf completely suitable for a huge range of fleet needs. Having an official EV range of more than 70 miles means the latest Golf falls into the 5% BIK tax band, where most PHEVs are at 8%.
In the real world, this equates to a range of more than 60 miles. For those with home charging, this range would equal a serious reduction in cost per mile without the public charging anxiety of running a fully-electric car.
The only small weakness is that the PHEV has a boot volume of 273 litres. The petrol-only version has a boot space of 381 litres.
Leasing A Volkswagen Golf PHEV
Intelligent Car Leasing is offering the Golf PHEV asa five-door model in Style trim for £328 a month on a 3+36 contract with 10,000 mile a year. Forecast maintenance costs run to £26 a month according to Gensen Reports, and the Class 1A NIC is £20 a month.
Driving A Volkswagen Golf PHEV
Externally the revisions to the Golf are barely noticeable. This is no bad thing, without being dull, the Golf should be the conservative option. Inside, there are small but noticeable changes. While software can be updated over the air, and has been since the launch of the mk8 Golf almost five years ago, there is also new tech being the screen. As a result, the operating system, accessed mostly through the infotainment touchscreen, is now one of the best in the market. The speed of response to inputs is good and the menu system is logical. There’s also shortcut buttons to the most frequently used control – most notably to turn off the legislated speed warning and lane keeping.
In terms of physical controls, the best improvement has been to reintroduce proper physical buttons to the steering wheel to control items such as the stereo volume and trip computer.
Just these few changes (coupled to backlit climate control sliders) reduces the frustration levels immeasurably.
On the road the Golf is everything you’d expect; the ride is comfort is excellent without ever feeling soft or wallowy. The steering is light and accurate. And the brakes are reassuring.
With such a long EV-only range most of the time you’re in electric-only mode. The refinement is excellent with minimal road noise intrusion. Even when the engine does kick-in – either for maximum power or if you run out of battery – it’s a smooth process and noise levels are still impressively low.
In fact it’s very hard to find any serious fault with the way the car drives, is constructed or in the materials used in the cabin. Even the small boot space – compared to the ICE versions is only noticeable if you look under the load floor.
With the latest revisions, VW has returned the Golf to the top of the sector.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Volkswagen Golf PHEV
If FleetandLeasing.com did star ratings, the latest Golf plug-in hybrid would be a five-star car. Easily the best in class and prefect for fleets looking for a PHEV.
Volkswagen Golf
- Model: Golf Style 1.5 TSi eHybrid
- Power: 204hp
- Torque: 350Nm
- Max speed: 137mph
- 0-62mph: 7.2s
- Official mpg: 993mpg
- Test mpg: 300mpg
- Official EV range: 88 miles
- Test EV range: 61 miles
- CO2 emissions: 6g/km
- BIK tax band 2024/25: 5%
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