New record......

[evo1986]

Soon to be announced we will have some record breaking lead times on the new Golf GTE......it was announced earlier this week that the entire UK production allocation for this year is already full and orders placed now are being scheduled from week 5 next year.

Have we got any GTE orders on here yet?

[Wo-Wo]

Wow, you've gotta be really keen to wait that long!

[James75]

There are few dealer demos floating around for sale.

I've test driven a GTE and really it's a smoke and mirrors car.   It's best to think of it as a slightly more economical GT/Highline 1.4 ACT Golf than a performance Golf, the performance bits, the blue accents and GTI style seats are only added so that you compare to say a GTD and not what it really is.  Against a GTD it looks like fair value.

The problem is that it looks like it's on stilts and it's heavy and feels heavy pulling away.  It's a beautiful piece of kit but you won't get 30 odd miles from electric power, i think VW said if you drive at 65, you can expect maybe about 12, so you are really going to have to change the way you drive and it won't be 'sporty driving'.

I suspect the economy for a lot of people will not be that different, or not as great as people hope.  And when we have an E Golf that can cover 300 miles then all PHEV's will be redundant, this isn't stop gap tech, I mean hybrids have many uses but for cars like the Golf, it doesn't make sense a private buyer.   I'd buy one of the Golf's for sale at present, there are some for around 20k (you can get a 10k discount if you buy new and go through an online broker).   Once I've spent my 20k I'd just get something second hand and fun for the longer journeys

I wouldn't criticise anyones decision to buy a GTE but I'd be realistic about what you're buying and why you're buying it.  It's not as much 'fun' as a GTD, it's fun in a different way.   I think the price hampers them a bit in the UK and I believe in other markets they are a bit cheaper than GTD's etc, if it was pitched at around 26k, that would be interesting. 

James

[phope]

The target market for the GTE is really the fleet market

A car with much the same spec as the GTD, with an engine/drivetrain combo that attracts a tiny benefit in kind for tax purposes, exempt from London congestion charge and as much day to day performance that most company car drivers need

I've said it before - had the order book been open when I had to order my company car last year, then I'd have had one

[J400uk]

I considered one but came to the conclusion that for high motorway mileage a GTD is the better bet

[am1w]

I am aghast why someone would wait that long for such a car. It is such a halfway house being neither fish nor foul. Sorry, not my kind of vehicle.

[Booth11]

That's only a bit longer than the wait time for my R (and MH's)   

[James75]

The target market for the GTE is really the fleet market

A car with much the same spec as the GTD, with an engine/drivetrain combo that attracts a tiny benefit in kind for tax purposes, exempt from London congestion charge and as much day to day performance that most company car drivers need

I've said it before - had the order book been open when I had to order my company car last year, then I'd have had one

Absolutely - but it's very obvious from driving a few hundred yards the GTE though, it's not a performance Golf, it doesn't have the agility, poise or playfulness of even the GTD.

James

[Exonian]

The target market for the GTE is really the fleet market

A car with much the same spec as the GTD, with an engine/drivetrain combo that attracts a tiny benefit in kind for tax purposes, exempt from London congestion charge and as much day to day performance that most company car drivers need

I've said it before - had the order book been open when I had to order my company car last year, then I'd have had one

Absolutely - but it's very obvious from driving a few hundred yards the GTE though, it's not a performance Golf, it doesn't have the agility, poise or playfulness of even the GTD.

James

For those who buy with only their company car benefits in mind not their driving enjoyment or soul.

[James75]

The target market for the GTE is really the fleet market

A car with much the same spec as the GTD, with an engine/drivetrain combo that attracts a tiny benefit in kind for tax purposes, exempt from London congestion charge and as much day to day performance that most company car drivers need

I've said it before - had the order book been open when I had to order my company car last year, then I'd have had one

Absolutely - but it's very obvious from driving a few hundred yards the GTE though, it's not a performance Golf, it doesn't have the agility, poise or playfulness of even the GTD.

James

For those who buy with only their company car benefits in mind not their driving enjoyment or soul.

True