144 kilometers is the official range of the Volkswagen Golf PHEV. But what is the real EV range? So how far can you get when driving down the highway at 100 km/h (or 130 km/h) before the petrol engine kicks in? We test that!
Volkswagen is busy with its latest generation of plug-in hybrid models. The plug-in versions of the Golf, Passat and Tiguan received a large battery of 19.7 kWh, good for an official EV range of more than one hundred kilometers. The new entry-level version of the Golf eHybrid takes the cake with 144 kilometers.
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The target number is 131 kilometers
Our test car is a 272 hp Volkswagen Golf GTE. It is more powerful than the regular Golf eHybrid (204 hp), but it also has an impressive electric driving range of 131 kilometers. According to Volkswagen, it doesn’t matter whether you order it with 17- or 18-inch alloys, the EV range is the same.
We can confirm that the usable battery capacity is 19.7 kWh. We managed to get that much electrical energy from a full battery, so we take that into account.
Volkswagen Golf GTE: range at 100 km/h
During the day it is 6 degrees and so the electric heating has to be used. If you drive on the highway at 100 km/h, the result is an average power consumption of 21.4 kWh/100 km. If you were to drive a full battery of 19.7 kWh completely empty, then… 92 kilometer the petrol engine takes over.
Volkswagen Golf GTE: range at 130 km/h
On the day that we turn onto the highway in the evening for the 130 km/h test, it is warmer: 13 degrees. Even at this speed, the Golf GTE stubbornly continues to run on electricity – the petrol engine remains aloof. And that’s how it should be if you manually switch on the EV mode.
The average power consumption at 130 km/h is 26.1 kWh/100 km. This keeps our plug-in Golf precise 75 kilometer vol.
Real range in relation to WLTP
- Range WLTP – 131 km – 100%
- Range 100 km/h – 92 km – 70%
- Range 130 km/h – 75 km – 57%
Conclusion
We can’t think of any other PHEV in the Golf class that can travel 92 kilometers when driving on the highway in winter. Apart from its corporate brothers, of course. This is how the Toyota Prius PHEV (range test) this only 60 kilometers full. And based on the factory figures, we dare to predict that the plug-in hybrid Mercedes A-class will not make it either.
The Golf PHEV owes this to its large 19.7 kWh battery. And in other seasons, when the electric heating does not have to work so hard, it will probably reach the magical limit of 100 kilometers and perhaps even more.
The only thing that bothers us is that Volkswagen advertises 131 kilometers and then 92 kilometers is a bit disappointing. So if you are considering a plug-in hybrid from Volkswagen, assume about 100 kilometers and then the EV range can only be better than expected.
Source: www.autoreview.nl
