Impressive figures, over 200bhp from a hybrid hatch Volkswagen News : Volkswagen UK I really like VWs and look forward to driving this. Combined with the fantastic DSG gearbox , this should be a great car to drive. The only thing that I am not looking forward to is the price, it will be crazy expensive here (did a search and can't see any threads on it, please delete If there is one already)
I'm excited to see the GTD as well. I heard somewhere that the E isn't coming to America but we will see.
Let's see how much it costs. So many European hybrids have just been compliance cars and cost way too much. A VW plug in could work - the BEV e-Up is well priced, I just hope the GTE is too. If it is, it'll be a good seller.
The word is it will cost 7k € more than GTI (28k €) The other word is it will not cost more than e-Golf, the price in Germany 35k € From those two rumors we can conclude that the price in Germany will be around 34-35k € this is cheaper than Ampera/Volt. Government grand in EU is different from county to country (3k-5k €), this begs the question, why would anyone want to buy GTD?
It may be a great car to drive, but DSG...I've read some bad reviews over the life span and quirks never solved...
And why would it use the DSG gearbox? People are put off the Prius because it is always incorrectly reported that it uses a CVT transmission and they remember the old DAFs from the 1970's. We all know the Prius has nothing of the sort. The electric Golf and maybe the plug in will have something completely different I'm sure. But let's just see what the price is. If it's €35k to €40k, then it's got no change and will sell a few hundred a year before being phased out due to lack of demand.
Green Car Congress: Volkswagen to introduce Golf plug-in hybrid at Geneva; first deliveries in autumn It looks like the same components as in Jetty hybrid, only slightly more powerful and a bigger battery + charger.
Oh dear So the highly unreliable, highly expensive DSG gearbox now has an electric motor system incorporated into it? One to avoid then.
More like overly complex mechanics for no particularly good reason. One of the selling points of the Prius was that it is simpler mechanically in many regards. The same is true of many of the first gen BEVs. Now along come VW and add their own 'touch' to a car. The E-up is still value for money though. Tempted to getting one, though a good second hand Leaf can be had cheaply.
I haven't heard of many issues with the DSG here in Ireland. Only problems I can recall is when someone has tuned the 2.0 TFSI beyond its limits and then bits start to break! (400+ bhp on a standard unmodified box)? There were issues outside of Europe I recall where the wrong oil was used, but I don't think we had that here I've driven more than a few DSGs, both diesel and petrol and I really like them. If people carry out the required DSG service, oil and filter etc, they are good for big miles. If they are reporting €35k in Germany, with Irish taxes it will be closer o €40k, so a no go and as Grumpy states will be phased out. Probably a PR thing rather than the VAG trying to sell e cars
Well on that note Ford UK sell the Focus EV. Not that you would ever know as I've never seen it advertised, nor does it appear on their website. But for sale it is, at £30,000 after the £5,000 grant. Next we'll hear that Ford aren't making any more as they don't sell.
I have calculated that GTE will save you around 850 € per year in fuel if you are doing 30k km a year, compared to GTD, and we have much cheaper diesel than petrol. With higher fuel prices and same petrol and diesel price the saving is even greater. Then you have only 1.4 engine and only 110 kW to insure (here only the more powerful motor counts). What taxes when CO2 is rated at sub 50 g/km? Don't you get any benefits when you take it compared to 119 g of GTD? Don't you get any grant when you buy it? I checked the Toyota and Opel Ireland site and they don't offer their Plug-ins, why is that?
I never knew Ford UK had an EV Focus Just googled it fir info Ford Focus Electric first drive Review | Autocar . Looks a lot better than the Leaf, but as you said, it'll be gone again before the public hears about it
There are tax benefits to BEVs and Plug In cars in the UK. A lot of cars here are company cars, but you're taxed on them. You're tax a lot lot less with a battery/plug in/hybrid than a traditional car. The tax benefits on my Prius saved me hundreds a year, then there was no annual car tax and I could also offset depreciation against tax too. I do wonder if these tax benefits are the reason many manufacturers (inc Toyota) charge must more for their BEV/plug in offerings?
Crazy isn't it. Another offender for offering an EV but not really advertising it is Smart. They offer the Smart EV. It's on their website BUT you'll be hard pushed to find a price! It's the same as Ford. It's officially offered but effectively hidden. No law against that, the car is there and the manufacturer complies. Stinks though.
I've owned two VWs with DSGs. The first had the "flash of death" and had to be towed to the dealer to have a new sensor installed in the DSG. The next one went through three Mechatronics Units, which never fixed the car. I traded it in for a Prius and never looked back. Also, besides the Doesn't Shift Good trannys, both cars were literally falling apart around me. No more VWs in my driveway.
Volkswagen Golf VI 2009 - Car Review | Honest John Many DSG faults were reported, and warranty extended in some major markets, like China and Russia. I believe DSG has no service required during first years...