All things come to those who wait.
Up until now the Volkswagen Golf eHybrid has been tantalisingly out of reach, sold to our cousins on the Continent rather than here in the UK.
But that’s all changed - VW is now offering the plucky little plug-in hybrid to customers here in Blighty.
And that’s very good news if you need a reliable, good-looking hybrid that’s also going to keep the bills down.
In fact, VW calls it fleet-friendly, thanks to the fact that it attracts a Benefit in Kind (BIK) company car rate of just 7%.
In previous months, if you wanted a plug-in hybrid Golf, your only option was to go with the ‘GTE’ a fairly ‘hot’ hatch with 245 PS and capable of sprinting from 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds.
Now, however, the more sedate eHybrid has joined the fray, boasting both better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions. It’s available in ‘Style’ trim only.
Power - all 204 PS of it - comes from a 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine, an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery that is located beneath the rear bench seat.
It has a pure-electric range of 44 miles on a full charge.
And while not as powerful as the GTE, it’s sprightly enough - hitting 62mph from a standing start in just 7.4 seconds, helped by 350 Nm of torque.
They crucial figures, however, relate to keeping cash in your pocket.
CO2 emissions are just 21 g/km and fuel economy is up to 235 mpg - 100mpg more than the GTE.
And because the Golf eHybrid can also be driven in all-electric mode at speeds of up to 80 mph, motorway jaunts without using a drop of a fuel are also entirely possible.
You can use reserve electric energy during longer journeys in order to guarantee that it is possible to drive in E-MODE, with zero local tailpipe emissions, in a built-up area at the destination. At the start of the journey, the driver simply enters the percentage of the battery capacity that must be reserved in the infotainment system.
Charging should be a doddle, too. When supplied with 230 volts at 2.3 kW via the normal domestic grid, the battery is fully charged in five hours, even if it’s completely flat.
If you ditch the regular plug socket and use a wallbox instead, the charging time is reduced to three hours and 40 minutes.
And for a car that’ll stop money leaking out of your bank account, it’s generously equipped, too.
Standard kit includes VW’s ‘Digital Cockpit Pro’ digital instrument cluster; a ‘Discover Media’ navigation system including streaming and internet, DAB+, and mobile phone interface with inductive charging function.
Tech wise, you get Dynamic Road Sign Display, Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Assist lane keeping system, Front Assist Autonomous Emergency Braking and keyless start.
On the exterior, expect ‘LED Plus’ headlights and LED tail light clusters, as well as tidy 16-inch ‘San Antonio’ alloy wheels.
Nick O’Neill, Volkswagen UK Head of Fleet, says:
“The Volkswagen Golf has always been a staple of the UK fleet sector and now, with the arrival of this exciting new plug-in hybrid option, I am sure we will see more companies taking the decision to add our exceptional new car to their fleets.
The new Golf eHybrid’s persuasive list of attributes includes pure electric zero tailpipe-emission driving; superb long-distance fuel economy; generous equipment; and a BIK rate of only 7% – all underpinned by Volkswagen’s renowned build quality and superb retailer network. Together, they result in a car that will especially appeal to company car drivers, as well as retail ones.”
It’s priced at £32,995.
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