Volkswagen Golf GTE ADVANCE cars

What is the Volkswagen Golf GTE Advance?

A Volkswagen Golf GTE Advance is an affordable plug-in hybrid that benefits from Volkswagen’s high-quality engineering and manufacturing.

It feels solid inside, and comes with more equipment than your average family hatch, making it stand out as a model worth considering.

Because the GTE Advance trim level arrived during a model facelift in 2017 (these cars are often called Golf Mk7.5 models), you’ll get to enjoy a fairly new model with more car tech than slightly older GTE versions.

– Read our Volkswagen Golf review

What are the Volkswagen Golf GTE Advance specs?

This is a high-spec version of the plug-in hybrid variant of the regular Volkswagen Golf, and it shares the same setup as the slightly cheaper GTE model.

Power comes from a 1.4-litre petrol engine, which combined with the electric motor, produces 204hp. It’s the same setup as you’ll get in newer eighth-generation Golf models, but they also have a more powerful 245hp setup that the older GTE and GTE Advance didn’t get.

Volkswagen reckons you’ll get up to 30 miles of electric range between charges, and while the GTE Advance is slightly less efficient than the regular GTE (likely due to aerodynamics), the reality is that you could significantly reduce your fuel bills with regular charging.

Used Volkswagen Golf GTE Advance features and equipment

Newer 2017-onward (Mk7.5) Golf GTE models come with bright LED headlights and distinctive C-shaped daytime running lights, an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, dual-zone climate control and a digital instrument cluster.

Opting for a higher-spec GTE Advance gets you heated front seats, heated windscreen washer jets, keyless entry (only on five-door models), a reversing camera and some additional safety kit like lane assist.

They also get an improved infotainment system with a built-in sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Where the Golf GTE Advance sits in the Volkswagen range

The Golf range consists of a long line of models, with plenty of adjustments over the years seeing different trim levels come and go. GTE Advance is a high-spec version of the regular plug-in hybrid GTE.

If you like the sound of more performance, there are diesel-powered GTD and petrol-powered GTI and R models, plus a few special editions like GTI Performance and GTI TCR.

Regular models include entry-level S, mid-spec SE, SE Navigation and Match, and high-spec GT and R-Line models.