VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTE

We unplug this PHEV for the last time and ponder if it was a smart choice

- WILL RIMELL

WHY WE RAN IT To see if the latest hot PHEV Golf is truly a wallet-friendly alternative to the beloved GTI

An email sent to me by reader Rob Lightbody provides an ideal starting point for this final report and ties in nicely with the mission statement for our long-term test car displayed above.

"As the owner of a 2017 Golf GTI, I was wondering if you think you'd be better off in the GTI version instead of the GTE," he asked. "The boot in the GTI is quite a lot bigger and you'd have no large cable to store. You'd lose some MPG, but on a longer run I get over 40mpg."

This is an interesting question from Rob, especially given that the GTI, at £41,810, costs only a little over £1500 more than the GTE, so going for the sportier option might seem like a bit of a no-brainer.

But it's not quite as cut and dried as that, based on my time with the plugin hybrid Golf at least.

For starters, as with the GTI, it looks brilliant. I especially liked its aggressive front end and our Crystal Ice Blue paint (a £1375 option). I just wish it had some visible exhausts (the GTE's are hidden) and that there was an option to turn off the boy-racer-style illuminated badges.

Then there's the interior. The GTE was the comfiest car I've driven this year, thanks in large part to its deep, bolstered seats. Long drives, of which I undertook many, never resulted in a sore bum.