Volkswagen Golf GTE Sport Concept: First Look
Looks like: A VW Golf that got stuck in a panini press
Defining characteristics: 395 horsepower, gull-wing doors and a projected 118 mpg
Ridiculous features: See above. A non-ridiculous feature would be its fire extinguishing system.
Chance of being mass-produced: Not likely, though some styling cues may carry through
Volkswagen is bridging the seemingly contradictory worlds of the high-octane World Rally Championship race series with the eco-friendly world of 118 mpg with its Golf GTE Sport concept. It’s a 395-horsepower take on what a hybrid racecar Golf of the future would look like, if the world decided it needed such a thing.
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The concept features the drivetrain, suspension and styling of a racecar with a plug-in hybrid system that Volkswagen says can provide up to 31 miles of range on electric power alone.
It uses a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine combined with two electric motors — one front and one in the rear — to provide a total of 395 horsepower and a whopping 494 pounds-feet of torque. (For comparison, a Chevrolet Colorado Duramax pickup produces up to 369 pounds-feet of torque.) The concept’s numbers suggest a vehicle that’s more than capable of rocketing to the next Sierra Club meeting with plenty of time to spare.
The concept’s performance numbers may be impressive, but its styling is … striking? It looks much lower and wider than the Golfs we’re used to seeing on the roads, and it wears what Volkswagen calls gull-wing doors that, instead of hinging at the top and opening straight up, actually open with a slight forward tilt. Around back, there’s work around the rear roof pillar that creates sort of an inset area for the rear bumper and hatch. VW says this isn’t just a styling exercise, though: The shape is designed to produce aerodynamic downforce and provide cooling for the rear brakes.
Inside, the cabin is sparse. Instead of featuring a full steering wheel, it has a steering yoke that’ll look familiar to race fans. The cockpit is also clearly segmented, with one compartment for the driver and one for the passenger. No “grabbing the driver’s knee to get them to slow down” in this car, I guess.
Finally, there are various drive modes that include an all-electric E-Mode, a conventional hybrid mode that combines the gas and electric drivetrains, and a full-power race mode. When operating as a normal hybrid, the GTE Sport concept is front-wheel drive; race mode is four-wheel drive. VW says the concept can sprint from zero to 62 mph in 4.3 seconds … if it were to ever see the road.
