New Volkswagen Golf GTI goes on sale in the UK, as does the new GTE plug-in hybrid

The new Volkswagen Golf GTI goes on sale in the UK with prices from £33,460, alongside the new Golf GTE starting at £35,960.

The new VW Golf GTI arrived back in February – alongside the new GTE and GTD – as VW started to reveal the more interesting new Golfs, and now both the new GTI and GTE are going on sale in the UK with prices for the GTI starting at £33,460 and the GTE plug-in hybrid from £35,960.

The starting price for the GTI is for the six-speed manual version, with the DSG version adding £1k to the price, and the DSG model scooting to 62mph in 6.2 seconds.

Standard kit include 18″ alloys, LED fogs, IQ.Light LED headlights, Jacara cloth seats, flappy paddles (for the DSG), keyless, 3 zone climate and electric heated mirrors.

Driver assist stuff includes Lane Change Assist, Travel Assist, Side Assist and Emergency Assist, new Vehicle Dynamics Manager, locking diff and more.

You can get similar performance – and the same 245PS, from the new GTE – although delivered in a more relaxing way – from its 1.4 litre turbo and 110PS electric motor combination, with the 13kWh battery delivering the promise of a 32-mile EV range.

The spring to 62mph in the GTE is half a second slower than the GTI, but it comes with the usual barking official economy for a plug-in hybrid of 176.6mpg and a DSG ‘box as standard.

You can tell the GTE from the GTI by its blue theme, with a blue GTE badge, blue strip above the light bar and blue in the Jacara cloth interior.

Standard kit includes IQ.Light LED matrix headlights, 17″ alloys, ‘hidden’ tail pipes, 3 zone climate, LED taillights, keyless, and the same ‘Assist’ systems as the GTI.

Both the new GTI and GTE are now on sale in the UK with deliveries for the DSG GTI due first.