Under the bonnet of the Golf GTE is a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 148bhp.

Nothing unusual about that I can imagine my reader saying and they’d be right. However, hidden away underneath all that metal is a 101bhp electric motor and a battery pack.

Together they, VW claims, are good for an eye-opening 166mpg and just 39g/km of CO2. It’s not too shabby off the line either, with 62mph arriving in 7.6 seconds which is three tenths quicker than the GTD and a respectable 1.1 seconds slower than the GTI.

Those economy and emissions figures mean that you’ll pay zero road tax and be allowed to drive around our great capital city (during the sacred hours of 7am – 6pm Monday to Friday) for free.

The battery pack has a theoretical range of 31 miles – although in reality it’s significantly less – which means that if your commute is a short one, you might never have to visit a petrol station. It’s worth noting that the GTE can reach 81mph on battery power alone but its impact on range is profound. There are five modes to choose from – E-mode, Battery Save, Hybrid Auto, Battery Charge and GTE – with Hybrid providing the best efficiency and GTE the best performance.

It’s a superb system with only the very slightest of vibrations when the engine kicks in. Driving on electric-only power around town is stress-free, even in stop-start traffic, thanks to the relaxed nature of the motor and, in no small part, to the near-silence in the cabin.

It’s as equally at home on long-haul journeys where you’ll find refinement is excellent. The chassis is happiest on less angry roads where the additional weight of the battery pack and motor has less impact on ride quality. When things start to get a little rough the sports suspension struggles to keep the occupants and sharp-edged obstacles apart.

That extra mass has another significant effect that raises questions about the hybrid Golf’s credibility as a GT, impairing the car’s ability to change direction with as much elegant, unflappable, finesse as its more traditionally powered brethren.

The overall effect is to dull the chassis’ responsiveness, dragging the GTE back towards some of its less dynamically-capable competitors. It remains a good car to drive, it's just not as much fun.

The GTE shares styling clues with the GTD and GTI but, in a subtle nod to its greener credentials, is trimmed in blue. That includes the GTE badge that replaces that of the GTI, with which it also shares the horizontal fins set within the C-shaped running lights lifted from the E-Golf. The GTE is a hybrid in every sense.

The interior follows the same pattern, with blue stitching replacing the red of the GTI on the steering wheel and gear lever gator, and blue highlights in the tartan seat covering. Those changes aside, and a few additional buttons on the centre console, the inside of the GTE will be reassuringly familiar to anyone who’s climbed inside any other Golf in the range.

There’s a generous amount of kit as standard, including adaptive cruise control, climate control, VW’s excellent multimedia display – this time with a 5.8in colour screen – as well as 18in alloy wheels.

That GT moniker, then, is a little optimistic. The additional weight that it has to haul around blunts this particular Golf’s capacity to thrill. If you rein in your expectations, however, and enjoy the GTE for what it can do, rather than bemoan what it can’t, it makes a great deal more sense.

VW Golf GTE Nav 1.4 TSI plug-in hybrid 6spd DSG 5dr

Price: £35,705

Engine: 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol

Max power: 148bhp

Max torque: 184lbft @ 1,600rpm

Electrical power: 103.5bhp

Combined max power: 204PS

Combined max torque: 258lbft

Max speed: 138mph

Acceleration (0-62mph): 7.6sec

Combined: 166mpg

Emissions (CO2): 39g/km

For more information visit www.vw.co.uk