test drives

By Tim Saunders

“There’s no charge in it,” reveals the delivery driver of the VW Golf GTE plug in hybrid. “You’ll need to charge it. I’d do it on a three-pin plug in your home and it’ll take ten hours or so. Much better and more cost effective than using one at a petrol station or supermarket.”

Interesting, I think while at the same time thinking damn, driving isn’t as easy as it used to be. It’s an inset day for my son Henry (9) so I haven’t got time to mess about charging the car up. I’ve got to entertain, so we drive it to Gosport, have a picnic, go to the park and then play tennis as it’s a glorious day. We keep watching the dials on the dash for the battery which reads 0% charge yet it seems to still be driving on electric mode because we actually gain range, so I can’t quite fathom it all out. So I do some research and find that it can travel up to 81 miles on electric power alone, and gains range by charging from the mains or using the petrol engine to recharge the battery. Ah, so that’s what’s happening then.

I can see though how if the car is regularly charged then the fuel in the tank will stay there for some time. I don’t get round to charging it up before I go on a journey to Essex, about a hundred miles from my Hampshire home. Now, it’s interesting to note that nothing actually happens to the battery charge other than the occasional reading of 99.99mi/kwh on the screen but the percentage charge doesn’t alter from 0%. However, on the way back and I’m driving in the same manner, in eco mode, while crawling along in endless queues on the M25 the car’s battery records a 4% 4 mile charge. I do think the car should automatically start in eco mode rather than the less efficient comfort mode.

I have a confession to make, I leave the charging kit at home during my trek to Essex. Why? Space. The boot simply isn’t large enough for my family’s luggage. I have to remove the parcel shelf, too. We stay at Lee Valley Caravan Park where we discover that residents qualify for free EV battery charging. Yes, I kick myself but there’s enough fuel in the tank for it not to really be a problem. If it were a long-term loan, I’d be fed up.

Over the course of the test we all warm to the GTE. It can pootle with the best of them or it can outperform many a car at the traffic lights or on the motorway. You’ve got to be careful because this front wheel drive hatch has so much power going to those front wheels that the tyres won’t last long if you’re not careful. Personally, I would prefer a completely manual gearbox but instead there’s a DSG automatic one that can be driven like a manual thanks to the paddleshifts on the steering wheel. The driver gets a head up display where the speed is projected onto the windscreen in front of them.

The build quality on this the Mark 8 is excellent, as you might expect. Here is a car that feels that it can go on and on without complaint. The seats are supremely comfortable and the front ones are heated, which I really appreciate after I’ve been kayaking and am a bit cold and wet. Henry discovers that you can push all the windows down using the keyfob or indeed back up while shutting the sunroof. He’s a clever boy.

There’s rear privacy glass and a contemporary look to this, the latest Golf. We like the red brake callipers and the special grey/blue finish. “If I was flash,” says my wife Caroline, “I’d like the rear IQ lights that shut down one by one as the car is locked and light up as it is unlocked. That’s quite flash, I think and I haven’t seen other cars do this. I also like the VW hologram that is cast down on the ground at night, which is very cool.”

Facts at a glance

“There’s no push button start,” the delivery driver informs me, rather down in the mouth, as he leaves the Kia Ceed GT on the driveway.

I instantly warm to the GT, a five-door family-sized hatch. This is my type of car, with its traditional key ignition and six speed manual gearbox. There is an electric handbrake though. Turn the ignition and there’s a nice little roar from the exhaust.

As the name suggests this is a sporty little number, a boy racer’s delight. Now, a good car feels like an extension of the motorist and I feel this with the GT. Once I’ve adjusted the seat there’s a good driving position with the steering wheel being just the right distance away from me. The manual gearbox feels just a little bit further forward than usual but I’m not complaining because it all adds to the experience. This is engaging driving that I’ve been missing of late. The bite of the clutch is a little challenging on occasions, simply because it’s a brand new car and I’m used to a more worn one in my wife’s Vauxhall Corsa.

“It’s a 25 plate,” announces my son Henry (9) as he arrives back from school. “I’m so excited,” he adds as he sits in it. He loves his cars.

Little boys seem to be drawn to car keys (with our old car and its primitive key fob we don’t need to worry about keeping it away from the children) but with the Kia, Henry discovers that when he unlocks the car from the key fob there is a button that he can press to open all the windows, which is handy on a hot day. Initially we all think this is rather flash and clever. However, when Caroline puts her arm through the window and Henry, sitting in the back now still holding the key fob, pushes the button for the windows to go back up, we are introduced to an unwelcome danger and the terrible thought that she could have lost an arm if she hadn’t been quick. So Henry and I conduct a little test to see whether in fact the window would keep going up if an object was in the way. We use a stick to test what happens and the window goes all the way up and then back down. I wouldn’t want to replace the stick with my arm.

Power folding wing mirrors, all round electric windows, heated front seats and steering wheel, a sat nav and a decent stereo are all included.

The Ceed’s 0 to 60mph time is under 10 seconds but due to the car being quite low to the ground, coupled with the roar of the exhaust, it does feel much quicker. There’s a top speed of over 120mph. Overall it returns more than 40mpg over the duration of the test where there have been a variety of speeds. I drive it on the school run and take it down the motorway to Horndean for Henry’s Saturday football match.

Externally, its design reminds me of a Mercedes A250 and it feels well put together with the motorist feeling safe in the knowledge that it comes with Kia’s famous seven year warranty. Its striking design gives the car an air of substance. The alloy wheels are striking, too and we notice that they catch the sunlight very nicely.

Facts at a glance