Misplaced ambitions and great revenge.
In an attempt to make up for the disappearance of its OPC and GSi labels, Opel presented a new electric GSe chapter last year. The Opel Astra GSe starts in PHEV form as a new-style hot hatch, something Volkswagen previously did with the GTE.
Certainly nice weather, such a test with hot hatchbacks?
The times when we could do a new multi-test with hot hatchbacks every month are far behind us. To our regret, we can say, because even the lesser gods were usually still fun to drive. The price was also somewhat manageable. In the present the situation is different. The strict emission requirements make the already not cheap cars so expensive that they price themselves out of the market, so most brands have stopped making them. Perhaps we will see new growth with the increase in the number of fully electric cars, because a well-run sports label is still an interesting revenue model. Until then, a few brands are venturing into an intermediate form: the sporty plug-in hybrid. McLaren and Porsche showed ten years ago with the P1 and the 918 Spyder respectively that it can certainly work. Volkswagen followed a year later in a completely different segment with the Golf GTE, a car that was quite okay with its 204 hp. It was just marketed a little too much as GTI-worthy, while it was simply a quite heavy, reasonably fast Golf with a lowered chassis. Cupra, reborn from Seat, has gone one step further in recent years with its Leon and Formentor PHEV, cars whose drivetrain still has some room for improvement, but which set a new benchmark for electrified hot hatches in terms of chassis. This brings us to today, when a new player reports.
Will the Opel Astra GSe be marketed as a hot hatchback?
Opel launched its GSe label this year, replacing both the OPC and GSi lines that the brand has proudly carried for several decades. GSe must become the sports label for Opels with a plug, whether these are fully electric cars or plug-in hybrids, like today. The Germans launched the Grandland GSe and the Astra GSe at the same time; the latter may take part in a comparative test for the first time today. This Astra has both petrol and electric power and a sporty approach. A competitor was quickly found, because Volkswagen once again has a Golf GTE on the price list. An old-fashioned Golf-versus-Astra test in a new guise!
Is Volkswagen’s GTE also such a label?
The GTE concept was launched on the Golf VII as a more environmentally conscious variant of the GTI. In practice this turned out to be a bit exaggerated and it was more of a fast but heavy Golf with a sports suspension. Volkswagen persevered and again came up with a GTE of the current Golf VIII.
How much power do the Astra GSe and the Golf GTE have?
This car received a power upgrade anyway and now has 245 hp. The Astra has less power at 225 hp. This is striking, because the Opel has both more petrol power and more electric power. The Astra has a 1.6 turbo engine that produces 180 hp and an electric motor that produces another 110 hp. However, together they peak at only 225 hp. The Golf has a 1.4 turbo engine with 150 hp and the electric motor produces 109 hp. However, the system power is higher at 245 hp. The cars are both heavyweights and the difference with the versions without a plug is significant. The Astra weighs 350 kilos more than a version with a 1.2 engine, the Golf 440 kilos more than a 1.5 TSI. However, the Golf is in principle lighter, so both cars now weigh more than 1,620 kilos. Shockingly much.
Are there many external differences from regular variants?
On the outside, the Astra has certainly used a lot of make-up, fillers and other cosmetic procedures with the aim of camouflaging obesity. The GSe package gives it a big nose, a fuller butt and big wheels. In combination with the two-tone paint, this gives the Opel a thick appearance. In the Golf the interventions are more subtle, but the black wheels and the honeycomb grille show that it is not a standard Golf. Moreover, like the Astra, it is a bit closer to the asphalt.
On the inside, the sports buckets in both cars stand out. They are great in both; We have few complaints about the seating position. The ergonomics are better in the Astra, because the sliders and other controls in the Golf, despite some improvements, are still not ideal. On the other hand, the Golf looks much more modern. You have more options at your disposal. Qualitatively it is also at a higher level.