We travelled to Wolfsburg, Amsterdam for the international launch of Volkswagen’s latest and fastest production petrol electric hybrid, the Passat GTE. This latest technology from the German giant combines a 1.4 TFSI petrol engine with an 85kw lithium ion battery to produce an impressive 218hp while returning a claimed combined economy of 1.7l/100km (or 166mpg).

First impressions are that it does not differ far from the new Passat in terms of looks albeit earning some warranted electric blue design cues from the fully electric e-Golf. These consist of a subtle blue line stretching from headlight to headlight, blue GTE badges front and rear, wing badges and electric blue brake calipers complete with signature C shaped LED lights at either sides of the front apron. This subtlety is an art that Volkswagen designers have mastered in their in recent times adding just enough desirability to their higher performing models.

Sitting into the interior is when you really notice you are not in any normal Volkswagen Passat. The instrument cluster is the first give away displaying battery range and charge, along with the usual driver displays. The steering wheel, gear knob and seats are finished with a contrast but discreet blue stitching along with more understated GTE badging while the 6-speed DSG gear shifter is surrounded by a number of driver modes to choose from. Like the standard Passat, the finish to the cabin is of the same high quality and because the battery is hidden firmly within the chassis, there is no concession of space in the cabin. Boot space still remains a hefty 586 litres and passenger comfort remains uncompromised.

The Passat GTE has three driver modes; fully electric, hybrid and GTE. Fully electric mode from full charge will give you a range of 50km and the car automatically starts in this ‘zero-emission’ mode. In hybrid mode with a full tank and fully charged battery, the claimed range is a massive 1100km.

To put that into perspective, that will enable you to travel from Dublin to Galway five times and still have some fuel left over. GTE gives you all of the power available. What is key to the GTE mode is the 400Nm of torque produced by the plugin hybrid drive that provides instant performance. The transition between modes is so slight, it is actually hard to distinguish when the 1.4 TFSI actually kicks in, allowing for a fluid and comfortable driving experience. While our time with the car comprised of two 60km journey’s consisting mainly of Dutch motorway, it gave a good insight into how this car will perform for its target market, drivers that spend the majority of their time soaking up many motorway miles on a daily basis. It felt composed and very refined and the steering felt sharp, while most importantly it provided a comfortable ride.

The Irish specification Passat GTE is most likely to be made available in one single specification. This is no bad thing as all cars will come as standard with the 6.5 inch media infotainment system with Sat Nav, the 6 speed DSG automatic transmission, Bluetooth, park pilot, 17 inch alloy wheels and a host of new technological safety features. The Sat Nav can be upgraded further to the 8 inch ‘Discover Pro Unit’ or even to the ‘Active Info TFT Display’ as found in the new Audi TT. This combines the driver’s instruments and Sat Nav into one very impressive 3D display, situated directly in front of the driver. Our test car on the day was fitted with this option and while it makes reading the navigation even easier, it really blends seamlessly with the GTE’s high tech appeal.

So how important is this technology? Plugin hybrids currently account for 200,000 car sales annually. But this trend is doubling with sales expected to be 400,000 by 2018 and worldwide sales are projected to exceed 3 million by 2022. A key advantage of the petrol electric hybrid is that it also eliminates the range anxiety that comes with a fully electric vehicle making ‘zero-emission’ efficiency a daily convenience.

With pricing for Ireland not yet confirmed, it is expected to be around mid-forties. While this might seem like a hefty premium over the €34,090 for a 1.6 TDI with DSG, the high specification and the long term savings expected with the GTE’s economy becomes justifiable, by making the most of the cars fully electric e-mode around town and self-charging hybrid mode on longer trips. But let’s not forget the reason for the 'GTE' driving mode and badge on the front of this car, fun.