John Kendall gets the keys to our new long-term Golf.

Helped by its mild hybrid set-up, the Golf is achieving diesel levels of fuel economy

P11d (BiK): £28,485 (29%) MPG/CO2: 47.8mpg/133g/km Test MPG: 48.2mpg

I have been wanting to run a mild hybrid-equipped car for some time, so you can imagine my delight when I was told that the Golf was heading my way.

If I was buying, the spec of our Golf is what I would have chosen for myself – seven-speed DSG ’box, 150hp engine, IQ.Light LED-matrix headlights, head-up display, automatic lights and wipers, navigation with 10-inch colour touchscreen, rear-view camera and heated steering wheel.

About the only thing missing is an adjustable speed limiter. It’s listed in the spec, but definitely not on the car.

I wanted to run a mild hybrid to see how effective the system is. It uses a belt-driven starter/alternator to provide smooth starting and regeneration on the overrun to capture energy when slowing and braking, which is stored in a lithium-ion battery. It works very well.

The engine already has VW’s cylinder deactivation system, but adding the mild hybrid easily drops fuel consumption into the low-50s mpg on a long run and it’s averaging 47.8mpg on the trip computer as I write. That puts it into diesel territory, with lively 150hp performance and fuel at petrol prices.

The “Have your cake and eat it” Golf?