If you want to measure the Volkswagen e-Golf against similar EVs, this 25-minute video is the one to watch. In this in-depth e-Golf review, Alex L. Dykes points out his favorite features, what he doesn’t like, just about every detail you can imagine, and how it all compares to the competition. He reveals the information in a fast-paced, quick-talking, straight-faced way so that you can consume the info as efficiently and objectively as possible. For the fresh EV market shopper, this will really throw you into the matter and initiate comparisons to other EVs from the “Alex on Autos” YouTube channel.
The VW e-Golf video review is below, but before that are some highlights in writing that we pulled out of the review.
Alex reports that the e-Golf is much easier to drive than BMW’s i3 — which he recently drove. Alex believes the e-Golf offers much smoother driving with a 9 out of 10 driving score, summarizing that it is an ideal alternative to the i3 that has more precision at a lower price. He prefers the e-Golf to Nissan’s Leaf as well, due to higher-quality interior, a better look (subjective, of course), and better drive quality.
Alex gives the e-Golf a good grade on the seats, noting that the back seats offer enough space for baby seats or for adult passengers to be comfortable. He gives the front seats 8 out of 10 points and the back seats 9 out of 10 points. The trunk also gets 9 out of 10 points.
He’s not a fan of the car’s fake leather, as it doesn’t breathe as well as cloth or real leather. The central console infotainment system is decent but certainly doesn’t “Wow.” It is a bit small and it doesn’t have a screen showing how long it would take to fully recharge the vehicle (things which competing EVs have). Alex is a fan of the user freedom and control regarding regenerative braking, with the e-Golf offering 4 choices, ranging from no regenerative braking to regenerative braking so strong that it will bring the the car to a stop fairly quickly if you let it. (Note that these options are also available on VW’s e-Up!, a European model EV.)
Alex very usefully notes the differences between the car he tests and the lower-end version that VW recently announced. The differences which contribute to the lower cost include the hubcaps being steel instead of alloy (which Alex didn’t care about), the headlights being halogen instead of LED (a step down but not a huge loss), and cloth seats instead of fake leather seats (which he actually prefers and I think I would as well). Lastly, there is no heat pump in the lower-end model. This bring down the efficiency a bit, especially for those living in colder climates who will use the heating much more, but it’s not a big loss for people like me living in hot & sunny Florida. And remember, as a super-efficient EV, he gives the car a 10 out of 10 on fuel economy.
Alex also notes that the e-Golf feels like a normal car experience — it is not notably futuristic — and it doesn’t look much different from a typical Golf. The significant factor is for you decide which you want — an EV that stands out from the crowd or one that fits in.
I’ll let you find out from Alex which EVs he’d choose over the e-Golf and which he wouldn’t by watching the video:
And here is a bonus video on child seat installation in e-Golf:
According to EV Obsession, “The Volkswagen e-Golf was already one of the more competitive electric cars on the market, but it is now getting even more competitive, with a new low MSRP of $33,450 in the US ($25,950 after the federal tax credit for electric vehicles and $23,450 after that and the California zero-emission vehicle cash rebate). That’s down a bit from its previous low of $35,445 ($27,945 | $25,450).”
Apparently, Alex is not the only one who prefers the e-Golf to the world’s top-selling Nissan LEAF, as the e-Golf recently surpassed theLEAF as the top-selling EV in Europe. Could it do the same in the US? If you’ve driven both, let us know about your thoughts on the two in the comments below!
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Image by M 93: „Dein Nordrhein-Westfalen“ / photo on flickr
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