eGolf 30 month review

[eeeeek]

What a strange little car. The range today is actually better than when it was new. My commute changed, so I'm now surface streets instead of freeway, but I've had this new commute for over a year now and my two way average is about 4.2-4.4 m/KWh every day.

I had the wall plug replaced once under warranty as the old one stopped working and another warranty service when it wouldn't charge at all.

I was stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire for 1.5 hours because it doesn't have a space.

All and all, it's been a very good little car, but there is no way I'm getting another electric car. Why? Plug in Hybrids, but not the way you probably think.

When I first got this car, I could drive it to the airport and plug in, assuring I could get home. I could also drive downtown and juice up. Finally, I could charge at work.

Now, every single time I go to plug in, there is a Plug in Hybrid in the spot. I've limped home with 4 miles range left because I couldn't find a spot that wasn't taken. My solution to the issue would be to move the charging spots to the back of the parking lots and then Plug in Hybrids would stop using them as reserved up close parking.

 

[Spektre]

This is just a learning curve that hasn't been quite worked out yet. Several cities are instituting bans for PIH vehicles at public chargers for the very reason you state. It'll just take time, manners, and etiquette to get it worked out.

Did your car not have the Slime inflation kit for the flat?

I plan to never go back to ICE cars. I love my eGolf more than any of the 30+ cars I've owned, and will replace it only with another electric.

 

[eeeeek]

I picked up a good size piece of metal and had to replace the tire entirely. The slime would not do the job.

To your point on etiquette, I've watched it go away rapidly. When I first got the eGolf, I didn't like that it locked the charge cable on the car. The people in the building were good about seeing if an EV was done charging before uplugging it to charge their own car. Now, the guy that sits down the way for me gets an alert at least once a week saying his car has been unplugged early. He'll walk out and find someone just didn't want to wait. I've also seen more an more people no longer bothering to come unplug and move when their car is done, or at all, even with the stated 4 hour limit.

When there were fewer EVs, it was a cool little community. Now? It's becoming like the rest of society.

Over the last 30 months I've had the need to drive beyond the range a few times when the SO had the ICE car. I am no longer brave enough to attempt it these days.

 

[user 1485]

Ugh, sorry to hear about the PHEVs screwing things up. I'm fortunate in that we have a ton of chargers at my office, and they've put in rules requiring that people move, which is great. There's even an email distribution list where people mention when they are leaving/taking a charger. I also just plug in overnight at home on occasion if I forget to do so at work.

Love my e-Golf so far, just wish it had more range! Maybe someday they'll come up out with a battery upgrade? Haha

 

[johnnylingo]

Did your car not have the Slime inflation kit for the flat?

Ain't no slime or patch gonna fix this:

Was just looking at the Ecopias 420s today to re-balance the air pressure and realized they're made in Mexico :roll:

I've enjoyed my time in the e-Golf, but very much looking forward to getting my new i3 REx. 100 miles battery, gas backup, and free DC fast charging means the days of range anxiety and stressing over public L2 chargers is in the past.

But...the i3 will come with Bridgestone Ecopia 500 tires, and no spare. Ugh.

 

[Spektre]

Ugh, sorry to hear about the PHEVs screwing things up. I'm fortunate in that we have a ton of chargers at my office, and they've put in rules requiring that people move, which is great. There's even an email distribution list where people mention when they are leaving/taking a charger. I also just plug in overnight at home on occasion if I forget to do so at work.

Love my e-Golf so far, just wish it had more range! Maybe someday they'll come up out with a battery upgrade? Haha

You've probably seen this, but someone already has. Now if it just came to market at a reasonable price.

It'd also be really cool if VW would give owners the option to upgrade the battery to the larger one from the '17, you know, 'cause it's the right thing to do? LOL

 

[user 1485]

Ugh, sorry to hear about the PHEVs screwing things up. I'm fortunate in that we have a ton of chargers at my office, and they've put in rules requiring that people move, which is great. There's even an email distribution list where people mention when they are leaving/taking a charger. I also just plug in overnight at home on occasion if I forget to do so at work.

Love my e-Golf so far, just wish it had more range! Maybe someday they'll come up out with a battery upgrade? Haha

You've probably seen this, but someone already has. Now if it just came to market at a reasonable price.

It'd also be really cool if VW would give owners the option to upgrade the battery to the larger one from the '17, you know, 'cause it's the right thing to do? LOL

I had not seen that, that would be amazing!!!

 

[eeeeek]

The other point is I enjoy driving and the eGolf has just never scratched that itch. Offline acceleration is decent, but then it just falls flat on its face.

Tesla has the right idea, but in the end, I'm not convinced BEV is the way of the future. Fuel Cell? Maybe.

 

[johnnylingo]

Offline acceleration is decent, but then it just falls flat on its face.

Agreed. It's disappointing this wasn't improved on the 2017/2018 models. Would have given the e-Golf a clear differentiation from its compliance competition (Focus, Soul, Leaf, Ioniq, etc)

 

[user 1485]

The other point is I enjoy driving and the eGolf has just never scratched that itch. Offline acceleration is decent, but then it just falls flat on its face.

Tesla has the right idea, but in the end, I'm not convinced BEV is the way of the future. Fuel Cell? Maybe.

Hard to argue against a Tesla. For half the price though (or often even less than that), I think our little e's do okay. Could the e-Golf be faster? Absolutely. For me though, having never owned a really fast car (mostly things like Honda Accords and Jeep Grand Cherokees), the peppiness of the e-Golf is a blast.

Doesn't seem like fuel cells will pan out, at least not in the near term. The only two big automakers that were basically funding the whole thing (Honda and Toyota) seemed to have already acknowledged they guessed wrong and are already planning for more BEVs. States in the U.S., and even entire countries elsewhere, are throwing their money behind greater EV infrastructures. But who knows what the future will bring!

We'll be waiting for you when you're ready to come back over to the BEV side

 

[miimura]

I think this "review" is not so much on the e-Golf as a car, but rather a critique on the state of public charging and society. Personally, I have never had a problem with public charging because I have 240V charging available at home for my two electric cars. I never NEED AC charging because our commutes and airports are within the round trip range of our cars. If I do need to go beyond the single charge range, DC Fast Charging has worked well for me. I have never had to wait for a fast charger while on the road.

As EVs get larger batteries, the need to charge in public is reduced. Also, providing chargers at apartment complexes in sufficient numbers for the residents will also open up convenient EV ownership to more people. Obviously, the best and most convenient EV experience is starting every day with a full battery.

 

[johnnylingo]

As EVs get larger batteries, the need to charge in public is reduced. Also, providing chargers at apartment complexes in sufficient numbers for the residents will also open up convenient EV ownership to more people

Very important points to consider long-term, and should lower the strain on L2 charging stations. Personally I've found they're getting more and more difficult to get access to, but often the root issue is them being too darn cheap. I really wish everyone could agree to put pricing in the $0.30 - 0.50 per kWh range. That would be reasonable for BEV users that need it but expensive to discourage the PHEV owners to can just charge at home. If the local governments want to help install cheap chargers, work on getting them in apartment buildings.

Personally for me, even with a home L2 charger, the range on the 2015/2016 models has been an issue. I lose 1/3rd of my battery coming up the hill which makes calculations complex and requires planned L2 charging stops. Upgrading to 100+ mile range w/ DCFC would cure those worries, and it's disappointing getting a 2017/2018 e-Golf isn't an option right now. But, cest la vie...on to the i3.

 

[eeeeek]

As EVs get larger batteries, the need to charge in public is reduced. Also, providing chargers at apartment complexes in sufficient numbers for the residents will also open up convenient EV ownership to more people

Very important points to consider long-term, and should lower the strain on L2 charging stations. Personally I've found they're getting more and more difficult to get access to, but often the root issue is them being too darn cheap. I really wish everyone could agree to put pricing in the $0.30 - 0.50 per kWh range. That would be reasonable for BEV users that need it but expensive to discourage the PHEV owners to can just charge at home. If the local governments want to help install cheap chargers, work on getting them in apartment buildings.

Personally for me, even with a home L2 charger, the range on the 2015/2016 models has been an issue. I lose 1/3rd of my battery coming up the hill which makes calculations complex and requires planned L2 charging stops. Upgrading to 100+ mile range w/ DCFC would cure those worries, and it's disappointing getting a 2017/2018 e-Golf isn't an option right now. But, cest la vie...on to the i3.

Another great point. When I go up the hill towards Auburn, I found that the eGold uses significanly more battery range...almost 3 to 1. A 15 mile drive will suck down over half the battery. While I get some of that back on the way down, it is nowhere near on par.

 

[eeeeek]

I think this "review" is not so much on the e-Golf as a car, but rather a critique on the state of public charging and society. Personally, I have never had a problem with public charging because I have 240V charging available at home for my two electric cars. I never NEED AC charging because our commutes and airports are within the round trip range of our cars. If I do need to go beyond the single charge range, DC Fast Charging has worked well for me. I have never had to wait for a fast charger while on the road.

As EVs get larger batteries, the need to charge in public is reduced. Also, providing chargers at apartment complexes in sufficient numbers for the residents will also open up convenient EV ownership to more people. Obviously, the best and most convenient EV experience is starting every day with a full battery.

You are correct, it is more of a critique on society as a whole and I feel it's worth stating.

I have watched the EV community drastically change in the last 30 months. In Dec 2015, charging stations were always available and there was a certain chivalry, for lack of a better term. We all knew the reality of range anxiety and had a respect for one another. People would put notes on their dash that said something to the effect of "feel free to unplug me if the charging is down". Heck, some people even made little hangers for the charger that stated what time you could unplug them.

This chivalry probably still exists with the BEVs, but it's harder to see with all the Plug in Hybrids mucking it up. The i3 is an exception, in my opinion, but cars like the Prius, Fusion, eTron, etc. have very short battery ranges and are basically using the charging stations at City garages and Airports are reserved parking.

So the positives:

The eGolf has been a great little commuter. The interior is nice, the stereo pretty good and here is a surprising amount of space inside. The fit and finish is pretty darn good. All and all, it has been a very good value.

Other bonuses: I get a discounted rate form PG&E for registering my eGolf with them.

This car was a vast departure from my norm. My prior cars, from newest to oldest, were an Audi S5, a Pontiac GTO, a Saab Aero, a Saab SPG. There is a certain theme there, so the deck was stacked against the eGolf from the beginning. I in no way regret leasing this little commuter, though. It has been a fantastic commuter, comfortable and solid.

Back to my opinion, though. If they want a bigger market share, it needs to be more than a fantastic commuter for a 60ish mile round trip, flat commute (I say 60ish because I believe a commuter needs to be flexible enough for side trips on the way home).

 

[BKipp]

Agree on the range of my 2016 Egolf.

I live at the top of a hill, so the average 75 mile [after an all night charge] gains to 85-100 as I head downhill towards the freeway. Great for to & from work, but a side trip is difficult to add on.

The 2018 will have 125 mile range - but even that is not ideal for a weekend getaway. If I didn't despise the cartoon look of electric cars I would jump to another brand, at least VW stayed true to Golf design.

*jealous you had a GTO*

 

[msvphoto]

I was stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire for 1.5 hours because it doesn't have a space.

Same issue (sort of) with recent model year BMWs. They come with overpriced and under-gripped (I know, they are getting better, but still) Run Flats. Thing is, I want my ICE car to be my road tripper and no spare is unacceptable. Not even any room to carry one unless you sacrifice luggage space. At least with the eGolf some folks have figured out a way to carry a spare without encroaching on luggage space.

I normally think we're fine since our eGolf does not go too far from home, but a recent local forum member's flatbed experience at a beach up the coast was an eye opener since my wife and I sometimes drive the eGolf to Pescadero area beaches. (Last time we took the BMW 540iT instead and I wound up getting my first ticket in more than 25 years and we were just cruising.)

For us the range is fine for what we use the car for. I would like something that gets 250 miles minimum in all weather conditions with climate control on, but for now an ICE car for range extension (we have three, a beater Audi 4000 quattro, a garage queen 1983 Audi Ur Quattro, and the 2000 BMW 540iT wagon--which has a full size spare because it is old).

With it becoming apparent we may not get 2018 eGolfs in the USA we are feeling really fortunate to have bought our 2015 used when we did. I suspect demand for used eGolfs may rise for a short time until we start seeing the new offerings from the industry in the next few years.

 

[johnnylingo]

Thing is, I want my ICE car to be my road tripper and no spare is unacceptable.

This is my thought too, but in reality all my flats have occurred within 10 miles of home, running over a bolt, screw, nail, or rock. That doesn't happen on the open highway. My new i3 won't have a spare either, but I'm planning to take it on a road trips where a flat tire would be a huge problem. Perhaps I'll regret that decision.

 

[eeeeek]

*jealous you had a GTO*

It's the car I regret selling. Stupid, simple fun. Big engine, rear wheel drive and stone simple. It had a fantastic interior and an understated look.

Along that vein, I have returned to the land of the V8s, thus ending my BEV experiment. The eGolf was so affordable that I socked away enough money for a substantial down payment on a Jaguar F-Type R.