Just had a test drive of e-golf

[sureway]

In San Diego. Acceleration at low speed is great, somehow comparable to GTI. Did not try highway. Although there is no engine, but it is much noisier than Leaf. This is possibly related to its suspension, large wheels, and its sporty design. No moonroof, which was my false expectation. Decide not to buy this time. Feel like, the car should go more sporty/sexy with a much larger battery, or low-profile with the current battery size on the S trim.

 

[marta]

Hi Sureway,

Very interesting, thanks for posting your findings on the forum!

Do you think the noise was extra wind/road noise (due to higher coefficient of drag etc) or was it motor noise?

Also, what do you mean low-profile with the current batter size on the S trim?

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Thanks for sharing. It's too bad about the moon roof, I was really hoping that would be an option on this car.

How did it handle? Does it have a sportier feel than the Leaf? Did you get a chance to take it through some twisties?

 

[LAeGolf]

I've just checked some dealerships websites around Los Angeles - looks like Van Nuys, Pasadena, Pacific (Hawthorne), New Century (Glendale), Livingston (Woodland Hills), Alhambra, each have 1 or 2 in stock. Most have one blue and one white, with some having a silver exterior color.

 

[cove3]

I just test drove the e-golf. The dealer in White Plains, NY got one in yesterday. No other area dealers have one yet. Ride is solid German feel, as good or better than BMW or Mercedes. Car is absolutely quiet, so I don't understand the earlier comment.

Braking regeneration levels were perfect, although the 2d level was not quite as aggressive as the i3. Car looks nice, not as quirky as the i3 and the interior is much better. Instruments very nice and screen is in the dashboard unlike the i3 where it sits on top which is distracting to me.

Leatherette seats do look and feel close to leather. 2 full rear doors a big plus over the i3, as is being able to see the hood. Lithium battery technology of nickel/cobalt/manganese in laser welded aluminum frame appears similar to the i3 and is supposedly state of the art

Seat up/down is by manual pump with back adjustment electric. At the lowest setting, my head duck was minimal and I'm 6'1, although the i3 had no head duck since it's 5" higher. Plenty of cargo space unlike the i3. Emergency brake is cool. Just lift up a tiny little lever 1/4".

Given the e-Golf is 10K MSRP less than the i3 (normalized for the e-Golf being loaded), plus 2 full rear doors, more cargo space, led lights, etc, I'm going with an e-Golf as soon as they can find one in Limestone or Urano Gray metallic. This even after i3 rebates/discounts I've heard approaching 5,000. The Fusion is out due to no gray and no CSS which will really kill resale value . Leaf is out due to looks and their loaded SL model is the same price as e-Golf.

Ron

 

[Carc]

Took a silver one home today. After a 3 year lease on the Leaf this feels like exactly what I was looking for - I can easily make a list of at least 20 improvements. Very refined - vw clearly took their time with the ev components - but it also seems to greatly benefit from being a shared platform. Looks great inside and out, sporty handling, solid build, state of the art touch screen/voice commands, etc. It feels like all the annoying features of the Leaf were removed - and all the premium package features I was missing were included - at a lease price about $70/mo less then I was paying.

 

[LAeGolf]

Hi Carc,
How much was your total drive-off, monthly payment, etc. etc.?

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Thanks for the review Cove. When I'm downstate next month, I'll be sure to head over to White Plains for a test drive. It sounds like almost everything I wish the Leaf was (missing is a little more power, and more range).

I have a lot of hopes for the eGolf in coming years. VW has all but stated that they will continue to upgrade the battery as technology improves. With a few increments, the car would be exactly what I want. The next few years will be even more exciting than the last few.

 

[EvilSpock]

I test drove at low speeds, and was expecting a silent car but there is a prominent whir of the motor. Maybe when coasting you get a silent effect, but for the most part the noise seemed on par with a gas golf (which is quiet for a non-luxury car).
I was also disappointed with no moonroof/sunroof even though this is standard on all other SEL trims. I've seen old photos where there is a solar panel where the moonroof would be, who knows what they were thinking.

 

[cove3]

I'm surprised at the noise, as I didn't notice it during my test drive and most of the reviews commented about how quiet the e-golf was.

I don't know of any bevs that have a sun roof option, I believe because Federal regulations require a reinforced roof and heavy glass. But a bev is fighting to save every pound of weight

Ron

 

[Carc]

The motor is super quiet - and also very quiet at highway speeds - vw did a great job. What does take some getting used to is the recorded "soundtrack" used to alert pedestrians at low speeds - more of a rumble than the leaf's high pitched whine.

Also it definitely has significantly more range and power than our 3 year old leaf.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Also it definitely has significantly more range and power than our 3 year old leaf.

Do you have significant battery degradation on your Leaf, or are you comparing to the range when new? According to Leaf Spy, my 2 1/2 year old Leaf has lost about 12% capacity, but it's hard for me to know for sure how it has affected range since I very rarely push it that far.

As for power, the Leaf has an 80kW motor. The eGolf has 85kW if I'm not mistaken. Interestingly the eGolf has less torque than my 2012 Leaf (199ft-lbs versus 208). Is the extra 5kW (a whopping 6.25% improvement) really that noticeable?

 

[Rachel]

I test drove at low speeds, and was expecting a silent car but there is a prominent whir of the motor. Maybe when coasting you get a silent effect, but for the most part the noise seemed on par with a gas golf (which is quiet for a non-luxury car).

I realize this was posted a couple weeks ago, but for anyone reading this now, the sound that is heard ("whir of the motor") is actually a speaker mounted in the front passenger fender that is supposed to simulate the sound of an ICE at low speeds (less than 18.6 mph / 30 km/hr). The federal government has mandated that new electrics and hybrids have some sound that alerts pedestrians and bicyclists of the presence of the otherwise (virtually) silent car. Several articles have been written about the higher incidence of collisions with pedestrians and cyclists from hybrids and EV's due to how quiet they are.

-Rachel

 

[gene]

I've owned a Model S for two years and 35,000 happy miles.

I gave the E-Golf a test drive today. I'm considering two more EV's for our family garage. The Golf handles beautifully and the seats are very comfortable. I like the fact that there is plenty of seating and cargo space. It seemed nice and quiet to me, other than that very subtle pedestrian growl. The interior is soooo much nicer than the Leaf!

I did my test drive at Neftin VW in Westlake, CA. The salesman Rene Cabrera was very accommodating. I would recommend him to anyone in the area. They have one white E-Golf in stock now. 805-630-8816.