Volkswagen e-Golf vs BMW i3 vs Nissan LEAF

[klaus]

German magazine Auto Bild has taken to the streets to compare the Nissan Leaf, the BMW i3, and Volkswagen's soon-to-be-released first electric vehicle - the e-Golf.

Pricing in Germany puts all three electric vehicles within 2000 or so Euros of each other, so it is definitely possible that someone would cross shop these vehicles.

Range: The 24.2 kWh battery pack in the e-Golf carried the vehicle 102.5 miles, while the 22 kWh BMW i3 went 105 miles. The Nissan LEAF went 90 miles on its 24 kWhs.

The Golf fares well too though, even compared to the illustrious GTI model--the low-mounted battery helps it feel nimble and the ride is better than the stiffly-sprung BMW. The Nissan, by comparison, is described as feeling like a generation behind--which by now, it is.

The Golf is actually the most refined, with just 68 decibels of cabin noise at 80 mph--about as loud as if the car simply passed by you on the street.

For those wanting a little more practicality, it looks like the e-Golf will soon oust the Leaf from its position as the best conventional electric car option on the market.

English summary:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news...vs-volkswagen-e-golf-german-magazine-compares

Here's the original article (in German)
http://www.autobild.de/artikel/bmw-i3-nissan-leaf-vw-e-golf-test-5117168.html

 

[ukjohn]

Interesting perspective, comparing all 3 of those vehicles.
Turns out they like the (most expensive) BMW i3, followed by the (least expensive in Germany) Volkswagen Golf electric.

The German site has some images comparing the rear seat space too which is helpful.

 

[klaus]

Here's the photos of rear seat space. Very helpful, thanks for pointing it out UKJohn!

e-Golf

Nissan Leaf

BMW i3

They also weren't happy with the half-access doors of the i3