Wife stole the eGolf, now what?

[dustboy]

I was out of town for 6 weeks, and my wife started driving my eGolf. Now it's pretty clear she doesn't want to give it back. :roll: I'd actually love to give it to her because she deserves it, and in reality the range isn't ideal for my daily drive. Some days are 120 miles.

The Model 3 appeals due to its longer range, but the idea of waiting 12-16 mos. is a non-starter. Plus, a sedan that should have been a hatchback/wagon doesn't make any sense to me.

Do I buy a 2017 eGolf for the 125mi range? IMO there isn't another pure electric that compares. I don't have much interest in a hybrid because they are more complicated than either a pure electric or ICE. With the number of miles I drive MPGs are important, but it can't be some wheezing econobox.

 

[2016golfse]

Wait and see what the new Leaf is like. A 5 mile cushion is no cushion at all.

 

[SocaleGolf]

If the range of the 3 appeals, check out the Bolt. The Bolt drives like a bat out of hell, but doesn't offer much space or comfort for the money. If you don't mind buying some gas, the Prius gives you the range, high mpg, and is roomy.
Glad to hear the wife is happy. Always a good thing.

 

[JoulesThief]

If you are driving 55 mph, you can extend that range significantly.... if you can average about 5.5 miles per kW out of the battery. Figure 32 useable Kwh per recharge. That's about 176 miles on a recharge. Key is slowing down on the freeway, your range drops precipitously fast when you start driving much over 55 mph. Trick is to keep it in drive, the whole time, coast as much as possible and recharge the battery as little as possible with regenerative braking, once the energy is expended.

Just saying, it is doable, it depends on how conservative your driving style. Most people here are car enthusiasts, and drive their cars hard and fast. That will limit your range, driving in such a manner. Avoiding the herd mentality of driving style will extend your range significantly.

 

[dustboy]

On my longest days I'm OK with a quick charge at lunchtime, I'm not counting on the last 5 miles of charge to get me home because it's no fun hypermiling all day. I'm relatively conservative when it comes to speed, however driving 55 when even the trucks are doing 60-65 can be hairy. Much of my driving is on surface streets or in traffic so I get a lot of braking recovery.

The Bolt isn't an option, I'm 6'3" and I've never driven a GM product that I liked. Have not heard good things about the Bolt's reliability so far.

The 2018 Leaf I guess is a possibility, at least it's not quite as dorky looking as the first generation. Much of the reason I want another EV is due to the mechanical simplicity and relatively low maintenance. Hybrids don't have either of those features, I'd rather get an ICE vehicle with decent MPGs.

 

[JoulesThief]

I'm 6'5" and the Leaf, after one test drive, wasn't even an option.

I still think the e-golf will fulfill your needs if driven on surface streets. Easily.

 

[RonDawg]

I'm 6'5" and the Leaf, after one test drive, wasn't even an option.

I'm surprised that you found the eGolf more accommodating to your height. I always thought the Leaf had more headroom (and was easier to get in and out of) though I'm not as tall as you.

 

[JoulesThief]

I'm 6'5" and the Leaf, after one test drive, wasn't even an option.

I'm surprised that you found the eGolf more accommodating to your height. I always thought the Leaf had more headroom (and was easier to get in and out of) though I'm not as tall as you.

I needed the leg room.... 36" inseam, being Dutch and German. I'm guessing Germans know how to build cars for Germans?

If VW could retrofit that 35.8 kWh battery into my 2015 SEL, for a reasonable price, I'd be all over it, in a heart beat. In the end, I'll probably just look for a 2017 or 2018 lease return in a few years, and let someone else take the tax credits. Just turned 15k miles today, car will have been mine 3 years on Oct 6th. LED headlights, for me, were a must, and 7.2 kWh charger on board, as well as features in steering wheel for hands free operation.

 

[Frank3]

I think you'll be surprised by the space inside the Bolt...even at 6'3". It's certainly worth giving it a try.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

The Bolt isn't an option, I'm 6'3" and I've never driven a GM product that I liked. Have not heard good things about the Bolt's reliability so far.

The Bolt seems to have more headroom than the Leaf. I think you should sit in one.

What reliability issues have you heard of? I have heard of one or two issues, but nothing unexpected. Frankly, I've heard of a lot more reliability issues regarding the eGolf than the Bolt.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

The Bolt EV has more legroom and headroom than the e-Golf, and they are both more roomy than the Leaf. The original Leaf was borderline, and the new one is a no go, for me and my family.

I am 6'-4" and my son is 6'-7". The backseat of the original Leaf was a challenge, and the new one has a center console that hits right below my knee, and is a deal breaker. The e-Golf fits us fairly well. The Bolt EV has plenty of room, front or back.

 

[dustboy]

The Bolt seems to have more headroom than the Leaf. I think you should sit in one.

What reliability issues have you heard of? I have heard of one or two issues, but nothing unexpected. Frankly, I've heard of a lot more reliability issues regarding the eGolf than the Bolt.

My brother's friend bought a Bolt, and returned it a few months later because it had spent more time in the shop than on the road. It's really hard to imagine the Bolt having better head/legroom than, well a shoebox, they just look so dinky. But, what the hey, the range is a real plus.

The recalled TDI's are back on the lots and they are dirt cheap. The eGolf fits the small car/short range role well in our family, a TDI Golf Alltrack/Jetta Sportwagen might be a good option to handle longer trips and bigger loads.

I've found most days I get around the Bay and home with plenty of miles to spare. On 90-100 mile days I can find a charger at lunch, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Even here in the East Bay, home to TESLA, there are precious few charging stations, and those are often occupied by people who really just want a cherry parking space. People at Whole Foods will happily pay $6 for a tomato, but they looove that free charging station.

 

[mhathawa]

I leased a Bolt in November and have slowly grown to love it. The EV's I've leased include the Honda Fit EV, the RAV4 EV, the E-golf, and now the Bolt. I have had a Model 3 reserved since day 1, and finally rented one on Turo a few weeks ago and realized it is not the car I had built it up to be in my mind, especially for the cost. The Bolt really is kind of the best all around car if you're ok with not using it for road tripping. As a commuter vehicle, the Bolt to me is actually better than the Model 3. It's easier to get in and out of, it sits up higher on the road, gives you better visibility out all the windows as the driver. It is easier to access car seats in the back, much easier to get kids in and out of the Bolt. It feels just as fast off the line as the Model 3. Of course, once you're at speed, the Model 3 is better than the Bolt at accelerating.

As far as the Bolt vs E-Golf. As much as I loved my E-Golf, even if it had 200 miles of range, I think I'd still go with the Bolt. The only real negatives with the Bolt in my opinion are the ****** seats and the ugly interior. I don't mind the exterior really, but that's coming from someone that finds the Fit EV and RAV4 EV to be more attractive cars than the Tesla's. I'm weird like that. The greatest thing about the Bolt compared to any Tesla or any other EV I've driven is definitely the Regen braking. The Bolt's is just the goldilocks (perfection) in how it handles regen. Its not jarring to let off your foot when you're at highway speed. It gives you the split second or so to make sure you weren't just adjusting your foot and not intending to slow down. But once you've held your foot off the accelerator for the few split seconds, it starts slowing down more and more until it comes to a complete stop. When you're in stop and go traffic, you can feather the accelerator to do all your driving. Its more reactionary at lower speeds, and more foregiving at higher speeds, which is exactly what you'd want to really safely drive with 1 pedal all the time. Perfection. The Model 3 and E-Golf have very similar regen braking. You almost always need to apply the brakes when driving normally, and definitely require hitting the brake pedal to come to a stop. It really is annoying once you get used to the Bolt's regen.

 

[dustboy]

The only real negatives with the Bolt in my opinion are the ****** seats and the ugly interior.

That is my objection to GM in a nutshell, well that and the slushbox transmissions in their ICE cars. I am a sales rep and spend 3-4 hours a day in the car (it doubles as my office), so the seats at least have to be decent.

What I really need is an electric SUV/crossover, guess I'll need to wait a few years for that one.

 

[JoulesThief]

I've looked at, sat in, and test driven a Bolt. I can't put my finger on it, but the build feels like a $12-13,000 car with a price tag 3x that. The components in the cab feel cheap, flimsy or under engineered. I know, I'm weird like that too. Car feels like it's a throw away at 75 to 100 k miles on it.

 

[msvphoto]

I have not yet driven a Bolt, but when we bought our used e-Golf last November I was pretty convinced we were going to buy a used Volt, until we drove it. It was the same age and miles as the e-Golf we wound up buying but just had a huge aura of "cheap" and drove like a nondescript crappy rental car. The Bolt is appealing because of range, but does not look like a car I would actually want to sit in and drive for the range it has.

I will admit to being very biased. I am a German car fanatic, the only domestic automaker I like is Ford (and, okay, Tesla if they stick around) but I really tried to be open minded to GM and was impressed by the technology in the Volt, but you don't drive technology, you drive a car and as a car guy with pretty strong biases that car needs to be rewarding.

I sure am seeing a lot of Bolts on the road in Santa Cruz of late. Three at one intersection this morning. I also heard from the person I bought my ClipperCreek HCS40 from the reason they were selling is because they had a Bolt and discovered it can take much higher than advertised Level 2 current for fast charging at home (assuming you have an available amperage circuit and EVSE that can handle it). Interesting car but not for me.