Launched in 1997 the Golf IV was the latest version of Volkswagen iconic model, and it became the biggest selling car in Europe at one point. It was a deliberate attempt to take the Golf further upmarket, with a high-quality interior and higher equipment levels. As with the B4 Passat the year before, the Golf Mk IV was a very significant car in its class. The latest model remained faithful to the Golf concept but included some of the new 'arched' styling themes first seen on the Mk IV Passat. The overall effect was considered to be far more pleasing than the previous model. However, the upgrade of the vehicle's interior materials and exterior details appeared to have been done at the expense of the vehicle's chassis, which was average. As with the Golf II, a convertible version of the Golf IV was never made. Instead, the Golf III Cabrio was facelifted to give it the frontal styling of the Golf IV hatchbacks.
Later I discovered that BMW has programmed the engine to only make sounds at low speeds. One major concern I had for the i3 was the lack of touch screen and CarPlay. However, I was impressed with how well the iDrive controller worked, especially when paired with the sharp 9″ wide screen that comes with the Technology Package. After plugging my iPhone in to the USB port, I was able to see it as a connected drive and navigate to music and podcasts, either using buttons on the steering wheel or the center controller pad. The i3 has been marketed as a “city car”, which gave me doubts on how it would feel on an open highway or twisty road. I found neither to be an issue. On the highway, the ride was generally quiet and stable, although it did get a little jumpy when going through a windy section. Handling on twisty Highway 17 was better than expected and on par with the e-Golf. While tall, the i3 has a low center of gravity which aids it in these situations.
The rental had the i3 “Technology package”, which included sensors to detect forward and rear objects . It did not include the “Parking assistance” package, which includes backup camera. I found this to be a dis-coherent mix of features. Since the charge port is on the rear of the car, backing in to unfamiliar spots in an unfamiliar car without backup camera was frustrating, to say the least. Backup cameras are standard on the base e-Golf and Volt. This serves as a reminder of how option packages work on luxury brands. Short of a Tesla, I don’t think you can do much better than an i3. The aggressive regenerative breaking takes some getting used to, but after a few stops, I quickly got the hang of it. 50k for the options I want, it’s costly investment that will depreciate rapidly in value. The Volt was completely redesigned for 2016. In addition to a sleeker albeit less distinctive interior or exterior, it adds seating for a 5th person (granted, this is in practice an emergency seat that straddles cup holders). But best of all, the battery has nearly doubled in size, increasing battery range from 35 to 55 miles.
The Volt has a large 8″ touch screen at the top of the center console. It’s pretty, but I kept finding it just slightly out of reach and difficult to manage scrolling. And like an iPad without a screen protector, it quick accumulates fingerprint smudges. I was very excited to finally try out CarPlay, which is standard. This ended up being ultimately, a big disappointment. I’d pictured CarPlay letting me use an app from the center touch screen, for example being able to pull up a Yelp bookmark, or use the ChargePoint app to find the nearest station. Instead, I had to pull things up on my phone. While I was able to transfer navigation to the screen, it only worked with Apple Maps. As a person who strongly prefers Google Maps or Waze, I found myself questioning how often I’d really use CarPlay in real-world situations. Successfully using CarPlay I’m sure requires lots memorizing Siri commands, otherwise, the driver spends a lot of time poking around the phone, which defeats the whole point.
