2019 VW E-Golf Ushers In An Era Of Interchangeable Drivetrains For Every Volkswagen Model

Rising above the waters of the Mittelland Canal in Wolfsburg, Germany, four iconic smokestacks cut through an otherwise sparse skyline. 115,000), but without those smokestacks, the city of more than 120,000 people wouldn’t even exist. Yet the heartbeat of Wolfsburg and Volkswagen still emanates from the factory behind those smokestacks. At 6.5 square kilometers, it is to this day the world’s largest automotive factory under one roof. However, today it is a state-of-the-art example of modular car production. When the Volkswagen Golf debuted in 1974, few could have predicted that it would eventually sell more than 30 million units, to become the bestselling European car ever. 40 years later in America, the fully electric VW e-Golf debuted in 11 states this November (including California, Oregon, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont). It lures prospective buyers with its 116 MPGe efficiency rating (as well as an EPA range of 83 miles), which makes the e-Golf the most efficient compact EV of the 2015 model year.

I had a chance to test-drive the e-Golf through the streets and autobahns of Wolfsburg and neighboring Braunschweig, as part of a group showcase for the e-Golf’s American launch and a display of VW’s EV manufacturing base. Similar to other EVs, the e-Golf’s available torque (199 lb-ft) kicks in immediately, so its pep off the starting blocks is matched only by the soothing silence of the ride. With the ample acceleration, it was tempting to keep the e-Golf in the Normal drive mode the whole time and let it rip on the autobahn whenever possible. Those modes limit the available torque, top speed and air conditioning to varying degrees. The Eco modes are there to help maximize range, but they make the e-Golf a little less fun to drive - the difference in available torque is apparent. Regardless of the drive mode, the e-Golf has four degrees of regenerative braking available, ranging from none to extreme.

Regen modes are controlled by tapping the shifter left and right, or nudging it down for B mode - the most extreme regen mode. I enjoyed finding my personal sweet spot for regenerative braking (level 3), and using it as an efficient substitute for most braking other than complete stops. For safety, the regenerative braking activates the brake lights. The dash display clearly shows the current drive mode, regen and other useful info like the distance traveled and remaining range. As a nice old-school touch, an analog “fuel” gauge shows you the battery’s state of charge (SOC) underneath the speedometer. You can get more detailed information on the range and energy flow, as well as the navigation capabilities and satellite radio, from the 8-inch touchscreen display above the shifter on the dashboard. While driving the e-Golf was a little more stimulating, riding as a passenger in the front and back seats also proved to be pleasant. The four-door e-Golf has the same 93.5 cubic feet of interior space as the standard Golf, and it feels generously spacious for a compact EV.

Families should appreciate its near-rectangular rear storage as well, rather than a geometrically odd-shaped boot. I also got a chance to test drive the Golf GTE, the PHEV member of the Golf line. The Volkswagen Wolfsburg factory feels like a world unto its own. It has its own roads with bikes, VW cars and in our case, modified Golf tourist carriers that traverse the endless blocks of busy robots, inventoried parts and thousands of workers. As Dr. Harald Manzenrieder, Head of e-Golf Production at the Wolfsburg plant, rattled off facts about the factory, the numbers painted a picture on a huge scale. Every day, the factory runs for 19.5 hours of production, using 2,600 tons of steel and producing about 3,800 cars - one car every 18.4 seconds. All of that production represents only two main VW product lines, the Golf (2,200 cars a day) and the Touareg/Tiguan SUVs (1,600 cars a day). The circumstances behind VW’s headquarters - a town purpose-built to support a factory, followed by the long tradition of a successful company producing reputable vehicles - has made the Wolfsburg factory something of an anomaly today. “Nobody does this anymore,” Buhlmann said.