Last month, Tesla scored a historic 1.248 units! Although comprehensible, considering the upcoming fiscal changes, it nonetheless impresses by the sheer volume in a small auto market like this one, probably setting a monthly record that will last for several years. But this sales-fever will have its flip side in 2016, with a massive sales hangover and symbolic numbers in the first months of the year. Regarding the manufacturers ranking, Tesla ended miles away from everyone else, with 57% share, while last year winner, Nissan, ended in Second, with 15% share, followed by BMW (14%), in Third. Expect a revolution in this regard this year, as BEV's wont have the fiscal advantages they had before. A final mention to Fuel Cell Vehicle sales, this is becoming one of the most important markets for this technology, with 13 units sold in December, 11 of them being Hyundai's, while the remaining 2 were Toyota Mirai. Looking into 2016, basically it's Year Zero all over again, the fiscal changes will push back sales in a big way, while also blurring lines for the Best Seller trophies. 1, followed closely by a group of German plug-in hybrid models.
The Volt’s owner neglected to include the charger cable, so charging overnight at home wasn’t an option. So I hit downtown Santa Cruz in the morning to charge up and get breakfast. After charging for an hour, I’d only added 10 miles range. At that point I realized the issue - the Volt’s charger is a max of 3.6 kW, vs 7.2 for the e-Golf and i3. Later in the day I charged in Campbell and got better results, adding 12 miles per hour charge. However, as the battery became nearly full, the charging rate slowed down dramatically. 7 on charging for 62 miles of range. 2.50 a gallon and the Volt getting 40 mpg, gas was actually cheaper than electric. This was disappointing since one of the benefits of electric vehicles supposedly is electric “costs” less than gas, but the moral here is it depends on how one charges. The acceleration on the Volt was strong, but definitely a step down for the i3 and e-Golf. When I did push for instant torque at a green light, the wheels sputtered and it just felt lackluster. The Volt is best thought of as a gas car with good mileage, offering more electric driving than a typical hybrid.
Seats in our GTI 1.8 T were firm and supportive. More side bolstering would help brace driver and passenger in tight corners, however. Seating adjustments are trademark Volkswagen, with its unique jack to adjust seat height; they are a bit difficult to use at first with an awkward knob for adjusting rake, but familiarity improves this. The optional Monsoon Sound System with eight speakers is among the best factory stereos we’ve heard, with crisp highs and snappy bass response. Rear seats, with height-adjustable headrests, seem surprisingly roomy with plenty of headroom for all but the tallest passengers. There isn’t much stretch-out legroom, but the seats are unusually high off the floor, which makes the available space more comfortable than in many other compacts. For the taller person, sliding your feet under the front seats makes the back seat of the Golf a quite comfortable place for short trips. Three-point seat belts are used in all three positions in the rear, an excellent safety feature normally found on more expensive luxury cars.
