If you’re expecting driving a pure-electric car to be like piloting a spaceship, you might be disappointed. It sounds obvious, but the e-Golf looks exactly like a regular Golf rather than the doodle of a sci-fi geek. Some unique details catch the eye, such as the blue-edged finishes around the nose, plus the slick alloy wheels are a nod to the 22nd Century. Yet you still get the reassuring solidity that is what the Golf is all about. The same goes for the cabin, where getting comfortable is easy and the controls are just as you would expect in any car; two pedals and one gearstick. The first deviation from the experience from any other Golf comes when you prod the start/stop button. The dials flick into life - well, the high-clarity LCD display that presents an image of them - and there is the faintest hum as the climate control begins to cool the cabin. But otherwise we are greeted by resolute silence and a ‘ready’ acknowledgement to tell you that the e-Golf is fit to drive away.
Tight Cornish streets lined with parked vehicles aren’t exactly ideal for getting acquainted with a new car, never mind one with a powertrain you have no experience of, but the e-Golf is on your side. There’s nothing new you need to know; just as in any other automatic car, you place your foot on the brake, select D on the transmission and squeeze gently on the accelerator; smooth, effortless acceleration is your reward. The first few miles out of Helston are typically stop and start, but the e-Golf’s manner is perfectly suited to keeping your blood pressure low. Already the dark is beginning to close in as we reach the higher-speed asphalt of the A30 heading north, and it seems only natural to let the e-Golf take the strain. As we round Exeter and join the northbound M5, we are two hours into the journey and in need of a break, so we decide to find a charging point and have a rest. The built-in sat-nav has instantly displayed a selection of charging points along our route and it takes just a tap of the screen to add one as a waypoint. We’re soon a matter of minutes from the motorway, parked up in a charging bay.
40,000. It particularly shines in zero-to-30-mph sprints, especially in city maneuvers and at slightly higher speeds around tight corners. The combination of 199 pound-feet of torque, taut handling, and a tight suspension is a winning formula. The 100-kW electric motor on the 2018 e-Golf develops 134 horsepower. At the same time, the maximum torque of the electric motor has been boosted from 199 pound-feet to 214 lb-ft. The e-Golf runs zero to 60 mph at 9.6 seconds—and its top speed is 85 mph. The 2018 E-Golf allows drivers to use a set of driving modes and levels of regenerative braking. Slap the gear shifter to the left—once, twice or three times—to progressively increase the amount of regenerative braking applied, ranging from a no-regeneration (or “coast”) mode to heavy braking. Don’t expect a total one-pedal driving experience. Even in B mode, you’ll need quite a bit of runway ahead to allow the E-Golf to slow down before coming to a complete stop.
Even then, the car will still slightly “creep” forward when the driver has both feet off the pedals. There are three levels of performance: Normal, Eco and Eco-plus—providing increasing levels of energy frugality. If you want to push the limits of range, you could put the car into Eco-plus and B mode. But given the lack of clear distinction between each level of regen, we suspect most drivers will leave the car in Normal and only reserve B mode for long downhill stretches or when the battery is getting low. Alternatively, EV geeks might keep the car in Normal (to reserve a modicum of fun) and in B—for an approximation of one-pedal driving. One cool feature is a kick-down, which was also employed in the discontinued Mercedes B-Class Electric. The 2018 E-Golf has an EPA-estimated range of 125 miles. For city driving, the EPA estimated fuel economy is 126 MPGe; highway driving is rated at 111 MPGe; and combined city/ highway at 119 MPGe.
