Motor Campur Yes
Yesterday was destructively windy in Vancouver (a tree knocked the balcony off someone's apartment!), but very refreshing here, cooling homes as it whipped up whitecaps on the water. It's probably stirred the cooler temps back to the top, but until yesterday, we've had several delicious swims. Our beach is rocky -- cobbled for fifteen or twenty feet, but then comprised of a sandstone base, not bad for feet were it not for barnacles. But it's not easy for little ones to play in the water which, when it comes in does so in sometimes overwhelming waves. So when we heard that a neighbour was getting rid of this, we snapped it up in preparation for a certain granddaughter's visit next week. After all, beaches come in many different forms. While it's not surprising to find a beach in rural Portugal, we were surprised and amused by this one, smack in the heart of London. I've certainly seen sand-building before, with competitions a regular feature of summer festivals on Vancouver Island and in the BC Interior, particularly the Okanagan. But sand-building as busking, in a busy, busy, cosmopolitan city? That I hadn't seen. The creations were pretty simple -- an armchair or a couch in which to sit and heckle or cajole the crowd seemed most popular, no elaborate dragons here. Nothing evokes the sense of "beach" like a sandpail and shovel, even if wielded by grown men with hats full of coins at their feet. I imagine were old warehouses. So what's on your agenda for the day?
Even the simple things can make a big difference. Volkswagen engineers chose a 1-speed automatic transmission and use the same gear selector as gasoline-powered Golf, making the e-Golf鈥檚 gear shifter easier to grip and more fun to use. This encouraged us to change up the regen/recuperation stages more often to match driving conditions and boost our driver interaction more than anyone would ever think when driving an electrical appliance disguised as a car. Since Mk7 Golf was only released a couple years ago, it has the advantage of having a newer infotainment system with better features. The 8-inch touchscreen looks sharp and the user experience is overall better than the Nissan鈥檚 dated software. 鈥檚 apps are available through Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, or MirrorLink. When comparing the driving characteristics of the two BEVs, they differ more than the politics of Democrats vs. Republicans. The Leaf was designed to bring zero emission mobility to the world and encourage drivers to drive conservatively.
VW took a more conventional path to retain as much of the Golf鈥檚 driving dynamics as possible while delivering a car that would save money on fuel costs and reduce environmental impact. Taking off from a stoplight, the Leaf jumps from the line. It is not a performance car by any measure but has sufficient response for it to be a non-issue on city streets. It is more noticeable when entering the freeway. Those accustomed to rocketing up to freeway speeds right out of the gate might be a bit disappointed with the Leaf, but again, the emphasis is on fuel economy, not performance. When the pedal is depressed rapidly, it鈥檚 as if the acceleration curve flatlines. Despite its ho-hum launch capabilities, the Leaf drives smooth and comfortable, with continuous acceleration and the calm, quiet travel of an all-electric vehicle. What鈥檚 missing is sufficient insulation and noise damping materials to keep the road noise at bay.
Quietness is also a virtue of the e-Golf. You don鈥檛 hear any electric motor moaning and VW packed extra soundproofing materials to mute as much noise as possible. Road noise - which is always more noticeable in a quiet EV - was present, but distant. The e-Golf鈥檚 instrument display looks nearly identical to the standard Golf and leaves the fancy graphics to other players. In front of the driver are two large analog gauges that display information on power consumption and regen status of the battery, the power output of the electric motor, speed, and battery level. Sandwiched between the two analog gauges is a configurable display that provides instructions from the onboard navigation system, music details from the audio source, trip computer stats, fuel economy, or configuring some of the car鈥檚 settings. Intimate details about range, efficiency, and active working status of the e-Golf鈥檚 powertrain are available for viewing on the sharp-looking infotainment display.
As you鈥檇 expect, acceleration from a standstill is brisk with all the torque instantly at work. As with other Golfs, the dreaded torque steer from a front drive car has been eliminated. Power delivery is smooth and linear, but you won鈥檛 beat most cars in a drag race. Zero to 60 is leisurely, but an acceptable 9.5 seconds. Top speed is limited to a rather conservative 85 mph. The ride in the e-Golf is decisively more engaging over the Leaf. The suspension easily soaks up most road roughness and the extra battery weight keeps the German hatchback planted. Its suspension is pliant but not harsh. Despite that spacious interior, the Golf鈥檚 exterior proportions remain small and compact. It鈥檚 an easy car to maneuver and park on tight city streets, yet it still cruises confidently and comfortably on the open highway. A neat feature we found in the e-Golf is tapping the gear selector to the left, which gives the driver three selectable levels of aggressiveness for battery regeneration/recuperation from braking.
