Review Of The New 2019 Volkswagen E-Golf
It鈥檚 an open secret that Volkswagen is actively seeking to burnish its image among disaffected North American consumers in the aftermath of the diesel-engine emissions scandal. One of the German manufacturers鈥?strategies is to invest massively in electric technologies. Hence the unveiling of all those I.D.-labeled prototypes earlier this year. While it鈥檚 fairly certain that a compact-car equivalent of the I.D. BUZZ van and the I.D. Still, it would be unfair to accuse Volkswagen of inertia in the domain - as evidenced by the arrival in its lineup of the e-Golf, a successful prelude of models to come. The category now features another European player, and it鈥檚 one that should be warmly embraced by Canadian consumers, even if it might be a stretch to expect the e-Golf to match its gasoline-engine equivalent in terms of sheer popularity. In any event, for 2017 the electric variant of the Golf has been upgraded all around; a week behind the wheel gave us confirmation of this.
New on the outside? As any green car should, the Volkswagen e-Golf meets an all-important first criterion: look different than the rest of the model lineup. The design team has dutifully dressed the plug-in Golf with a few exclusive touches. The overall treatment is still sober, mind you. The front end inherits a full grille, garnished with a trim-exclusive thin blue line that stretches to the headlights. Under these are LED daytime running lights that got several nods of approval during our weeklong road test. On the sides, the badge on the front wings where VW places the 鈥淕TI鈥?or 鈥淩鈥?badge on its performance models is replaced here by 鈥渆-Golf鈥? Another exclusive touch is what the car sits on: 16-inch Astana wheels, on which are fitted equally exclusive low rolling resistance tires. Get behind the car, and you鈥檒l notice LED lights there as well, while the bumper is slightly different than the one on the e-Golf鈥檚 gasoline-engine brethren. And of course, the absence of an exhaust pipe is another clear signal of the model鈥檚 green bona-fides.
Overall, though, fans of the model need not worry - the Volkswagen e-Golf retains its distinctive Golf shape! The inside tells largely the same story, that of a highly practical and functional environment tweaked without being transformed. The dashboard is the same as that of the Golf, although the instrument panel behind the steering wheel is slightly different with its energy consumption indicator located on the left. 2,305 more), which features hand-gesture technology, a first in a North American Volkswagen model. The system gives access to a multitude of applications. 360. As in the other Golfs in the lineup, the comfort level of the seats is a strong point. Driving position is also worthy of high marks, as is the impressive sound insulation that makes the Golf driving experience as quiet as it is exhilarating. With an advertised range of 201 km (although the screen in our tester displayed 248 km), the new Volkswagen e-Golf goes several kilometres farther on a charge than its predecessor, which in any case was never made available in Canada.
Regarding that range, the electric Golf behaves like no other car in its category: range depends in large part on the mood of the person holding the steering wheel. Strong acceleration peels a few kilometres off, while even, smooth driving squeezes a few more out of the battery. Place the gear shifter in 鈥淏鈥? and energy recovered during braking and when slowing down adds more range still; although, it takes a bit of getting used to the increased resistance when the right foot releases the accelerator pedal. Volkswagen has promised a charging time of about five hours on a 240V outlet, while using a regular 120V plug more than doubles that time. It鈥檚 also possible to get the battery up to an 80% charge using a quick charging station in about 30-45 minutes. And how does the VW e-Golf drive? The specific constraints for this model (charging time, range, etc.) notwithstanding, the Volkswagen e-Golf does not significantly mess with the recipe used with success for more than 40 years.
