Good review, but that background music should have stopped right after you got in the car and started driving, or at least turned way down so it's not a distraction. One thing that slightly concerns me is no liquid cooling for the battery, but owners have not reported too many degradation issues, so maybe VW did their homework better than Nissan...
I've had the 2015 SEL since it launched in the US, I came straight from a 2004 VW R32..... and I LOVE the e-Golf! I even added a few features to mine not available in the US, like power folding mirrors with flood lights, LED tail lights and GTI metal foot pedals, rear wheel spacers to take away that 'eco' stance. That's another great aspect of this car, it's a Golf, and has that entire aftermarket line available to it cheap! After my first year and 12,000 miles of driving I figured my expenses over the same drive in my R32.... I saved $3,500 in 1 year!!!!!!!! in Gas, oil changes, brake wear misc services etc... AND I got back over $300 from my place of work for driving an EV! And going back into the R32 makes it feel like a dinosaur, for a commuter carthe e-Golf is more fun , because you are always the first away from a light, much to the surprise of the Camaro sitting next to you :P. The regen braking is THE BEST on the VW, I drove all the other cars available at the time, and VW's version is the smoothest, and most adjustable by far. i3 only has throttle control, no coasting. With the e-Golf you can choose to freewheel coast without using any energy for long distances, or regulate with B mode. Honestly eco and eco plus modes are for emergency only use as they greatly reduce the throttle response. here's my review of this car and the other cars I drove : th-cam.com/video/z3_YWyjqNvk/w-d-xo.html thanks for doing this one, although I have to disagree with the choice of SE over SEL, the SEL makes for a much nicer over package with the LED headlamps, leather steeringwheel with controls, bigger screen, auto dimming mirror etc..
Thanks for adding a true and positive comment. I have a 2016 e-Golf, Premium. Great car. Have you ever had to get your car worked on, to be serviced at the dealersip. Have you ran into the problem of not enough certified techs who can work on EVs. I'm new at this, bought my car used with low mileage. Need some insight if anyone has any. Live in FL where the e-Golf was not sold but they have a way of moving down here anyway.
I'm in FL and have an e-Golf, 2016 Premium. Great little car but VW had to tow it to another state for mechanical work, or electrical mechanical work. We need more technicians who are certified to work on electric vehicles. I think Tesla is doing good but all the other manufacturers are behind....unless Nissan is an exception since the Leaf has been out for 10 years. Hope this makes sense if you have any insight let me know.
Nice Review! I like how VW didn't change the look of the Electric version of the E-Golf too much. Lots of automakers tend to make the hybrid/electric versions of their vehicles unproportional and wonky looking. Personally, It would be between the VW E-Golf and Kia Soul EV in this "more affordable" EV class. I also wonder how the upcoming Ioniq EV from Hyundai will stack up again these vehicles. Keep up the great work!
I agree. The LEDs up front change the look just enough for me. I haven't driven the Soul EV or the Ioniq, but I can't say enough good things about the platform of the Golf. Thanks!
+Michael Perkins The Soul EV lacked... soul! It was ok but very "dead" vs e-Golf. V. little road feedback and far less acceleration -- though it does have more range and has CHADEMO DC fast charging. We seriously considered it but the dealer tried to stiff us on the lease: his loss!
We have the 2016 SE and after 3200 miles we think it's a fantastic car. The handling blows Soul EV out of the water and is even nicer than LEAF. Highly responsive and precise handling and accelerates like a GTi (up to 35 mph, anyway). One of the nicest features is the buttery smooth B mode: once you've gotten used to one-foot driving, it's a pain to get into an ICE car and have to lay on the brakes. The regen is very, very efficient. We charge on 110v at home and it's never been a problem (how many hours is your car just sat parked anyway? A: enough). Not sure how much the LEDs and heat pump really affect the range; the biggest difference between the SE and SEL is the lack of fast charger (even the level 2 is only 3.6 kW). p.s. oh yes: no cruise on the SE either. That's a bigger issue than LEDs/heat pump (but less so that the lack of DC fast charging).
B mode was my favorite too! It's just a damned nice example of a car. Honestly, the only one in the price range I'd even consider is the i3 as a competitor, and that's a dubious comparison!
+Michael Perkins Yes, we also tested the BMW i3 as well as LEAF, Volt, and Soul EV -- and the i3 was the best _except for: susceptibility to the wind, small trunk area, only four seats, and funny rear door. Lease was 289/36 mo with 3k down vs 159/36 mo with 2300 down. Having said that, the i3 was very, very fast, BMW precise, and reasonably comfortable.
I absolutely wish these were more readily available in the New England area. I understand it's probably a hard sell since there's no AWD / 4WD option for it, but I really like the idea of having an EV as a commuter car. Especially one with the complete cargo layout of a Golf. No weird visuals or space usage like in the Leaf, Ford Focus-EV, etc. Great review, and thank you for doing this!
Absolute pile of garbage car. Had it for two years and 13k miles, payed $19,000 with interest only get 75 miles on a good day when it was advertised at 90-hwy / 110 city. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR
Good review, but that background music should have stopped right after you got in the car and started driving, or at least turned way down so it's not a distraction.
One thing that slightly concerns me is no liquid cooling for the battery, but owners have not reported too many degradation issues, so maybe VW did their homework better than Nissan...
I've had the 2015 SEL since it launched in the US, I came straight from a 2004 VW R32..... and I LOVE the e-Golf! I even added a few features to mine not available in the US, like power folding mirrors with flood lights, LED tail lights and GTI metal foot pedals, rear wheel spacers to take away that 'eco' stance. That's another great aspect of this car, it's a Golf, and has that entire aftermarket line available to it cheap! After my first year and 12,000 miles of driving I figured my expenses over the same drive in my R32.... I saved $3,500 in 1 year!!!!!!!! in Gas, oil changes, brake wear misc services etc... AND I got back over $300 from my place of work for driving an EV! And going back into the R32 makes it feel like a dinosaur, for a commuter carthe e-Golf is more fun , because you are always the first away from a light, much to the surprise of the Camaro sitting next to you :P. The regen braking is THE BEST on the VW, I drove all the other cars available at the time, and VW's version is the smoothest, and most adjustable by far. i3 only has throttle control, no coasting. With the e-Golf you can choose to freewheel coast without using any energy for long distances, or regulate with B mode. Honestly eco and eco plus modes are for emergency only use as they greatly reduce the throttle response. here's my review of this car and the other cars I drove : th-cam.com/video/z3_YWyjqNvk/w-d-xo.html
thanks for doing this one, although I have to disagree with the choice of SE over SEL, the SEL makes for a much nicer over package with the LED headlamps, leather steeringwheel with controls, bigger screen, auto dimming mirror etc..
Thanks for adding a true and positive comment. I have a 2016 e-Golf, Premium. Great car. Have you ever had to get your car worked on, to be serviced at the dealersip. Have you ran into the problem of not enough certified techs who can work on EVs. I'm new at this, bought my car used with low mileage. Need some insight if anyone has any. Live in FL where the e-Golf was not sold but they have a way of moving down here anyway.
Who needs a navigation system when your home is never too far to be visible?
This was a really important and useful review that was tainted by completely unnecessary music.
Good review. The audio is way out of sync. 2019 e-Golf, 186 Miles US / 200 Miles EU.
It would seem that an e-Golf Sportwagen would make a lot sense. More room for a larger battery.
I'm in FL and have an e-Golf, 2016 Premium. Great little car but VW had to tow it to another state for mechanical work, or electrical mechanical work. We need more technicians who are certified to work on electric vehicles. I think Tesla is doing good but all the other manufacturers are behind....unless Nissan is an exception since the Leaf has been out for 10 years. Hope this makes sense if you have any insight let me know.
Nice Review! I like how VW didn't change the look of the Electric version of the E-Golf too much. Lots of automakers tend to make the hybrid/electric versions of their vehicles unproportional and wonky looking. Personally, It would be between the VW E-Golf and Kia Soul EV in this "more affordable" EV class. I also wonder how the upcoming Ioniq EV from Hyundai will stack up again these vehicles. Keep up the great work!
I agree. The LEDs up front change the look just enough for me. I haven't driven the Soul EV or the Ioniq, but I can't say enough good things about the platform of the Golf. Thanks!
+Michael Perkins The Soul EV lacked... soul! It was ok but very "dead" vs e-Golf. V. little road feedback and far less acceleration -- though it does have more range and has CHADEMO DC fast charging. We seriously considered it but the dealer tried to stiff us on the lease: his loss!
We have the 2016 SE and after 3200 miles we think it's a fantastic car. The handling blows Soul EV out of the water and is even nicer than LEAF. Highly responsive and precise handling and accelerates like a GTi (up to 35 mph, anyway). One of the nicest features is the buttery smooth B mode: once you've gotten used to one-foot driving, it's a pain to get into an ICE car and have to lay on the brakes. The regen is very, very efficient. We charge on 110v at home and it's never been a problem (how many hours is your car just sat parked anyway? A: enough). Not sure how much the LEDs and heat pump really affect the range; the biggest difference between the SE and SEL is the lack of fast charger (even the level 2 is only 3.6 kW).
p.s. oh yes: no cruise on the SE either. That's a bigger issue than LEDs/heat pump (but less so that the lack of DC fast charging).
B mode was my favorite too! It's just a damned nice example of a car. Honestly, the only one in the price range I'd even consider is the i3 as a competitor, and that's a dubious comparison!
+Michael Perkins Yes, we also tested the BMW i3 as well as LEAF, Volt, and Soul EV -- and the i3 was the best _except for: susceptibility to the wind, small trunk area, only four seats, and funny rear door. Lease was 289/36 mo with 3k down vs 159/36 mo with 2300 down. Having said that, the i3 was very, very fast, BMW precise, and reasonably comfortable.
And quirky! Love the unique layout and materials. Those seats alone. I can't wait until that same "slim" tech starts making its way into A pillars!
I absolutely wish these were more readily available in the New England area. I understand it's probably a hard sell since there's no AWD / 4WD option for it, but I really like the idea of having an EV as a commuter car. Especially one with the complete cargo layout of a Golf. No weird visuals or space usage like in the Leaf, Ford Focus-EV, etc.
Great review, and thank you for doing this!
music while talking is annoying
Agreed. What is the bloody point of the music?
Would it be a good idea to buy one off warranty from a dealer?
Can buy used in MN! Thanks for the review. I'm considering buying used.
Your arms are impressively long
Is it me, or Mike's (presenter) body language shows that he doesn't really excited about this car? Don't wanna use stronger language lol.
Funny man, car review is through, but the presentation is comical from the 80s man.
Absolute pile of garbage car. Had it for two years and 13k miles, payed $19,000 with interest only get 75 miles on a good day when it was advertised at 90-hwy / 110 city.
DO NOT BUY THIS CAR
It's not everybody's favorite hatch!
Which do you prefer?
Boring!!