Last updated on April 8th, 2020 at 08:00 pm
The Volkswagen e-Golf was unveiled back in 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Back then, the hatchback had a limited driving range, a somewhat throttled power delivery and a comparatively small battery pack. In 2019, the German manufacturer improved its all-electric vehicle on all fronts. The EV can now be considered – to some – as a daily driver.
The question is: does the new VW e-Golf serve a purpose in the current climate? With other manufacturers ramping up production for EVs, and long-standing rivals such as the BMW and Nissan offering compelling packages, the e-Golf has a lot of competition.
WhichEV takes a look at Volkswagen's 2019 iteration of its all-electric hatchback.
As I mentioned earlier, the VW e-Golf has three driving modes: Normal, Eco and Eco+; these not only determine the car's driving range but also affect its performance and other characteristics.
In Normal mode, the car is untainted: the e-Golf has a top speed of 93mph, where its electric motor delivers 100 kW of power (134 hp) and dispatches 0-62mph in 9.6s. On a single charge, the car has a theoretical driving range of 124 miles – the WLTP figure is 143 miles; I'll comment on this further down, below.
In Eco mode, top speed is limited to 72mph and the vehicle's power is capped at 94 hp; to add to its power constraints, the air-con and heating controls are limited – you can't have them running at full pelt. As a result, the vehicle's range is optimised and gets you closer to that 124-mile figure.
In Eco+ mode, the car's performance is seriously hampered: top speed is limited to 56mph and the motor only outputs 74 hp of power. As for the air-con and heating controls, these are entirely disabled – if you had them on in Normal or Eco mode, they'll automatically switch off as soon as you enter Eco+. Here, the range is further optimised and you'll get the most out of that 35.8 kWh battery pack.
During my time with the car, I found myself choosing Eco mode, while driving around the streets of London – I barely opted for Eco+ mode, as I needed to stay warm during the cold weeks of December. As soon as I hit the motorway, I immediately reverted back to Normal mode – the car's increased throttle response and ‘uncapped' top speed gave me the performance I wanted for those overtakes.
On the whole, the car's performance is somewhat expected from a family-orientated vehicle. It's not as nippy or as fun to drive as the BMW i3, but yet provides better handling characteristics over the equivalent Nissan Leaf. Given the car's 1,615 kg weight, I enjoyed being at the back of the wheel along country roads. The car's low centre of gravity and relatively good weight distribution meant the car felt stable around hairpins.
There is, however, a degree of body roll, where the car's soft-like suspension can't be tightened; there's no Sport mode. On the plus side, the car was a breeze to drive over speed bumps, which isn't the same that could be said about the BMW i3, which has a much stiffer suspension and thinner 19″ wheels – 155/70 front and 175/70 rear, as opposed to the VW's 18″ 205/55s. Ride comfort is definitely the e-Golf's forte – from the somewhat soft suspension to the interior cabin.
What the car doesn't excel in, however, is driving range. At around 124 miles (in my tests I found it to last around 112 miles), the car is severely limited to inner-city commutes. I drove to Milton Keynes from London (around 62 miles) and found that on the return leg, I had to stop along the way to top up the car's batteries. By comparison, the BMW i3 offers up 182 miles on a single charge, while the Nissan Leaf will give you 168 miles and can extend to 239 miles with the e+ Tekna model. That's a marked difference.
To charge the e-Golf, you've got the choice of a fast Type 2 AC and a rapid CCS DC connector. The former will charge the car's empty battery to full in approximately 5hrs 20mins (7.2 kW), while the latter takes one hour or 45mins to 80% (40 kW). Yet again, the VW's is outclassed in this domain, as both the BMW and Nissan take less time to charge – as they support a 50 kW DC input, instead.
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