Volkswagen e-golf
FIRST UK DRIVE We drive revised electric hatch in Britain to see if it’s more tempting than diesel
First UK drive of new EV hatchback. Is it a winner?
VOLKSWAGEN’S evergreen Golf range is bigger and broader than ever. Depending on your tastes, driving habits and practicality requirements, your local VW dealer should find a model to suit your needs. There are hatchbacks and estates, manuals and autos, front and four-wheeldrive versions, petrols and diesels – even hybrids and electric cars; and it’s the new and improved all-electric e-golf we’re testing here in the UK for the first time.
The e-golf gets a host of tweaks to bring it in line with the rest of the updated range, as well as a boosted EV range. Up from just 119 miles, the new model can do 186 miles on a single charge, according to VW. That falls shy of the smaller Renault ZOE (250 miles), but trumps the 155-mile range of the established Nissan Leaf.
It’s not just fantasy, either. On a full battery, our e-golf showed an impressive 181 miles – and it proved fairly accurate, too. Through town, the EV dropped range progressively rather than dramatically, even without placing the car in its most frugal Eco+ setting. This mode actually boosts the car’s predicted mileage by limiting power and turning off the air-con. It feels rather lethargic, however, and you don’t benefit from the enjoyable EV surge from the powerful electric motor.
Keep it in its Normal setting, though, and the e-golf feels seriously quick off the line. It’s perfectly suited to town driving, where the instant torque allows you to nip in and out of traffic and away from lights with ease.
All facelifted cars get an extra 21bhp and 20Nm of torque, shaving an appreciable eight tenths off the Golf’s 0-62mph time, which is now 9.6 seconds. On paper, a 148bhp 2.0 TDI is faster, but in reality the e-golf feels as if it has the edge. You don’t get the arresting regenerative braking found in a BMW i3, but placing the gearbox in its ‘B’ setting slows the car sufficiently without the need for braking. The steering is well weighted, and like all other Golfs, visibility is excellent. The driving position is spot-on, and there’s loads of adjustment in the seat.
Out on the open road that immediate shove is diluted somewhat, but the e-golf still feels quick enough – even on the motorway. A 93mph top speed might seem a little off the pace compared with this car’s petrol or diesel equivalents, but it’s more than sufficient in the real world.
Like other Golfs, the electric version is quiet and refined. Although there’s a slightly firm edge to the ride around town,
“In its Normal setting, e-golf feels seriously quick off the line. It’s perfectly suited to town driving”
it’s not uncomfortable. And using the car to commute to and from the office every day should be relatively pain-free, as Volkswagen claims a home-installed wallbox can charge the car’s batteries from empty in less than 11 hours. What’s more, a public fast-charger can top them up to 80 per cent in just 45 minutes.
All revised e-golfs get two-zone climate control, VW’S crystal-clear Discover Navigation Pro touchscreen, full LED lights front and rear, and a bespoke version of the brand’s multifunction digital dials. Quality is first rate, and the dash and doors are covered in soft-touch materials. The tell-tale C-shaped daytime running lights remain.
It’s still a little pricey to buy, but the money you’ll save on running costs should quickly offset the difference between a high-spec diesel and this well equipped e-golf. A Leaf in Tekna trim with the 30kwh battery is £420 more, too, and can’t match the VW’S wide range of talents.