ARE YOU ELECTRIC? SHOW YOUR ID
The very normal e-Golf is paving the way for VW’s radical ID BEV models
The interesting thing about the e-Golf is that it will be remembered as the start of something big, and a dead-end.
The e-Golf was VW’s first pureelectric production model when it was launched in 2014. Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) are now a crucial part of VW’s future product plan through its new ID division. The company is talking about production of one million IDbrand BEVs within five years and cites the forthcoming ID.3 hatchback as one of the three most important models in its long history.
As if DRIVEN readers need to be reminded, the other two are a round thing with an engine in the back and the model that’s featured on this page.
So VW’s BEV journey started right here, with the e-Golf. But the whole concept of the e-Golf also ends with this one model. There’s an all-new eighth-generation Golf on the way and although it will have electrified and even plug-in powertrain options, there won’t be
a dedicated BEV version. That technology is just for the bespoke ID models from here on in.
The new Golf is already out in Europe, which also means this e-Golf is officially old-generation. But given the delays for the new model thanks to Covid-19 and the global demand for the ID.3, it’s likely the e-Golf will be around here for a while to fly the BEV flag.
We get the theory about keeping pure-electric power for the ID branch, but it’s a bit of a shame as this car does prove that you can introduce pure-electric power into a familiar model without weirding out anyone.
The e-version looks like a regular Golf (save some funny running lights and a different instrument panel) and even drives a lot like a regular Golf. The powertrain has been calibrated to accelerate in quite a linear fashion — more like a combustion-engine car and different to the see-me-go standing-start performance of many BEVs. The chassis is a bit less sticky thanks to the low-rolling-resistance tyres, but the handling attitude is the same.
Refinement and ease of use are very much Golf things. This car delivers big on both.
What the e-Golf doesn’t necessarily do is deliver on current consumer expectations of BEV range versus capital cost. It has a modest 35.8kWh battery and has been tested by the AA in open-road conditions (in “Normal” mode with air-con on) to deliver a range of 220km.
But the e-Golf has crept up in price and at $69,490 it looks expensive next to other BEVs on the market. The Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Ioniq Electric and Renault Zoe all offer more range for a smaller purchase price.
VW has addressed that in the short term with a special price of $61,990, which stands until the end of October. If you want a polished BEV without the idiosyncratic image, that price puts the e-Golf right back into contention.