So long story short - after realizing my commute is not a TDI friendly (2.5-3.1 miles each way and ~7-8k/annual) and having a multitude of issues with the panoramic roof of my 2012 TDI I ditched it. Did a few days of research on the e-Golf and liked everything I found, have a Level 2 charging station at work and can easily plop the charging cord over the patio of my condo for a slow charge so I figured - lets give this a go. The non-CARB states get the leftover lease return scraps so the below comes from I believe Connecticut, CPO so comes with a 2/24 warranty from VW and battery (8 year/100k) is still covered for another ~5 years (despite being a 2016 it was not first put into service until 1/2017) and 40k miles.
Have only had it a week so far but can say the following pros and cons.
Pros:
Handling/Ride - the low slung battery that rides under the front and back seats gives the Golf a nearly 50/50 weight distribution in a car that already handled very well at a 60/40 split. The extra weight somehow also makes it ride quite nicely compared to the outgoing Sportwagen.
Instant torque - 199 lb/ft available from 0 RPM. One of the things I hated about my TDI was the delay because the DSG had to get the clutch engaged smoothly, the e-Golf just goes. I'm sure there is some slight electronic buffer placed in there because you could probably easily light up the front tires if not. It's quite smooth too - just linear power. Imagine an electric golf cart but in car edition.
Platform - VW did an amazing job with packaging a regular gas/diesel Golf as an electric. Batteries reside under the backseat and front seats and while I can't say I have been in a gasser Golf of this generation it seems cargo capacity was not compromised. Rear seats still fold flat and the cargo area does not appear to have any battery encroachment. No squeaks or rattles, this thing is light years better than my MKV Sportwagen which was a rattlebox.
Cons:
- No cruise control on SE. When I think in percentages I only used it maybe 2% the entire time I had my TDI, still sucks for that 2% of times. If you bump to the SEL it does have cruise.
- No steering wheel controls. SE is basic and has no steering wheel controls. Back to the old school rocker switch and button on the wiper stalk to control the instrument cluster MFA, took me a minute to figure it out because VW has not used that setup since the MKIV Jetta/Golf and B5.5 Passat days.
Charging/Fuel Economy:
Still getting settled into a good pace with the car so just going to compare long term #'s from my TDI vs my 1 week with the e-Golf. Just a reminder that the e-Golf (or any electric car for that fact) is not a highway cruiser and uses a lot more energy at highway speeds than city driving, also would like to note that my TDI average has a long road trip and some longer in town highway trips mixed in where it excels offset by it being horrific in city commuting.
TDI:
Total mileage - 4,742
Average MPG - 24.2
Fuel Cost - $624.08
Gallons - 195.95
Per mile - .1316
e-Golf:
Total mileage - 88
Average MPG - ?
Charging Cost - $4.75
Per mile - .0539
Charging station cost per mile (guessing this assuming max efficiency) - .0475 or $1.90 per 40 miles.
Mind you my first week with the e-Golf it has been in the 40-50 degree range and constantly raining which is not beneficial to electric efficiency (headlights, wipers, defrost, etc.) so this first week has not been its prime moments so I am looking forward to seeing what summer months bring.
Overall:
I wish I knew what I know now back in March last year when I bought my now departed TDI as it was entirely not the right fit. The e-Golf fit my driving patterns like a glove and so far is very nice to live with and has all the amazing VW qualities that have brought me back time and time again. We have the 2011 TDI for a road trip car as needed still so not exiting the TDI fold, just diversifying our fleet. On a bright note dealer is re-selling my TDI instead of sending it to auction so maybe a more appropriate commuter will get it in their hands.
Have only had it a week so far but can say the following pros and cons.
Pros:
Handling/Ride - the low slung battery that rides under the front and back seats gives the Golf a nearly 50/50 weight distribution in a car that already handled very well at a 60/40 split. The extra weight somehow also makes it ride quite nicely compared to the outgoing Sportwagen.
Instant torque - 199 lb/ft available from 0 RPM. One of the things I hated about my TDI was the delay because the DSG had to get the clutch engaged smoothly, the e-Golf just goes. I'm sure there is some slight electronic buffer placed in there because you could probably easily light up the front tires if not. It's quite smooth too - just linear power. Imagine an electric golf cart but in car edition.
Platform - VW did an amazing job with packaging a regular gas/diesel Golf as an electric. Batteries reside under the backseat and front seats and while I can't say I have been in a gasser Golf of this generation it seems cargo capacity was not compromised. Rear seats still fold flat and the cargo area does not appear to have any battery encroachment. No squeaks or rattles, this thing is light years better than my MKV Sportwagen which was a rattlebox.
Cons:
- No cruise control on SE. When I think in percentages I only used it maybe 2% the entire time I had my TDI, still sucks for that 2% of times. If you bump to the SEL it does have cruise.
- No steering wheel controls. SE is basic and has no steering wheel controls. Back to the old school rocker switch and button on the wiper stalk to control the instrument cluster MFA, took me a minute to figure it out because VW has not used that setup since the MKIV Jetta/Golf and B5.5 Passat days.
Charging/Fuel Economy:
Still getting settled into a good pace with the car so just going to compare long term #'s from my TDI vs my 1 week with the e-Golf. Just a reminder that the e-Golf (or any electric car for that fact) is not a highway cruiser and uses a lot more energy at highway speeds than city driving, also would like to note that my TDI average has a long road trip and some longer in town highway trips mixed in where it excels offset by it being horrific in city commuting.
TDI:
Total mileage - 4,742
Average MPG - 24.2
Fuel Cost - $624.08
Gallons - 195.95
Per mile - .1316
e-Golf:
Total mileage - 88
Average MPG - ?
Charging Cost - $4.75
Per mile - .0539
Charging station cost per mile (guessing this assuming max efficiency) - .0475 or $1.90 per 40 miles.
Mind you my first week with the e-Golf it has been in the 40-50 degree range and constantly raining which is not beneficial to electric efficiency (headlights, wipers, defrost, etc.) so this first week has not been its prime moments so I am looking forward to seeing what summer months bring.
Overall:
I wish I knew what I know now back in March last year when I bought my now departed TDI as it was entirely not the right fit. The e-Golf fit my driving patterns like a glove and so far is very nice to live with and has all the amazing VW qualities that have brought me back time and time again. We have the 2011 TDI for a road trip car as needed still so not exiting the TDI fold, just diversifying our fleet. On a bright note dealer is re-selling my TDI instead of sending it to auction so maybe a more appropriate commuter will get it in their hands.