From today, 11 March, customers can place orders for the fully electric Volkswagen e-Golf, which is priced at £25,845 on the road (including £5,000 Government grant or £30,845 RRP). The e-Golf can be ordered from one of 24 Volkswagen EV specialist Retailers across the UK, with the first deliveries expected at the end
of June.
The main question is, how does it compare to it’s rivals? Primarily, the VW e-Golf will be aiming to knock the Nissan LEAF of it’s perch as the best selling EV of all time. However, it will have stiff opposition from the likes of Renault’s smaller ZOE which has already attracted many admirers. Similar to the e-up!, the e-Golf platform is not a converted internal combustion powered vehicle, but was instead always designed with electric power in mind. This has enabled Volkswagen to package the electric components of the car in a similar way to what they do with the internal combustion engines on the production line. As such, the Volkswagen e-Golf should perform just as well as it’s internal engine powered counterparts.
We feel that it will be an interesting comparison to make, between the new e-Golf and the already successful Nissan LEAF electric car, but let’s not forget the rest of the immediate competition. The Ford Focus Electric is the quiet EV in the corner but no less worthy of comparison than others. Although sales have been poor for the Focus Electric, Volkswagen will be keen to surpass Ford’s competition as quickly as possible.
We’re looking forward to being able to test drive the new e-Golf in the near future and will post a real world review about it when we can.
In the UK, the e-Golf is available with five doors only, and in a single well-equipped trim level based on the standard Golf SE, with the addition of 2Zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, e-specific ‘Tilleves’ alloy wheels and Discover Pro satellite navigation, with an eight-inch colour touchscreen. For the e-Golf the Discover Pro system includes added functionality including a range display, and the option to pre-programme the vehicle’s heating or cooling systems. For smartphone users (Android or iOS), the Volkswagen ‘Car-Net’ app enables many vehicle functions to be controlled remotely, including charging, heating or cooling and more. Three years’ subscription to Car Net is included as standard.
- Based on the standard Golf: World Car of the Year and European Car of The Year 2013
- Range of 118 miles, standard full charge in 13 hours; fast charge to 80 per cent in 35 mins
- Top speed of 87 mph; 0-62 mph in 10.4 seconds
- AC electric motor produces 85 kW / 115 PS and 270 Nm of torque
Source; Volkswagen
