I test drove an e-Golf today. It wasn't my idea since I generally avoid VW, but my friend wanted to steer me away from a branded-title plug in Prius. He thinks they look stupid and probably wants me to pay some consideration to vanity.
The car looked great, had every feature I would want in a car, and very few I would rather do without (iPhone cords). It was a dream to drive; being very quiet and peppy off the line. If I remember correctly, the computer said I consumed 3.6 kWh in my 8.8 mile journey which included about 2.5 miles of freeway travel at 65 mph, and the rest going stoplight to stoplight in the city. That equates to 2.44 miles per kWh. Some of that juice was spent in the parking lot talking about the features of the car, turning on the cabin heat and seat heaters, and generally wasting energy while not moving.
The leather seats were comfy, supportive, and manually adjustable, which I prefer. The rear seats folded nearly flat, and the cargo space didn't look compromised in any way, although there is no spare tire.
It had Nav, mp3, Bluetooth, an SD card slot, flip-open backup camera, parking sensors front and rear, heated seats and mirrors, sat radio, (phone, cruise, and radio controls on the steering wheel), auto-dimming rear view, and probably a ton of other things I'm not aware of that can be found out in a Google search.
While the salesman was showing me how to get to the door key, the plastic key cover popped off and rolled under the car to the center. I took the opportunity to survey the extreme flat surface underneath and see that the battery looked fairly inaccessible. Perhaps it's serviced from the passenger compartment because the flat metal bottom appeared to be welded shut.
The upper grill is faux, and the lower grill employs an active shutter. My quick online search says it has a coefficient of drag at 0.28. Range is claimed at 70-90 miles.
I looked at the price, but don't remember the exact details considering it was astronomical in my view. It's something like $35k plus a $4k "demand price fee". When I asked the Portland VW salesman, he said they have sold 6 in the month they have had them available. Doug Clark was a pleasure to talk to, not putting any pressure on us and spending lots of time explaining all features and listening to questions. He was easily my favorite salesman, although my experience with them is limited since dealerships are to be avoided. He even said "I don't know" when asked a question he couldn't readily answer.
I've driven the Leaf and the e-Golf so far, and I'd go with the e-Golf if I was mad enough to purchase a new vehicle. Doug mentioned something like $300/month lease rate, which I mostly paid no attention to since I can't see paying money while not earning equity in ownership. He also said the battery is warranted to 8 years to be at least 80% of capacity, so that's nice.
I'd love to drive a $40k e-Golf, but I think I'll make an offer on that branded-title Plug-in-Prius.
