[NeilBlanchard]

We actually fit more comfortably in the e-Golf, because of the deeper foot wells in the back seat. It is lower, and a little harder to get in and out. The tilt and telescoping e-Golf steering wheel is better than the tilt alone on the Leaf.

The Leaf has a heated steering wheel, which is awesome, and the rear seat is also heated. The e-Golf lacks those two features, and has heated front seats, only.

We have the Leaf S (base model) and the e-Golf is the loaded version, so many features are not comparable; like the heater or the stereo. I think the navigation in the Golf is weak - I tried to use it to go to a big street in Waltham MA, and I could not enter the street number, and I had to choose between two different zip codes - I have no idea which zip code I was going to, so the resulting guidance was almost useless.

I dislike the parking sensors. I hate the HVAC resetting to 72F every time I start the e-Golf after a longer pause. The direct heating defroster is a great idea, but it is anemic, and the tiny wires are slightly distracting at night, and when you are looking into the sun at a low angle, you can sometimes see little "rainbows" refractions.

I hope they can get it to provide more heat, and then it would be fine. I had a small amount of frost on the inside of the windshield, and the direct heating defroster barely began to melt it, and I had to use the air defroster; which melted it easily. If they did what Ford did (in the 1970's and 1980's) and use a molecule thickness of gold on the glass, they would avoid the minor issues with the wires. The Ford implementation was nearly instant, as I understand it.

The fit and finish on the e-Golf is great, while the Leaf is less than great. Full disclosure: we had a leak in the top center of the Leaf's windshield, and the dealer had to replace the windshield.

I really like the Leaf for several reasons related to charging: the 3 blue lights on the center of the dash are great, and the e-Golf has only a tiny little green light that you have to be a few feet away from the car to see. The location of the charging port is much better on the Leaf. And the Leaf has an illumination LED in the charging port, so you can see the plug in the dark. Oh, and the Leaf has an optional charging lock, while the e-Golf has one you cannot shut off.

I like drive both cars. The e-Golf wins because of the coasting and 4 levels of regen controlled with the "shifter". It also is better because of the lack of creep, and a bit smoother accelerator, and much smoother braking transition between regen and the friction brakes.

A minor point: the low speed noise maker on the e-Golf is less annoying (in particular to my spouse who has very sensitive high frequency hearing); but I wish neither car had this.