2019 VW e-golf SEL Premium

Description

Overview

With all the sprightliness and most of the practicality of the regular Golf, the 2019 VW e-Golf is Volkswagen's electric car, and provides all-electric motoring in a handsome little package. An electric motor puts out 134 horsepower and draws energy from a 35.8-kWh battery pack.

It offers an EPA-estimated driving range of 125 miles—a decent number until you consider that the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the Tesla Model 3, and the Hyundai Kona Electric offer twice the range for similar prices. Exterior styling that doesn't immediately identify it as an EV might make it appealing to introverted drivers, though, and that's something that can't be said of the Bolt or the wacky-looking Toyota Prius Prime.

A large trunk and the e-Golf's cabin make it perfectly suitable for four adults who can easily ride in comfort for much longer than the e-Golf's battery can last. All of these factors make the 2019 Volkswagen e-Golf the best electric vehicle in the compact class, and earned it a 10Best award for 2019.

What's New for 2019?

Volkswagen has increased the price of the 2019 e-Golf only slightly but has made changes to the car's standard features that make the uptick worthwhile. The base SE model now comes standard with DC fast charging and can be optioned with a new Driver Assistance package, which adds a suite of safety features including automated emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control.

The upscale SEL Premium model now comes standard with those driver-assistance goodies.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

The price of the 2019 Volkswagen e-Golf starts at $32,790 and goes up to $39,790 depending on the trim and options.

We'd stick with the base SE model as the additional features that come with the SEL Premium doesn't justify the price increase. The SE comes standard with an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment

system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, partially power-adjustable front seats, and automatic climate control with two zones. All e-Golf models are still eligible for the $7500 federal tax credit, which is not factored into the pricing above.

Powertrain, Charging, and Performance

Likes: Zippy-feeling acceleration in urban settings, standard DC fast charging, athletic chassis.

Dislikes: Not enough driving range, other rivals are faster and just as fun to drive.

The e-Golf can charge at either a 120-volt or a 240-volt outlet. A full charge requires roughly 26 hours on standard 120-volt house current but less than six hours on 240 volts. DC fast charging is a standard feature in both the SE and SEL Premium trims. That system allows the e-Golf to reach an 80-percent charge in just one hour at a DC fast-charging station.

The roughly six-hour charge time is workable, but we'd happily trade longer charge times for more range. The e-Golf feels zippy but in our testing it delivered a zero-to-60-mph time of 8.5 seconds, which is slower than the Bolt EV by two whole seconds.

The Golf family has long included some of the most competent, fun-to-drive entrants in the compact class, and the e-Golf doesn't stray an inch from that path. It is nimble and responsive, with light, accurate steering and predictable responses to driver inputs.

Driving Range and Real-World MPGe

As with most electric vehicles, the e-Golf is very efficient in an absolute sense, promising more than 110 MPGe in daily driving. For most (or perhaps even all) EV buyers, overall driving range is as important or more

important than efficiency. Able to go for 125 miles on a single charge, the e-Golf falls far short of the Bolt EV (238 miles total range), the Kona Electric (258 miles total range), and the Model 3 Mid Range (264 miles total range).

Interior, Infotainment, and Cargo

Likes: Nicely trimmed and businesslike interior, sleek-looking infotainment display, practical hatchback body.

Dislikes: Not enough differentiation between the two trims, slow response times from infotainment system.

With just two trim levels and a couple of available options packages, there's not much difference in the interior materials between SE and SEL Premium e-Golfs. Faux-leather seats, a self-dimming rearview mirror,

and ambient lighting represent some of the only features that come in the upper trim but not the base one. The e-Golf employs partial-power seat adjustments in both trim levels, so driver and front passenger can use a switch to adjust their angle of recline but must use manual controls to modify the seat's height or fore-aft positioning.

The e-Golf SE comes with an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display; SEL Premium models come with a larger, 9.3-inch unit. The system is easy to use, looks sleek, and features navigation in the SEL Premium. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and MirrorLink (a third and less-common solution to phone streaming) are all standard, as is an eight-speaker sound system.

The e-Golf has the same amount of cargo space as its gas-powered counterpart. It's also one of the most cargo-friendly vehicles of this set, even when compared with larger (but less boxy-shaped) cars such as the Chevy Volt and the Toyota Prius. We fit five carry-on suitcases into the 23 cubic feet of space behind the e-Golf's back seat when in use and 16 carry-ons with the back seat folded.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

The e-Golf hasn't undergone crash-testing, but that's not unusual for low-sales-volume vehicles. The e-Golf can come with an impressive array of driver-assistance features, but that equipment

is available as part of the aptly named Driver Assistance package on the SE model and is standard on SEL Premium trim level. It's becoming more common for at least some driver-assistance technology to be included as standard equipment; the Prius Prime and the Hyundai Ioniq both come standard with safety tech that would cost extra in the e-Golf. Key safety features include:

Available automated emergency braking

Available forward-collision warning

Available adaptive cruise control

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

The e-Golf's warranty coverage is largely unremarkable and mirrors that of many other consumer vehicles. The one exception is that it includes eight years or 100,000 miles of battery coverage in a nod to this car's electric powertrain.

Limited warranty covers 3 years or 36,000 miles

Powertrain warranty covers 5 years or 60,000 miles

Hybrid components are covered for 8 years or 100,000 miles

No complimentary scheduled maintenance

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Reviews (1)

satu

07 Oct, 2024

That long love affair cooled with the arrival of the sixth-gen (F30 chassis) 3-series in 2012. We felt betrayed as the magic from prior generations slipped away with the adoption of unfeeling electric power steering, a turbo four-cylinder base engine, and a general tuning philosophy at odds with the model's sporting roots. 2022 Toyota 4Runner Limited

After a 23-year run, the unthinkable happened: The 3-series failed to make the 10Best cut.

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