Volkswagen is putting the Golf under power. The e-Golf in the driving report

No carbon body. No special construction. No design experiments. No special solutions for electric motors and batteries. Just a stubborn technician solution. Volkswagen sets - Years after others with the first series electric vehicles in advance have gone - now present your own solution. And it is just as boring as any other Golf. And also just as brilliant.

The Golf - The car driver's favorite is under power

He doesn't hum. Neither when “giving electricity” nor recovering electricity from electricity. The complete abstinence from typical electric car noises contributes a large part of the spontaneous enthusiasm for the e-Golf. At first glance: a Golf like any other. The make-up for the e-Golf was extremely subtle. Boomerang-shaped LED daytime driving, new LED indicators in the LED main headlights, an almost closed, piano-lacquer-colored radiator grille, a narrow blue stripe and a small e-Golf emblem. Volkswagen has not conceded any more difference to what is probably the most important own electric car.

The e-mobile in the dress of the best-selling compact car

While other manufacturers pursued a philosophy according to which an electric vehicle also had to be visually recognizable as such, the Wolfsburgers are now taking a different approach. The e-mobile in the dress of the best-selling compact car. The secret of success lies with the Lower Saxony for some time in the self-developed modular principle. MQB is the magic word. With this modular construction kit you can produce a wide variety of models in Wolfsburg, without having to start the development over and over again. The most beautiful example of the possibilities of this modular system? The staid Golf Plus and Audis compact sports TT, both share the most important assemblies. From the basic diesel to the turbo gasoline engine. All-wheel drive or front-wheel drive. Manual transmission or double clutch, the Wolfsburg-based company has perfected the modular construction system that only the picky Teutons would trust. And now this platform can also work with an electric drive train. The e-Golf could therefore only be the beginning of sudden sales successes. An e-TT? No problem. An e-Golf Plus? No problem. An e-Golf Cabriolet? No problem. An e-passat? No problem!

While other manufacturers build their own works for e-mobility, put the Wolfsburg all on one band. The e-Golf will be born among his brothers. The Golf GTI, the Golf TDI and in the future also the e-Golf, they all run in the same band. And the e-motor and its 1 gearbox are manufactured at the engine plant in Kassel.

Recuperation explains:

"The recovery of otherwise lost energy."

When driving and accelerating, the electric motor drives the wheels of the vehicle. When braking, the entire kinetic energy of the vehicle could be destroyed by the vehicle's brakes. The result is a conversion of the “kinetic energy” into heat. If you brake a car hard from high speed, you can feel the brakes getting hot on the wheels. The energy of movement was converted into heat. The electric motor works like a bicycle dynamo when braking. Depending on how much you set the recuperation power, more or less energy is recovered. This function influences the driving experience. At the highest level, it is hardly necessary to use the brake pedal.

Others may be braver. Revolutionary in vision, the VW Golf is - what it always was: Perfected - also when it comes to driving experience

The e-Golf is started with a key. A perfectly normal key with a metal beard. (Optionally, VW also offers a keyless go system, but this simple key embodies the idea of ​​the VW Golf very well!) One turn of the virtual starter and the pointer of the “dynamometer” jumps into its “watch out” position. Touch the automatic selector lever to D and lightly touch the power pedal (the inclined reader still knows it as an accelerator pedal) - the e-Golf starts moving completely silently. The rush of speed is put to an end at 140 km / h. With just one gear, free of gear changes, the electric motor rotates up to 12.000 revolutions. Even from a standing start, the 270 Nm of the electric motor push the load forward.

The first few meters in an electric car are always something special. The complete abstinence from sources of noise, no diesel hum, no rumbling exhaust sound from the rear and in the case of the e-Golf - not even the hum of an electric motor. Two curves, one quick acceleration and before I start the test route through the metropolis of Berlin with the e-Golf, it becomes clear to me: This e-Golf could be the “game changer” that e-mobility has been waiting for.

Until I realize why this is, I am at several traffic lights. Gentle recuperating rolled up and with slight brake pressure. Sometimes stronger recuperation and completely without using the brake pedal. By tapping the shift lever to the left, the recuperation power of the e-motor can be adjusted. In the 3 stage, the 85 kW powerful electric motor works as a dynamo and pulls out the maximum energy from the rolling process. If you get used to the new driving experience, you can drive most of the city traffic without having to use the brake. Maximum recuperation retards the e-Golf so strong that even the brake lights start. Who now works with feeling on the streaming pedal, can almost forget the brake. E-car driving always calls for a changeover. Even if it does not demand that golf at all. Neither visually, nor in the operation.

The e-Golf wants to make this change as easy as possible. Because it does not need to be explained from the outside. Not even from the inside. You can deal with the on-board computer, the energy flow displays and the driving profiles, but you don't have to. Shift from “normal” to “Eco +”, minimize power, maximize range. Of course, VW offers an app with which you can control the e-Golf via smartphone. Heating on, ventilation off or just finding out how full the battery is and how long the estimated range is. There is a wide range of possibilities, but the driver doesn't have to walk on it. If you want to get from A to B, you take the key of the e-Golf, operate the rest as usual, set the automatic to D and drive off.

More reach than needed

The maximum range indicates VW with 190 kilometers. For everyday life more than you need. My own test drive took me on a typical commuter route through the federal capital of Berlin. After 45 kilometers of driving distance there were further 100 kilometers remaining range available. Particularly interesting was the honesty of the Reiserechners and his constant reaction to his own driving style. Anyone who has committed to the traffic lights with a religious zeal and 4.2 within 60 seconds on Tempo 24.2 buzzing, quickly gets new values ​​displayed. The heating (electric) to the highest level? The reach indicator responds promptly. But also vice versa. Maximum recuperation, driving ahead? The XNUMX kW / h batteries thank it with a plus in range.

For me it took 5 minutes - then I lost consciousness of the source of the drive. The e-Golf drives like a Golf. Like a Golf for € 34.900 And here we haven't talked about a simple compact car for two generations. The VW Golf is the colorless king of the compact car class and with the 318 kilogram battery pack it is now slightly overweight (empty weight 1.510 kg), but you don't see that either. The e-Golf is like any other Golf. And that is the greatest strength of the e-Golf. He remains a Golf. A car without class, free from debates about social envy, free from the claim to judge other cars with the forefinger. No world doer statement on four wheels.

But, emission-free. If you charge the Golf with eco-electricity at home, you treat yourself and your conscience with a little ecological break. Emission free through the city. With 0 grams CO² from A to B.

The visit to grandma

And if my journey doesn't lead from A to B, how else? When I want to go on vacation. So what? Should I plan the route planning from direct current source to direct current source? Looking for a 130 kW DC charging source every 40 kilometers (estimated for motorway operation)? If you charge the Golf at home using the 230 volt plug, you need 13 hours to recharge 100% capacity. If you have the space and the option for a wallbox with 3.6 kW charging power, you will have a 8% charge level again after 100 hours. Only with 40 kW charging with CCS systems is 30% range available again within 80 minutes. So what do you do - for the big vacation tour?

For the first three years after purchasing the e-Golf, e-Golf customers can access a free rental car for up to 30 days a year. The holiday trip, the visit to grandma and the tour to the away game of the favorite team is no longer in the way.

Just a Golf - e-Golf conclusion:

Even the e-Golf is just a Golf, but that's exactly why it deserves the greatest attention in the e-car segment! With the e-Golf, Volkswagen is demonstrating how pragmatic the electrification of a mass-produced vehicle can be. You're running late with the e-Golf and the Patriarch actually has the e-mobile recently issued a rebuff. Nevertheless, the e-Golf is simply the best electric car I have ever driven. A Wolfsburg milestone.

Further reports about the e-Golf:

• Fabian
• Lisa
• Thomas
• Sebastian
• Milos
• auto revue