Wanted: 35.8Kwh e-Golf first person report 2017 2018 model

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Oct 5, 2015
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It's July, 2017, folks. Time for VW to roll out the new hardware with the bigger battery. Interested in some new owners first person reports on it after a couple of weeks of ownership, on the range you get per charge and miles per kwh you are getting.
 
Well, 2017 e-golfs arrived in Canada last week. I drove one around on Thursday.
 
Zeuser said:
Well, 2017 e-golfs arrived in Canada last week. I drove one around on Thursday.
No pictures? No review? Thoughts on the vehicle? Will you lease or buy, or sit on the fence?
 
Just picked up our new 2017 e-Golf (Tech package and Leatherette package) in Mid Atlantic Blue Metallic this past Monday. Only put on about 400km so far, but my wife and I really love it! I'll post a more detailed review once we have more time with it.
 
I have 2800 ks on my eGolf , have to trick the Mrs to drive it .. did first beyond range trip , had to charge at a DCfast unit in Gravenhurst On , Tims , worked fine , longest trip so far, 232 k and air con was still running when I parked it .. FLO charger from VW in garage works great too
 

Hello,

I recently got my e-Golf (09/20/2017).

-Comfortline
-Technology Package
-Driver Assistance Package
-Leatherette

-Deep Black Pearl
-FLO Home X5 (Installed 08/19/2017)


I live just outside the GTA and commute into Toronto weekdays for work. VW Canada claims a range of 201km which is within my daily range of driving. I have adapted my driving however, and incorporated the regenerating modes to improve the range by about 25%. I usually drive in Eco mode with the regeneration set at 2. I have just over 1500km on 36-hours charge at 7.2kW. I charge during off-peak hours at a rate of 6.5cents /kWh. The outcome is $1.12/100km when charging and i'm averaging 13.4kWh/100km when driving. I used to drive a tuned GTD with an upgraded turbo and clutch and I really like the torque that the eGolf has.
 
Do you have a delivery rate? If so you should include that in your charging costs...

For example, I live in southern Ontario in the boonies... So I have Hydro One...

Given the estimated EPA of 17.4Kwh/100km, off peak time for me is 7.7 c/Kwh and delivery factor of 1.076 should cost me ~$1.44/100km.

At least that's how I calculated $28.80/month based on 2000km usage...

https://www.hydroone.com/rates-and-billing
 
nerk said:
Do you have a delivery rate? If so you should include that in your charging costs...

For example, I live in southern Ontario in the boonies... So I have Hydro One...

Given the estimated EPA of 17.4Kwh/100km, off peak time for me is 7.7 c/Kwh and delivery factor of 1.076 should cost me ~$1.44/100km.

At least that's how I calculated $28.80/month based on 2000km usage...

https://www.hydroone.com/rates-and-billing

I have yet to receive my first hydro one bill. I based it on the new Ontario off-peak rate and the maximum kW usage that my EV charger can draw.
 
I picked up a 2017 SEL with Driver Assist a couple of weeks ago. Urbano Grey. So far a very nice ride. Averaging about 4.4 miles/Kwh (148 MPGe) and full charge reports 150 miles. I have an 80 mile roundtrip commute and am able to get to and from on a 90% charge with ~35 miles left on the range-o-meter when I'm done. I only charge to 90% and recharge at 20% to protect the battery.

If you get the SEL you have to get the Driver assist package - it adds all kinds of assistive features plus the digital cockpit from the Audi. The speedo cluster is one large LCD screen and it can be customized to show a variety of things. The quality of both screens is very good - they're responsive and high resolution. It adds $1395 to the price, but it seems silly to get the SEL without it. There are some other nice features. The LED headlights are sick; they light up the road like nobody's business and they swivel as you move the steering wheel. The seats are very comfortable and there are all kinds of ambient lighting options. There are no audio upgrades available, but the stock unit sounds pretty good. The main LCD screen appears to have some kind of proximity sensor: When you move your hand close to the screen, a row of buttons on the bottom expands. I've read that gesture based infotainment controls will be added; wondering if they'll make this upgrade retroactive.

The adaptive cruise control works well and is a joy in stop-and-go traffic. Just relax, point the steering wheel at the car ahead of and let the car do the work. It makes commuting so much less stressful.

The other assist systems are of marginal utility and don't feel fully baked. The emergency braking only works at very low speeds. I tested this with a large foam cube. Under 15 mph, the car stopped without hitting the box. Above that speed, it just plowed over it. Not sure what the point is. The lane keep assist is strictly for keeping you from going outside of the lane; left to it's own devices, it will ping-pong back and forth in the lane a couple of times before yelling at you, then finally shutting off, stopping the car and turning on the blinkers. The blind spot indicator is very handy, but sometimes gets fooled by cars one lane over. Twice now the emergency braking alert has gone off with no one in front of me (maybe that's why it's only active at low speeds - they don't want it slamming on the brakes as you drive down the freeway). The cross-traffic alert feature doesn't seem to work at all - I've never seen any kind of warning when waiting at an intersection or driveway; maybe I don't understand it's function.

The manual isn't much help and the sales reps at 2 dealers didn't know much about how these systems work. Worse, the capabilities of these systems seem to vary by region, so the youtube videos showing how the euro golf performs don't necessarily apply to US models. VW seems conflicted about the use of some of the features. For example, the manual section about ACC starts with a warning not to use it in stop and go traffic. Two pages later are instructions for using ACC in stop and go traffic.

Accelerator pedal mapping seems designed to get you to drive efficiently - you have to really stand on it if you want to move out quickly. It feels sluggish next to my wife's C-Max Energi, despite having a much bigger motor and battery.

Overall, I'm really enjoying the car. It's no Tesla, but it's economical, the fit and finish are top-notch and the ride and handling are fantastic.
 
MSRP, and what did you most likely pay down and for your lease, and option to buy out at 30 or 36 months, the residual?
 
Voltron said:
The cross-traffic alert feature doesn't seem to work at all - I've never seen any kind of warning when waiting at an intersection or driveway; maybe I don't understand it's function.

Were you in reverse gear? The cross traffic alert feature is when you're backing out of a driveway to warn you of traffic coming from the sides.
 
Was not in reverse. Thanks for the tip!

Paid $4k under list. Have a long commute so leasing not an option. With all rebates, it worked out to just over $27k. Based on that, I calculated the 5-year total cost of ownership and the egolf was less than anything else- even a regular golf. And that’s factoring a pessimistic residual value of 20%.
 
Voltron said:
Was not in reverse. Thanks for the tip!

Paid $4k under list. Have a long commute so leasing not an option. With all rebates, it worked out to just over $27k. Based on that, I calculated the 5-year total cost of ownership and the egolf was less than anything else- even a regular golf. And that’s factoring a pessimistic residual value of 20%.

^This^ !!!!!

Saving money is why I bought my 2016 e-Golf 2 years ago. I got the basic SE model without the fast charge stuff since my commute is not super long. My purchase price was $24K so after my federal rebate, I got the car for under $17K. Plus no sales tax on electric cars in Washington DC, so it was like getting a $15K ICE car. Oh and I'm exempt from ever having to pay for an inspection on the car, never need an oil change, and on and on. And I haven't bought a single drop of gas in 2 years now. So many people with ICE cars don't realize how much they could be saving. It's either range anxiety or fear of new tech or simple lack of interest I guess.
 
Got a 2017 SE Pearl Black on Dec 19. Two weeks earlier I had no intention of getting an e car, I was searching for a 2015 Prius when a co-worker offered to let me drive the Bolt. It was a very impressive driving experience and when she mentioned that in a year of ownership she had only used a 110v outlet to charge, I thought this electric thing could work. After some research I realized the Bolt was a bit out of my league. I looked at what else was out there when I came across the e-Golf. Loved the subdued cabin with real controls and the range was plenty even for Los Angeles. OF course without the Fed and CA incentives I would be driving another Prius. As the accountant says your gonna have to send the money to the gov anyway, might as well get something for it. It a shame because e-cars really make sense for lots of people, but the upfront cost can be prohibitive. After credit and rebate cost is $16k plus taxes. And if you factor in the 0% interest VW loan that another couple of hundred saved.
I have enjoyed the car and my concerns are minor like a funcky trip odometer, locking power plug, the weak app, no car jack, and only ONE usb. I enjoy the quiet, smooth, luxury ride, nice torque, int materials, full windshield wiper coverage, and real knobs and buttons for climate and radio. Wish there was more use of LED, but wasn't willing to upgrade to the SEL.
 
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