2 months ago I turned in my 2016... I thought of extending the lease but I feared a last minute dings/dents and lease return issues, also was close to needing a set of new tires, so back it went... I did not consider a purchase - though payout was cheap - because of the battery pack degradation (my doing, I rode it hard and put it away wet)...
At the time the dealer offered me a "generous" (sarcasm) $340 per month for a new 2019 lease... I laughed and left, and have been driving my regular fun car instead... FFWD a couple months, I'm tired of the 3 pedals in heavy traffic, the fun car is totally wasted on 75% of my drive.. just for giggles I called the VW sales guy... Apparently VW did something funky and they want the cars out of the door - I can now get a 2019 for $126 a month (3K down). Are-u-kidding-me? From 340 to 126 in 2 months ? I would have been mighty pissed off had I gotten the lease then ! Ignoring the downpayment for the moment, that amount is less than 1/2 my gas budget alone.... Also words cannot convey how annoying it had been to stop to refill every 4-5 days at a gas station. Seemed like each time I started the car the tank was almost empty ;-)
So the 2019 then ? Picked it up and range was 139 mi indicated... A nice improvement from the 85mi mine showed when new (more like 70mi of late).. I don't need that extra range, but what that buys me is the ability to charge the car every other day only, not max out the battery every charge, and therefore hopefully save the battery pack some wear. Also the extra range might put the car into play for longer drives, but then my mileage is tailored for my commute so I may exceed that if I use it more... Not sure how much they charge per mile when you do.. Performance wise I understand the car makes a little more power (not sure about torque?) but it felt exactly the same to me - the HP may be felt from 60-85 where the old car was a little slow... I'll report later..
The 2019 is a vast improvement over my 2016 SE... The cloth interior is darker and nicer looking. I hope it is less likely to stain. The 2016 cloth stained with simple water drops, it was silly.. The steering wheel (my big beef with my 2016) is no longer bare and cheap plastic but thicker leather, with blue stitching, very nice. It also has all the buttons on it which my old SE did not have a single of, very cool... The screen is the same as the GTI's, bigger and glossier, touch screen all around (no buttons), and the car has drive assist features now... What they are, I don't know and don't plan on using them anyway, I like driving with no assists (will read up on them anyway and report). Everything else is 100% the same, down to the *ONE* USB plug which means its EITHER carplay or a dash cam, but not both. That was stupid, VW... having to open the little door to access it is silly too.. another usb plug in the footwell or glove box would have been cool.
The base car also now comes with the fast charger ! Yipee... I will likely NEVER use it but should I want to drive 300 mi one day, now I can. I also picked a lovely urano grey color this time, dark matte grey, my kids were calling the previous car "the fridge" (white, electric, appliance - you know), this one is definitely more fetching and my little one is happy, he loves the electric silence...
The same ecopia #%$#% tires are on, I will replace them shortly with something grippier that reduces the chirping when regen braking switches over to pads (that reminds me I have a set of 2016 ecopia with tons of miles left, free for pickup in Marin county)... Come to think of it, this car would look GTI-good with nicer wheels. I may replace both wheels and tires. Can someone confirm GTI wheels can be mounted on the Egolf ? I believe the benefit of the egolf wheels is strictly wind resistance, nothing else in particular ?
Anyway, very happy with the car deal and upgrades - I do realize there are options now with other brands, and more coming soon, but F-me, $126 a month is basically my toilet paper budget (I have young boys, they eat a lot!) and they gave me a car for free... Now the wait begins for the plates + HOV stickers so I can save $50 more per month in tolls ;-)
At the time the dealer offered me a "generous" (sarcasm) $340 per month for a new 2019 lease... I laughed and left, and have been driving my regular fun car instead... FFWD a couple months, I'm tired of the 3 pedals in heavy traffic, the fun car is totally wasted on 75% of my drive.. just for giggles I called the VW sales guy... Apparently VW did something funky and they want the cars out of the door - I can now get a 2019 for $126 a month (3K down). Are-u-kidding-me? From 340 to 126 in 2 months ? I would have been mighty pissed off had I gotten the lease then ! Ignoring the downpayment for the moment, that amount is less than 1/2 my gas budget alone.... Also words cannot convey how annoying it had been to stop to refill every 4-5 days at a gas station. Seemed like each time I started the car the tank was almost empty ;-)
So the 2019 then ? Picked it up and range was 139 mi indicated... A nice improvement from the 85mi mine showed when new (more like 70mi of late).. I don't need that extra range, but what that buys me is the ability to charge the car every other day only, not max out the battery every charge, and therefore hopefully save the battery pack some wear. Also the extra range might put the car into play for longer drives, but then my mileage is tailored for my commute so I may exceed that if I use it more... Not sure how much they charge per mile when you do.. Performance wise I understand the car makes a little more power (not sure about torque?) but it felt exactly the same to me - the HP may be felt from 60-85 where the old car was a little slow... I'll report later..
The 2019 is a vast improvement over my 2016 SE... The cloth interior is darker and nicer looking. I hope it is less likely to stain. The 2016 cloth stained with simple water drops, it was silly.. The steering wheel (my big beef with my 2016) is no longer bare and cheap plastic but thicker leather, with blue stitching, very nice. It also has all the buttons on it which my old SE did not have a single of, very cool... The screen is the same as the GTI's, bigger and glossier, touch screen all around (no buttons), and the car has drive assist features now... What they are, I don't know and don't plan on using them anyway, I like driving with no assists (will read up on them anyway and report). Everything else is 100% the same, down to the *ONE* USB plug which means its EITHER carplay or a dash cam, but not both. That was stupid, VW... having to open the little door to access it is silly too.. another usb plug in the footwell or glove box would have been cool.
The base car also now comes with the fast charger ! Yipee... I will likely NEVER use it but should I want to drive 300 mi one day, now I can. I also picked a lovely urano grey color this time, dark matte grey, my kids were calling the previous car "the fridge" (white, electric, appliance - you know), this one is definitely more fetching and my little one is happy, he loves the electric silence...
The same ecopia #%$#% tires are on, I will replace them shortly with something grippier that reduces the chirping when regen braking switches over to pads (that reminds me I have a set of 2016 ecopia with tons of miles left, free for pickup in Marin county)... Come to think of it, this car would look GTI-good with nicer wheels. I may replace both wheels and tires. Can someone confirm GTI wheels can be mounted on the Egolf ? I believe the benefit of the egolf wheels is strictly wind resistance, nothing else in particular ?
Anyway, very happy with the car deal and upgrades - I do realize there are options now with other brands, and more coming soon, but F-me, $126 a month is basically my toilet paper budget (I have young boys, they eat a lot!) and they gave me a car for free... Now the wait begins for the plates + HOV stickers so I can save $50 more per month in tolls ;-)
