So I finally got the chance to test drive both the i3 (pure EV version, i.e. without REX) and the new VW e-Golf - incidentally both on the same day :smile:
Since I can't find a thread about such a comparison here yet I thought I share my experience.
Let's start by saying that I am quite fed up with people comparing the i3 to Model S. Apart from the fact that they are "premium" EV's they have very little in common imho.
The VW e-Golf is a far better contestant when comparing the BMW i3 as they are in a very similar league size-, price- and performance-wise.
So, how did it go?
I drove the e-Golf first that day, and boy was I impressed. To anyone who has seen Bob Llewellyn's review on Fully Charged as well as to Bob himself - I totally agree with him. The overall impression I got was "oh, that's nice".
Everything was rock solid. Typical VW feel. Great performance, certainly better than a GTI, and quite easy to maintain an average consumption of around 13.5 kWh per 100km. What I particularly liked was the non-existant regen when lifting off the throttle which gave great coasting ability. As soon as you hit the breaks though, regen kicked it. Must be a software thing, but it felt very natural to a driver used to driving non-EV's.
Update: I didn't have enough time to play around all that much with the settings, but I believe you can adjust the amount of regen effect, just as ItsNotAboutTheMoney said.
Anyway, it was amazing how far you could coast without losing any speed and not using any energy at all. It was so effortless and fun. I think I wouldn't change the setting at all.
As far as the safety features are concerned, the e-Golf offers just about everything (of course some as options), including ACC with auto-brake and emergency stop. That is for the German market of course, but I don't think VW would compromise on the safety features in other markets.
In the afternoon I drove the i3, and even though I currently drive a BMW myself (and was setting some hopes on the Active Tourer PHEV supposedly available from next year on) I was VERY unimpressed. Actually, in that direct competition, the i3 lost to the e-Golf in almost every category. The i3 offers less room, especially in the rear, far less luggage space plus those awkward rear doors that are a real nuisance. And the most astonishing fact (at least for me): the i3 felt far less dynamic than the e-Golf, and very finicky. Not the least bit "planted". Where the e-Golf clung to the road almost like a sports car, the i3 with its high seating position seemed to roll and nick at every opportunity. Not the "joy of driving" I am used to in my 330 Diesel coupe. And the acceleration was also a bit "sluggish", compared to the e-Golf, which felt more like a small Model S in terms of performance.
Even the interior didn't seem as luxurious as one is used to in a BMW. Of course, the eucalyptus wood looked great, but the rest didn't have a very "premium" feel about it. Not that the Golf was particularly luxurious on the inside either, but at least it felt like any solid top of the line VW. The touchscreen nav system is better integrated in the dash than in the i3 with its stuck on screens.
Quick summary: after having driven four EVs now (Renault Zoe, Tesla Model S, VW e-Golf, BMW i3), my current favorite is the e-Golf (for my driving needs).
Oh and I found a video about the e-Golf production in Wolfsburg:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhPtvOGR_vA
Goes to show that the e-Golf is manufactured on the same line as all the other Golfs, which you can see in between some of the e-Golfs being produced during the course of the video.
Since I can't find a thread about such a comparison here yet I thought I share my experience.
Let's start by saying that I am quite fed up with people comparing the i3 to Model S. Apart from the fact that they are "premium" EV's they have very little in common imho.
The VW e-Golf is a far better contestant when comparing the BMW i3 as they are in a very similar league size-, price- and performance-wise.
So, how did it go?
I drove the e-Golf first that day, and boy was I impressed. To anyone who has seen Bob Llewellyn's review on Fully Charged as well as to Bob himself - I totally agree with him. The overall impression I got was "oh, that's nice".
Everything was rock solid. Typical VW feel. Great performance, certainly better than a GTI, and quite easy to maintain an average consumption of around 13.5 kWh per 100km. What I particularly liked was the non-existant regen when lifting off the throttle which gave great coasting ability. As soon as you hit the breaks though, regen kicked it. Must be a software thing, but it felt very natural to a driver used to driving non-EV's.
Update: I didn't have enough time to play around all that much with the settings, but I believe you can adjust the amount of regen effect, just as ItsNotAboutTheMoney said.
Anyway, it was amazing how far you could coast without losing any speed and not using any energy at all. It was so effortless and fun. I think I wouldn't change the setting at all.
As far as the safety features are concerned, the e-Golf offers just about everything (of course some as options), including ACC with auto-brake and emergency stop. That is for the German market of course, but I don't think VW would compromise on the safety features in other markets.
In the afternoon I drove the i3, and even though I currently drive a BMW myself (and was setting some hopes on the Active Tourer PHEV supposedly available from next year on) I was VERY unimpressed. Actually, in that direct competition, the i3 lost to the e-Golf in almost every category. The i3 offers less room, especially in the rear, far less luggage space plus those awkward rear doors that are a real nuisance. And the most astonishing fact (at least for me): the i3 felt far less dynamic than the e-Golf, and very finicky. Not the least bit "planted". Where the e-Golf clung to the road almost like a sports car, the i3 with its high seating position seemed to roll and nick at every opportunity. Not the "joy of driving" I am used to in my 330 Diesel coupe. And the acceleration was also a bit "sluggish", compared to the e-Golf, which felt more like a small Model S in terms of performance.
Even the interior didn't seem as luxurious as one is used to in a BMW. Of course, the eucalyptus wood looked great, but the rest didn't have a very "premium" feel about it. Not that the Golf was particularly luxurious on the inside either, but at least it felt like any solid top of the line VW. The touchscreen nav system is better integrated in the dash than in the i3 with its stuck on screens.
Quick summary: after having driven four EVs now (Renault Zoe, Tesla Model S, VW e-Golf, BMW i3), my current favorite is the e-Golf (for my driving needs).
Oh and I found a video about the e-Golf production in Wolfsburg:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhPtvOGR_vA
Goes to show that the e-Golf is manufactured on the same line as all the other Golfs, which you can see in between some of the e-Golfs being produced during the course of the video.
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!! ( I don't work there, just say'in)
