2014 Volkswagen Golf e-Golf electric from Norway

Summary:

Buy it and try the enviromentally friendly future!

Faults:

Some minor problems with one door. VW changed a part in it.

General Comments:

Almost a flawless car after almost two years! What a great electric car! It drives me 400-500 km on some days using superchargers. In Norway we have many superchargers and even free charging stations (private and government).

This car save me a lot of money each year compared to a fossil fuel car.

So far I can only give a high recommendation.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st July, 2016

2014 Volkswagen Golf SE 1.4 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Excellent family hatchback

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This is a great family car. It is quick yet economical, and comfortable on short or long journeys.

The car interior feels plush. My MX5 was plasticky, and even my wife's 2008 Jetta doesn't feel so nice. The ride is good, only getting caught out by the big pot holes on the awful A12.

The standard equipment on the SE is excellent. Bluetooth connection to my phone for hands free calls or music, all controlled from the steering wheel. The car has an electronic handbrake, which is very useful; when you stop it comes on, and when you drive away it comes off, so simple.

The best feature is ADAPTIVE CRUISE - it has spoiled me forever as not many other cars have it and I can't now live without it. Through a simple setup of buttons on the steering wheel, you choose the speed you want to go to an exact MPH. The car will then brake and accelerate to keep you at that speed whether a lorry pulls out in front of you, you meet a traffic jam or you go up/down a steep hill. You can choose the gap to the car in front, and it will use its radar to control your speed in the traffic around you. With the engine's start/stop feature, it will slow you to a stop and cut the engine, then re-start and wait for you to say it can pull away.

My car has the DSG auto gearbox which is great, better than my wife's 2008 Jetta. Very smooth changes and is always in the right gear. With this and the adaptive cruise, long journeys are very relaxing.

The engine is smooth and quiet, with a nice noise when you do press on. Cruising at 80mph is quiet and comfortable. Not GTI performance, but fast enough for real world travel. Economically it has done very well. With small trips into town to the supermarket (maybe 7 miles of which 3 miles is A roads and the rest 30mph town traffic and traffic lights) I get about 49 MPG. On a regular work trip into London I get 51 MPG in the coldest winter months, but it has picked up to 55 to 60 depending on the traffic, and whether I set the cruise to 80 or 60, respectively.

Overall I am delighted with the car. Quick, great to drive, brilliant adaptive cruise, comfortable and economical. It is so good it has created a problem in how I replace my wife's Jetta.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th March, 2015

10th Jun 2015, 21:17

Great review - what kind of car has your wife got now?

13th Dec 2017, 03:36

I was waiting to see cars with automatic electric 'parking brake'. Sounds natural for the parking brake to engage by itself when the car is parked. It may also have a button to engage it in an emergency while driving, but it should engage automatically when the car is shut off.

12th Nov 2022, 22:44

I can't stand the modern electric handbrake - still much prefer a lever!