A Closer Look at the E-Golf and E-Up! Debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show

Electric Golf likely to head to U.S. as VW joins electric-car wars.

By Zach Gale of Motor Trend 

 

 

The Volkswagen e-Golf and e-up! (yes, that's the car's name) are debuting at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Though both fully electric four-door hatchbacks are geared toward European buyers, we should eventually get the electric Golf in the U.S.

The front-drive Volkswagen e-Golf has a 114-hp electric motor with 199 lb-ft of torque available from 0 rpm. Top speed is limited to 87 mph, while overall driving range at more reasonable speeds is limited to 118 miles, and Volkswagen says the claimed figures are "driving ranges that make sense." Both cars have two driving modes — Eco and Eco+,while there are four levels of regenerative braking sensitivity. Volkswagen says the motors, gearboxes, and lithium-ion batteries were developed in-house and built in the company's German plants.

On the Volkswagen e-Golf, Acceleration from 0-62 mph comes in a slow but respectable 10.4 seconds. As with other new electric cars, the e-Golf and e-up! can gain back 80 percent of its capacity with a 30-minute charge. We've known about Volkswagen's plans to build an electric Golf for years; the debut of the e-Golf suggests the car is well on its way to arriving in dealer showrooms around the world. The e-Golf is also the first Golf to use full LED headlights — potentially a feature we may see on future high-end Golfs in the U.S. Visually, the e-Golf is marked by blue trim in the grille that extends through the headlights. The wheels have an aerodynamically optimized five-spoke design.

As for the little e-up!, that four-door has an 80-hp electric motor with 155 lb-ft, and a manufacturer-estimated 0-62 mph time of 12.4 seconds. Top speed — for all those subcompact electric car speed demons out there — is said to be 81 mph. The overall driving range is about 99 miles.