2017 Volkswagen e-Golf Review: First Impressions
CARS.COM — Making its debut at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show ]is the electrified member of Volkswagen’s Golf family, the 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf, which gets significant changes including a powertrain and battery upgrade along with new cabin technology.
The 2017 e-Golf’s front and rear bumpers have been updated, as have the headlight and taillight clusters. A blue stripe across the front grille and C-shaped LED daytime running lights (exclusive to the e-Golf) are indicators that this Golf runs on electricity and not gas.
Drivetrain updates include a larger battery and more powerful electric motor, which has increased both range — now 124 miles on a full charge — and top speed — 93 mph.
The most intriguing updates to the e-Golf, however, are found inside, where there are two new screens that change how the driver receives and inputs information. Behind the steering wheel, the instrument panel has been replaced by a 12.3-inch color LCD display that will feature Volkswagen’s Digital Cockpit. This is similar to technology that is found in Audi’s Virtual Cockpit in its lineup; it allows the driver to customize which information gets displayed, including a power meter and navigation information.
Also new is the Discover Pro infotainment system that adds a large, high-resolution 9.2-inch glass display to the center console (only available on SEL models). The display is slightly canted toward the driver for easier access to even the far reaches of the screen. The glass pane that sits atop the screen stretches to the center console’s edges, which not only looks better but also makes the interface appear larger. The look is eye catching and it really makes the screen stand out.
I had a chance to play with the system a bit and work through the menus. It was extremely fast and responsive even to multitouch gestures like pinching, which can bog down car multimedia systems at times. Eventually, there are plans to implement gesture control technology with this system, but Volkswagen was noncommittal on the exact timing.
There are a few drawbacks to the system, however. The glass is a fingerprint magnet; it was filled with smudges and fingerprints after I tested the system out for a short period. A cloth to keep it clean will be an essential piece of equipment for the tidier among us. But the bigger issue to me is that Volkswagen has also “pulled a Honda” and gotten rid of a physical volume knob on the radio, a move that’s bothered many an editor when confronted with this setup in Honda’s lineup. This omission would potentially be alleviated by the implementation of gesture control, but until then, it may be a source of frustration.
The e-Golf that Volkswagen had on display at the show was a European-spec version, so the U.S. model may have some slight differences but will in essence keep the same look and feel. The 2017 e-Golf will go on sale in the late spring of 2017.
