Modification Contest

Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion On Modification Contest

Early one morning we were given the keys to a Golf R, the performance version of VW’s most popular vehicle, and rocked it up to 125 miles per hour on the Autobahn. Man, that’s fun. The Golf Blue-e-motion can’t quite match that, topping out at a max speed of just 135 km/h (about 84 miles per hour), but that doesn’t mean the car isn’t also a blast to pilot. Calling it a “blue emotion” is just wrong. The car isn’t depressing in the least. The company line on EVs? That’s a bit of a downer, but not the car. The one thing VW got absolutely right: selectable regenerative braking. There are four levels, from sailing to harsh regen, and it’s great to be able to use the shifter paddles on the steering wheel to cycle through them. We’d have been quite happy with the two settings at the extremes, but we won’t quibble with four. Cruising through wet Wolfsburg streets with the Golf Blue-e-motion’s weight split 50/50 thanks to the battery placement, which is quite different than the front-biased standard Golf, handling was great at city speeds. The e Golf is also incredibly quiet, even for an electric vehicle, and that’s saying something. It doesn’t hurt that the Golf on which it’s based is already a quiet ride. One big problem: the accelerator pedal completely lost the ability to function on a highway exit ramp, but a few restarts solved the problem. Such is the life of a prototype vehicle.

Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion On Modification Contest