VW is really late to the US full-EV party, where models like the Nissan Leaf have gained serious popularity in the last few years.

Its battery powered entry is the e-Golf, and in true VW spirit, you get what you (expect to) pay for. If you’re not at all into your electric vehicle looking weird or unusual (like the Leaf does), then the look of the e-Golf will be refreshing.

You really have to be a bit of a nerd to notice anything different about it, aside from the complete lack of engine noise.

CNET put it to the test out on the road, and reviewer Brian Cooley was less than impressed with how it fared. Don’t get us wrong, the e-Golf did everything that was asked of it very well, but it’s far from being in any way innovative or moving the game along. It provides the same range and performance as the Leaf, despite being a few years newer than it.

It feels like VW didn’t really try very hard with it – 100 miles of real world range would have made it much more compelling, for a California on-the-road price of $26,250…

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