Carmakers’ efforts to create eco-oriented cars that appeal to actual people with actual mobility needs mean nothing if these vehicles don’t have a clear practical use and obvious advantages. Tesla is probably the only automaker currently offering a cool, desirable EV that you’d actually want to own, while other manufacturers like Opel/Vauxhall and Renault are struggling to get people to like their green offerings.
In the UK, GM offers the Vauxhall Ampera (rebadged and restyled Chevy Volt), while Renault offers the nicely styled and genuinely practical Zoe. However, the same market is also populated by very competent (and frugal) conventional cars, like, say, the VW Golf, fitted with the company’s 1.4-liter turbo motor that can shut off two of its cylinders when not under hard load.
AutoTrader got these three cars together and asked a prospective eco car buyer which he’d have. The buyer in question, Tom Lindley from Oxfordshire, has very specific needs and expectations from his future purchase, though he still wants it to be as green as possible.
However, being the owner of a VW Golf BlueMotion, it’s the new Golf that makes him say ‘I do,’ whereas the other two are seen as competent but not quite up to the task.
The video of how the pick went down is located after the virtual jump, below.
By Andrei Nedelea
VIDEO