The latest generation of Volkswagen's pure electric Golf is a huge improvement in range and usability over its predecessor, but even with a new battery pack and a host of features that are now standard instead of optional, there's a gulf between it and the competition.

Unveiled at the LA Auto Show, the 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf is the closest the company has come to date to converting the iconic, hugely popular hatchback into a genuine green machine while preserving all of the characteristics that make its gasoline-fuled counterpart so good.

The new model has a raft of class-leading active driver aids -- from emergency autonomous braking and pedestrian monitoring to adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, lane assist and even park assist.

What's more it can also be specified with the company's new cutting-edge Digital Cockpit that ditches traditional gauges for a digital, configurable dashboard screen. There's also a new infotainment system on offer that will support gesture control in Europe from launch but won't come on line in the U.S. until 2018.

As impressive as these new touches sound, consumers in the market for a plug-in electric vehicle are still primarily focused on range anxiety. To address this issue, the car has a new lithium ion battery that enables the car to travel 124 miles on a single charge (that's a 50 per cent improvement over the existing model).

What's more, the 7.2kW on-board charger will ensure the battery is fully recharged within six hours when connected to a standard charging station. An optional DC Fast Charging setup can add 80% to the battery within an hour when connected to a DC fast charging station.

However, the Chevrolet Bolt can manage an independently certified 238 miles on a single charge. The European specification Nissan Leaf can manage 150 miles and its sister car, the Renault Zoe, can manage a theoretical 250 miles (although when independently tested that figure could fall as low as 186 real-world miles).

When presented with this data, VW will point to the fact that as well as a 124-mile range in the US, the car also delivers in terms of acceleration, power and performance. The e-Golf boasts 134 hp, a 0-100 km/h time of less than 10 seconds and a restricted top speed of 93 mph.

All of which means as long as owners don't take the car to the track, they shouldn't be able to tell the difference between the e-Golf and a gasoline Golf -- other than by the lack of engine rumble and exhaust note, that is.