- This topic has 389 replies, 24 voices, and was last updated 8 hours, 19 minutes ago by
.
- Topic
I currently have a Tucson PHEV on 24 hour test and have a few questions for @kezo @JohntheLeg and anyone else who has one.
The car the dealer has given me, whilst brand new, is unfortunately the pre facelift model, so it’s a bit different from what I had researched. They are giving me a facelift one for another 24 hours when I take this one back, but it’s not a PHEV, so my education on PHEVs is right now.
I’ve just been on a decent drive in both EV and Auto (which was mostly EV) and deliberately let the battery run out so that I could then see what it was like on petrol only. All worked fine but I’ve just parked it in the garage with a view to recharging it and the ruddy cable in the car is one that only works in a charging station – not the 3 pin (granny charger) that I expected. This is irritating as tomorrow I wanted to take my wife on our usual ‘local’ journeys on EV mode but now can’t 😡. Two questions;
1) Does the Tucson PHEV come with a charging cable that can be used in a 3 pin plug as standard, or do you have to buy one?
2) There is a third driving mode that I haven’t used yet (Hybrid?), although I think the car may have now been ‘forced’ into it by the battery running out. Is this a mode where the petrol engine charges the battery? If so, if I take it out for a drive tonight (which I intend to do anyway to test the headlights) will I be able to ‘charge’ the battery? Is there a way to do this?
Thanks
- Replies
I don’t why I didn’t see this yesterday, as I was particularly keeping an eye open for any questions, as all wmc mail goes into junk folder😂!
1) Does the Tucson PHEV come with a charging cable that can be used in a 3 pin plug as standard, or do you have to buy one?
The granny charger lives to the right under the boot floor, a bit further back than the crease in the boot floor carpet liner thing.
There is a third driving mode that I haven’t used yet (Hybrid?), although I think the car may have now been ‘forced’ into it by the battery running out. Is this a mode where the petrol engine charges the battery? If so, if I take it out for a drive tonight (which I intend to do anyway to test the headlights) will I be able to ‘charge’ the battery? Is there a way to do this?
HEV mode keeps the battery at the current state or charge’s it, for emmision free running in ULEZ zones etc (most uneconomical mode)
Auto & EV mode are basically the same, the car tries to drive where possible in electric but will also drive like a normal hybrid once the battery depletes to around 12%. I leave mine in Auto!
I’ve just been on a decent drive in both EV and Auto (which was mostly EV) and deliberately let the battery run out so that I could then see what it was like on petrol only.
To clarify, the battery won’t deplete below 12% and will switch and drive as a full hybrid. HEV mode uses more of the engine but, still prodominately drives as a hybrid. Sport mode uses full power combining both engine and battery but, will hop into electric if cruising every now and again.
Morning @kezo I knew that the charger would be under the boot floor, so I took the boot floor out to just find a hole where the granny charger should be 😡. There was a bag in the boot with a charger for use with charging stations, which I don’t have (nor is there one even remotely near where I live and, besides, it would be a pointless exercise as it would be far too much time for far too little reward). Thankfully there was plenty of petrol in it. Anyway, you’ve confirmed my thought that there should be a granny charger with the car. Why somebody has removed it I have no idea 🙄
I noticed (before the battery died) that when in ‘Auto’ the car seems to run in EV mode most of the time so I think that, like you, if I get one I shall do that rather than run in EV only. I took the car out for a late run last night to test the headlights (not great but I don’t think they are matrix headlights that the facelift has). The car was in ‘Hybrid’ mode as the battery was depleted and after 20 plus miles the battery had only achieved 1 mile EV only range, but I noticed that it still went into EV mode when slowing and pulling away (as you’ve previously mentioned, the battery still has about 12% even though there’s no EV only range left.
First impressions not bad, even though I’m conscious that, being the pre-facelift model, the interior is dated and the car has a bit more puff than the new one.
Likes – Seamless and quiet transition from EV to engine and vice-versa. Adequate performance when pressed. Road noise a little less than my BMW (the only X1 weak point).
Dislikes – The seat back seems to be pressing on my shoulder blades (I’m 6ft 2), meaning I’m having to have it a little more reclined than I’d like. The seats look the same on the facelift model but I’ll check again on the Ultimate in the showroom later. Doesn’t feel any quicker than my (on paper) less powerful petrol BMW, but I’m guessing that’s due to it being a PHEV and heavier. Sat Nav mapping not as good as I’m used to, nor is functionality. Maybe the facelift is better. Acceleration can feel a bit lethargic, unless pushed when there’s a slight lag before it kicks in. In contrast, my BMW is more instantaneous and responsive.
I’m conscious that this is the pre facelift model so some issues may have improved slightly. I’m going out again in it shortly with my wife. Unfortunately it will be mostly in petrol mode, but the weather isn’t as bad today. It’s certainly in with a chance, but I’ll make my mind up when I’ve had a short drive in the newer PHEV and had another 24 hours in a facelift (non-PHEV model). At present, I feel that I prefer my BMW but, on the basis that we have to change to get the hoist, it’s probably as good as we’ll get on the scheme these days.
Out of interest, we looked at the new Tiguan, facelift Kuga and Mazda CX-60 yesterday. The Kuga was the worst of the 3. Looks OK from the outside but the interior is very cheap and nasty (the door cards are just dreadful). The infotainment isn’t angled towards the driver and there’s no auto hold (which is the one thing that, 3 years on, I still miss on my X1). The new Tiguan doesn’t look as imposing in the flesh as it does in photos & videos. Neither of us liked the interior. Those huge slabs of piano black with hundreds of ambient lighting coloured dots look dreadful and my wife said that she couldn’t sit looking at that 😂. Interior quality wasn’t a patch on our previous Tiguans, so I agree with what reviewers have said about that. The Tucson interior quality and design was far better than both the Kuga and Tiguan, albeit not BMW level (as you had said). The CX-60 feels like a class up from the Tucson (which it is) but the interior seems a bit dated compared to the facelifted Tucson. I watched a WhatCar? review on it yesterday and they said that the ride and engine noise were both very poor. Hoping that I can iron out the few niggles with the Tucson over the next 24 hours or I’m a bit stuck!
Dislikes – The seat back seems to be pressing on my shoulder blades (I’m 6ft 2), meaning I’m having to have it a little more reclined than I’d like. The seats look the same on the facelift model but I’ll check again on the Ultimate in the showroom later. Doesn’t feel any quicker than my (on paper) less powerful petrol BMW, but I’m guessing that’s due to it being a PHEV and heavier. Sat Nav mapping not as good as I’m used to, nor is functionality. Maybe the facelift is better. Acceleration can feel a bit lethargic, unless pushed when there’s a slight lag before it kicks in. In contrast, my BMW is more instantaneous and responsive. I’m conscious that this is the pre facelift model so some issues may have improved slightly. I’m going out again in it shortly with my wife. Unfortunately it will be mostly in petrol mode, but the weather isn’t as bad today. It’s certainly in with a chance, but I’ll make my mind up when I’ve had a short drive in the newer PHEV and had another 24 hours in a facelift (non-PHEV model). At present, I feel that I prefer my BMW but, on the basis that we have to change to get the hoist, it’s probably as good as we’ll get on the scheme these days.
I’m a little concerned when you suggest acceleration is a bit lethargic with a slight lag unless pushed as, was this in ev or hybrid? The battery propulsion in electric and hybrid should remove lag and as reviews state it should propel forward like no pure ICE can. I hower do find it holds a higher gear perhaps too long before changing up or dropping down, requiring throttle modulation. The Facelift has a more powerful electric motor, so much of muchness equal to the pre facelft. Kia still says 350Nm for the 2025 Sportage yey, both cars share the powertrain with their big brothers yet they are down as 367Nm, either way there seems errors and Hyundai quoting the electric motor torque alone. Either way your looking at 7.6s 0-62 in both, but your best with hybrid if your driving like that. However with a PHEV inc Tiguan/Kuga your looking at around 120bhp on electric only, with only full power with both powertrains combined!
Is it the side bolsters of the seat back or the shiny insert in the back of the seat you feel. I find the N line seats more comfortable from the off, the leather I found was tight/harder untill they give with my previous model.
The Sat Nav, I could turn on 3d mode with my pre facelift model and expect the same for the refresh model. Nav is based on Tom Tom live.
It would be good if you could get the facelift for 48hrs c/w a granny charger!
It aslso has the benifit of acoustic glass!
We have had an Ultimate PHEV for 2 years now it is a great car. For short journeys we keep the car on electric and usually get approximately 30+ miles before it reverts to Hybrid mode. On longer journeys we plan when to use the electric power, we keep the car in Hybrid mode and change to electric when we are in Urban areas or stuck in traffic.
We use a granny charger all the time and when we got the car the cable was included but I think this has changed now. We were told by our dealer that the Granny charger is now referred to as an emergency cable and it is no longer supplied with the vehicle.
We have had an Ultimate PHEV for 2 years now it is a great car. For short journeys we keep the car on electric and usually get approximately 30+ miles before it reverts to Hybrid mode. On longer journeys we plan when to use the electric power, we keep the car in Hybrid mode and change to electric when we are in Urban areas or stuck in traffic. We use a granny charger all the time and when we got the car the cable was included but I think this has changed now. We were told by our dealer that the Granny charger is now referred to as an emergency cable and it is no longer supplied with the vehicle.
I find switching to HEV mode gives me the worst of all mpg on a run compared to leaving it in Auto mode, however, there are no LEZ zones where I go anyway.
What mpg are you getting when switching to hybrid compared to Auto mode?
The 2024 facelift also comes with a granny charger 🙂
To be honest we haven’t used the Auto mode at all so I can’t compare. We get about 38mpg when in hybrid mode but we do try to use electric as much as we can. Our car has now done nearly 40K miles and overall it is averaging 64 mpg.
It is good news about the granny charger as we are due to change early next year and the Tuscon is a strong contender.
To be honest we haven’t used the Auto mode at all so I can’t compare. We get about 38mpg when in hybrid mode but we do try to use electric as much as we can. Our car has now done nearly 40K miles and overall it is averaging 64 mpg. It is good news about the granny charger as we are due to change early next year and the Tuscon is a strong contender.
Thats actually not bad in hybrid mode given its holding the battery charge level. I think other manufacturers call it charge mode.
I had an early termination on the Tucson ICE and I haven’t looked back. The ride is superior and the interior is night and day compared to the pre facelift one.
I did a 400 mile trip a couple of weeks ago in Auto and got 50.4mpg, I started with a full battery and didn’t recharge till back home, so it did majority of miles as an Hybrid. I would of probably got more if I didn’t play about with sport mode sweveral times.
I’m saving a fortune locally, getting 34 miles in ev and once I manage just shy of 38, I’m happy with that given I live in a hilly area.
I also opted for N line S this time round 🙂
The electric motor has also being increased to 72kW on the new one, which makes a difference.
@kezo You were lucky to get a granny charger. According to our local dealer, @Ianfca is correct. Hyundai now only supply a charger for use with charging points (type 2?) with the PHEVs now. Bizarrely, their EVs now also come with a granny charger. How daft is that? It seems utterly pointless to charge a PHEV on a public charger (isn’t one of the main attractions of them that you don’t have to?) and charging a BEV on a granny charger would take several days! The sales guy apologised for not thinking that through, but has said he would sort one out for us if we order (along with, hopefully, a set of mats – especially as AP discounts seem to be off the table).
Updates since last post – handed the pre-facelift model back this afternoon. As we couldn’t charge it, we have been running around in Hybrid mode all day, which is clearly the worst mode for mpg. It seems as though ‘Auto’ is the most sensible mode to drive in, as it runs mostly in EV mode but the occasional engine usage keeps the battery going longer and extends it’s range. Unlike many PHEV drivers, I’m not being at all fooled by the stated mpg on the computer. For it to mean anything, you’d have to recalculate it manually, adding in the fuel equivalent cost of charging it – which nobody does as it’s far too complicated! I can’t be bothered to work it out either, but I don’t reckon that the fuel savings will be quite as much as some claim. Having to charge the thing after each use will be a faff compared to the zero maintenance petrol car that we have now, so I need to get my head around whether the saving is big enough to add in the hassle factor.
I took out a brand new facelift PHEV Ultimate for a 10 mile blast. It didn’t seem as quick as the pre-facelift one but, as with the pre facelift model, it was still OK. Not blisteringly quick (like the iX1 30e that I had recently), and certainly not as quick as my current X1 20i, but perfectly adequate. The added weight of these PHEVs is quite noticeable and I can now see why they need to have high PS figures to help counter it.
I’ve now got a facelift Hybrid Ultimate for 24 hours to see how the new tech compares. The sales guy said that although the PS is less than the PHEV, it would feel quicker as it’s lighter. I felt the opposite tbh and the engine noise was more noticeable and felt more strained than in the PHEVs. I’ll drive it more tonight (to test the matrix headlights) and tomorrow but I’m already thinking I’d prefer the PHEV, even if the maths aren’t necessarily in its favour.
The leather seats in the Ultimate feel the same as the alcantara ones in the N Line S (I.e. not great). My shoulder blades seem to be at the top of the seat and it doesn’t feel right. It would be OK for 95% of our journeys, but might be more problematic on longer journeys. A mate of mine has had several Santa Fe’s and I’ve never found the seats comfortable in those either.
If we get a Tucson PHEV I think we’ve settled on the Ultimate. Whilst I prefer the styling of the N Line S I prefer the leather seats and easy access system. The main decider though is that our local dealer has had a Cypress Green Ultimate with Cypress Green interior in for a customer, and my wife loved it (and the Motability entitlement is hers – I’m just the chauffeur 🙄). It looks pretty much grey with just a hint of green and is a shade darker than even the darker of the two greys, so it helps to mask the naff plastic wheel arches and sills. The Cypress Green interior is basically the black leather interior but the dark grey cloth door trim strips and dashboard strips are a sort of lighter grey / green colour. Sounds awful but actually looks really nice and adds a bit of contrast. I still prefer the Moss Grey lighter interior, which I think would be a nice contrast with the dark exterior, but the boss will decide 🙄
@kezo You were lucky to get a granny charger. According to our local dealer, @Ianfca is correct. Hyundai now only supply a charger for use with charging points (type 2?) with the PHEVs now. Bizarrely, their EVs now also come with a granny charger. How daft is that? It seems utterly pointless to charge a PHEV on a public charger (isn’t one of the main attractions of them that you don’t have to?) and charging a BEV on a granny charger would take several days! The sales guy apologised for not thinking that through, but has said he would sort one out for us if we order (along with, hopefully, a set of mats – especially as AP discounts seem to be off the table). Updates since last post – handed the pre-facelift model back this afternoon. As we couldn’t charge it, we have been running around in Hybrid mode all day, which is clearly the worst mode for mpg. It seems as though ‘Auto’ is the most sensible mode to drive in, as it runs mostly in EV mode but the occasional engine usage keeps the battery going longer and extends it’s range. Unlike many PHEV drivers, I’m not being at all fooled by the stated mpg on the computer. For it to mean anything, you’d have to recalculate it manually, adding in the fuel equivalent cost of charging it – which nobody does as it’s far too complicated! I can’t be bothered to work it out either, but I don’t reckon that the fuel savings will be quite as much as some claim. Having to charge the thing after each use will be a faff compared to the zero maintenance petrol car that we have now, so I need to get my head around whether the saving is big enough to add in the hassle factor. I took out a brand new facelift PHEV Ultimate for a 10 mile blast. It didn’t seem as quick as the pre-facelift one but, as with the pre facelift model, it was still OK. Not blisteringly quick (like the iX1 30e that I had recently), and certainly not as quick as my current X1 20i, but perfectly adequate. The added weight of these PHEVs is quite noticeable and I can now see why they need to have high PS figures to help counter it. I’ve now got a facelift Hybrid Ultimate for 24 hours to see how the new tech compares. The sales guy said that although the PS is less than the PHEV, it would feel quicker as it’s lighter. I felt the opposite tbh and the engine noise was more noticeable and felt more strained than in the PHEVs. I’ll drive it more tonight (to test the matrix headlights) and tomorrow but I’m already thinking I’d prefer the PHEV, even if the maths aren’t necessarily in its favour. The leather seats in the Ultimate feel the same as the alcantara ones in the N Line S (I.e. not great). My shoulder blades seem to be at the top of the seat and it doesn’t feel right. It would be OK for 95% of our journeys, but might be more problematic on longer journeys. A mate of mine has had several Santa Fe’s and I’ve never found the seats comfortable in those either. If we get a Tucson PHEV I think we’ve settled on the Ultimate. Whilst I prefer the styling of the N Line S I prefer the leather seats and easy access system. The main decider though is that our local dealer has had a Cypress Green Ultimate with Cypress Green interior in for a customer, and my wife loved it (and the Motability entitlement is hers – I’m just the chauffeur
). It looks pretty much grey with just a hint of green and is a shade darker than even the darker of the two greys, so it helps to mask the naff plastic wheel arches and sills. The Cypress Green interior is basically the black leather interior but the dark grey cloth door trim strips and dashboard strips are a sort of lighter grey / green colour. Sounds awful but actually looks really nice and adds a bit of contrast. I still prefer the Moss Grey lighter interior, which I think would be a nice contrast with the dark exterior, but the boss will decide The new one comes with a granny charger, so perhaps the sales guy wasn’t upto date on the new model. It isn’t even available as an option on the configorator as such and one of Hyundai’s press release suggested so too. However, the from 2023 update Hyundai stopped including it with the older model for some daft reason.
I asked at time of ordering mine, if they would chuck a set of mats in, the saleslady said she thought it came with them. On collection day I asked the same question again but wasn’t sure on entering the car there was a set in place, were they included or given free I don’t know. What I do know, as with most manufacturers a set of mats are provided in the boot when shipped!
If you keep the battery topped up the balanced range you see shouldn’t be far off. When I went up my parents I brimmed the tank the tank and again when I got home, like a fool! The calculations minus the 35 miles before the the car changed to a hybrid, wernt that different to that shown by the on board computer. I probably still have the piece of paper I did the calculation on lying around.
There has being a few complaint’s on Hyundai’s forums about the plastic insert a top of seats (silver band on the Ultimate) not being comfy and the remedy has been a small gel pad over the seat, However I’m not sure your refering to this and I haven’t come across it because I’m a short 5ft 9″.
As I said on the previous topic, choosing the colour wisely the side profile isn’t in your face. Personally I would of chosen moss grey because it lifts the cabin more, giving it an air of sophisication but, Ive learn’t my lesson from argueing with women! 😂
The lheadlights & matrix lights/highbeam are superior to the outgoing model and I get along fine driving country roads going up my parents however they aren’t quite in the same league as IQ matrix lights.
If you choose to have one I’m sure you’ll get use to PHEV in a short time and like it for what it is and where it sits in the market and I’m always happy to help:-)
Power wise its got some go if you command it, going from 0-60 in 7.1s or 0.4g according to my son (who races) timming gear. It’s not a very economical way of driving a PHEV though lol.
@kezo Just got back from my nighttime drive. I wanted to test the matrix headlights for three reasons. Firstly, I thought that the headlights on the pre facelift Tucson I had yesterday were poor. Secondly because they are absolutely brilliant on my BMW and I would miss them and finally because the last VW that we had with them frustrated me because the VW ones were too slow to react. Well I’m pleased to say that I was very impressed with them. Whilst they weren’t quite as bright as the ones on my BMW they were still great and reacted just as quick.
Having gone through every option and setting on the infotainment (blimey there’s a lot) and configured everything, I was impressed at how much you can programme. The system is far more user friendly than the latest BMW iDrive. I could find everything very easily, whereas the latest BMw systems are far too complicated. I’m still not overly keen on the Sat nav but I discovered that the round dial on the right zooms the map in and out, which I like to do (and couldn’t fathom earlier). I like the fact that it gives you speed camera alerts (the PDI hadn’t enabled that, but I did 😈).
As you said, the Krell system isn’t as good as I’d hoped, but is better than the standard system in my X1. The Tucson is definitely a quieter ride than my X1 in terms of road noise, although there’s a bit more wind noise around the door mirrors than the BMW. The engine in the Tucson is noisier and doesn’t sound good when revved, but with the PHEV I’d try to drive mostly in EV.
I can’t see the point of the normal hybrid model. The 20 mile round trip that I’ve just been on (motorway and A / B roads) achieved 42mpg. Thats no better than my 2.0i petrol BMW would have done at the same speeds. The PHEV is the way to go I think, having attempted some maths. I reckon that the miles travelled on electric will cost around half (in terms of pence per mile) than my BMW. That will constitute most of our mileage. On longer journeys I suspect that it won’t be much cheaper than the BMW but we don’t do as many of those now so, overall, I think there will be a decent saving.
Having chatted it through with my wife, on the basis that we have to have a new car to have a hoist fitted, we don’t think we will get anything more suitable, so we are going to order tomorrow. It will be a Cypress Green Ultimate PHEV with Moss Grey leather interior. There are a few of them at the port available for delivery within weeks, whereas the Cypress Green interior version isn’t and would be a 4 month lead time. I think it will be a nice contrast with the dark exterior and, as you say, it looks classy. The only niggle is the seat comfort, which I’m still struggling with a bit. I’ll just have to hope that with a lot of fiddling with the (thankfully electric) adjustments I can find a position that is OK.
@kezo Just got back from my nighttime drive. I wanted to test the matrix headlights for three reasons. Firstly, I thought that the headlights on the pre facelift Tucson I had yesterday were poor. Secondly because they are absolutely brilliant on my BMW and I would miss them and finally because the last VW that we had with them frustrated me because the VW ones were too slow to react. Well I’m pleased to say that I was very impressed with them. Whilst they weren’t quite as bright as the ones on my BMW they were still great and reacted just as quick. Having gone through every option and setting on the infotainment (blimey there’s a lot) and configured everything, I was impressed at how much you can programme. The system is far more user friendly than the latest BMW iDrive. I could find everything very easily, whereas the latest BMw systems are far too complicated. I’m still not overly keen on the Sat nav but I discovered that the round dial on the right zooms the map in and out, which I like to do (and couldn’t fathom earlier). I like the fact that it gives you speed camera alerts (the PDI hadn’t enabled that, but I did
). As you said, the Krell system isn’t as good as I’d hoped, but is better than the standard system in my X1. The Tucson is definitely a quieter ride than my X1 in terms of road noise, although there’s a bit more wind noise around the door mirrors than the BMW. The engine in the Tucson is noisier and doesn’t sound good when revved, but with the PHEV I’d try to drive mostly in EV. I can’t see the point of the normal hybrid model. The 20 mile round trip that I’ve just been on (motorway and A / B roads) achieved 42mpg. Thats no better than my 2.0i petrol BMW would have done at the same speeds. The PHEV is the way to go I think, having attempted some maths. I reckon that the miles travelled on electric will cost around half (in terms of pence per mile) than my BMW. That will constitute most of our mileage. On longer journeys I suspect that it won’t be much cheaper than the BMW but we don’t do as many of those now so, overall, I think there will be a decent saving. Having chatted it through with my wife, on the basis that we have to have a new car to have a hoist fitted, we don’t think we will get anything more suitable, so we are going to order tomorrow. It will be a Cypress Green Ultimate PHEV with Moss Grey leather interior. There are a few of them at the port available for delivery within weeks, whereas the Cypress Green interior version isn’t and would be a 4 month lead time. I think it will be a nice contrast with the dark exterior and, as you say, it looks classy. The only niggle is the seat comfort, which I’m still struggling with a bit. I’ll just have to hope that with a lot of fiddling with the (thankfully electric) adjustments I can find a position that is OK.I’m sure both of you will be pleased, whilst at the same time its no BMW its one of the better cars in the class (as I think you discovered). Its also extremely practible with a roomy cabin and boot and you won’t be wanting any expensive options and a decent AP to go with it.
My initial thoughts when having a PHEV was, if I could safe 50% on the majority of my journey’s I’d be prepared to take a hit on a long journey. However, I’m very pleased that its proving more economical on a journey than my previous ICE Tucson. If I can get 55-60 as the other two commentors I’ll be even happier. That said I’m happy to help/share my calcs on economy.
I don’t think the hybrid gets acoustic glass like the top trim PHEV’s!
Ultimate also gets you memory seats with easy access which I think you liked and I’m missing if I’m honest. I’m also starting to be unsure about a dark headlining but, hey ho not to worry lol.
I’m glad you got your wish of moss grey seats and it’ll be interesting to see Cypress grean when you get it.
As said there’s a few people on the net who have mentioned seat comfort issues but, have found fine adjustments generally make them happy or rather comfy.
@kezo We certainly preferred the interior over the new Tiguan and facelifted Kuga – significantly in fact. The CX-60 felt a bit more premium, but the tech was a generation behind. I am also mindful that Auto Express have just voted the facelifted Tucson their Car of the Year in the medium SUV class, saying that the changes that have come with the facelift have kept it top of the class for the third or fourth year in a row.
As you say, I’m sure that the running costs will work out less. That’s not a major consideration for us – we place convenience over cost, hence why we don’t want a BEV – but cheaper running costs will help offset the high AP (although, by todays standards with Motability it’s quite reasonable, especially since the £800 drop a few months ago).
I’ve still not attempted to work out what impact the charging cost has on ‘real’ mpg on longer journeys. Off the top of my head, I’m guessing that it reduces the mpg stated in the car by something in the region of 5 to 10 mpg, but if some folk can get 55-60 mpg then if that means 45-50 mpg in real terms then that’s comparable to my BMW, which would be excellent. As you say, as long as longer journeys aren’t more expensive once factoring in charging costs, the local journey savings all add up to a tidy sum, as well as being quieter!
Like you, we don’t like black headlinings in any car, but at least you have a sunroof which you can leave the sunscreen open. Without that they are far too oppressive imho. The hybrid does have acoustic glass (just checked as we still have it) but it’s definitely noisier than the PHEV, presumably because the engine is running far more. It also seems to rev higher than in the PHEV, which makes it even more noticeable. As you have mentioned, the car does hold on to higher revs longer than needed, which isn’t good, but at least the transition from EV to engine is seamless (again, it’s better in the PHEV than the hybrid – not sure why, other than it switches a lot less in the PHEV). Like you, I shall be driving the PHEV in ‘Auto’ mode as, having tried all 3 modes extensively, it’s by far the best economy wise (Question – does it default to that mode every time you start the PHEV? I couldn’t check, as it was forced into hybrid mode once the battery had depleted).
Ive attached some photos of the Cypress Green Ultimate that the dealer had just received. It’s wet in the photo and looks better dry! I’m glad that we are going to be ordering as the lad at the dealership has bent over backwards to help us, with 3 different car loans totalling 48 hours. A really proper test drive and absolutely no short changing with us being Motability customers, so top marks to them.
Like you, I shall be driving the PHEV in ‘Auto’ mode as, having tried all 3 modes extensively, it’s by far the best economy wise (Question – does it default to that mode every time you start the PHEV? I couldn’t check, as it was forced into hybrid mode once the battery had depleted).
Yes Auto is the default mode on startup – the car then chooses the best mode favouring ev where it can, as you gathered from your test.
Cypress green does not look too disimilar to the Amazon grey we had on our previos ICE model. It was a predominantly darker grey than our Ecotronic grey, which had a tinge of dark green if the sun was bright and hit the car at a certain angle. We really liked the colour.
The plastic trim on the Ultimate is now flush(er) to the bodywork compared to our previos one and looks alot better for it. A darker paint as you suggested also disguises it.
I really liked the CX60 interior, I thought it looked business class but, there was no space in the rear considering ts size, mres kezo didn’t like the seat base. The running gear let it down as, it wasn’t as seamless as the Tucson going from one powertrain to the other and the rear end bounced over speed bumps and expansion joints which was unerving. It also felt slower than the Tucson which consdering claimed 5.8s 0-60 also felt way slower than the similar performance of the Rav4/Across.
Let me know expected delivery date after ordering, which shouldn’t be long 🙂
Well we have taken the plunge and ordered! A bit like you @kezo, we got fed up waiting for anything better to come on the scheme and we didn’t want a full EV, which is the firm direction of travel with Motability, so we are getting something that hopefully suits us whilst we still can. Ideally, I would have left the scheme and bought a 3 year old BMW X5, but as we now need a hoist it makes sense to have it drilled in to a lease car and we can get the hoist for £795 through Motability rather than £3k privately. Also, whilst the scheme is no longer the ‘no brainer’ that it once was, due to the eye watering APs, once you’ve swallowed the cost of the AP, and accept that it’s also costing over £12k in benefits, at least it’s worry free motoring thereafter. I don’t think it makes sense for cars that are say £30k or less, but the car we have ordered is almost £46k and the AP (less the £750 new car payment) is 8% of that, rising to 34% of the purchase price when you factor in the sacrificed benefits. That’s a much higher % than we’ve paid in the past, but we can get a PHEV which we’d never get privately as the price premium as a private buyer wouldn’t make financial sense, whereas the additional cost over the much less desirable Hybrid is negligible through Motability.
Unlike BMW (which builds cars to order, as almost all customers add options), Hyundai thankfully stock pile their cars (as you can’t add options and, in the case of the Ultimate, wouldn’t need to anyway as it has absolutely everything you can think of as standard), so the dealer said that there were 3 Cypress Green Ultimate 4WD PHEVs with Moss Grey leather interiors and 2 with black leather (none with the black with Cypress Green trim) waiting at Tilbury to be called off, so he’s taken one of the 3 for us and he expects it to arrive at the dealership next week. I doubt that we will have it next week, as the hoist has to be fitted first and there may be a few weeks lead time on that, so I suspect that we will take delivery early August. If it’s much later than that we will probably delay until 1st September.
The sun was out today and the Cypress Green Tucson that the dealer has on site looked really nice. Sadly we couldn’t see a Moss Grey interior, but I’ve seen it on a pre facelift Tucson and liked it. My wife is concerned that it will be light grey, but I’m sure it’s more a cream colour. As you said @kezo the dealer confirmed that the cars now come with a set of velour carpet mats and if for some reason it doesn’t come with a granny charger he will give us a new one out of an EV. No deposit was mentioned.
I’m relived that we’ve made a decision at last, but I’ve always said ‘order in haste, repent at leisure’. I’ve had 3 days in BMW iX1s (20e M-Sport and 30e xLine and M-Sport), more than enough time to know that an EV isn’t for us (and that BMW has gone backwards with its latest iDrive systems). It was very easy to rule out the new Tiguan and facelifted Kuga as neither of us liked the former and the latter was very low rent. The CX-60 could have been a contender but for the eye watering AP, the need for costly options and poor reviews. My wife absolutely refuses to even consider anything French (🙄) and there were a number of cars that I’m sure would have been good but I simply couldn’t live with the looks of them (e.g Kia Sportage). The Tucson ticked every box spec wise (both essential and desired items were all standard) and it will be the first Motability car that we’ve not had to add a single option to.
Having tested 3 different Tucsons it was really interesting to see the phenomenal improvements that have been made with the facelift. Frankly, the level of improvement is as much, if not more, than you’d often get with an all new model. In fact, the all new Tiguan has less standard kit than the outgoing one! I reckon I must have spotted a good couple of dozen improvements between the pre facelift and facelift Tucsons. I wasn’t at all impressed with the Hybrid model and can’t see the point of it as the mpg wasn’t that good and pretty much comparable to a decent ICE engine, which would cost far less and be much lighter and nimbler.
I shall be very sorry to see the BMW X1 go. It’s been an absolute peach and driving it home after 2 days in 3 different Tucsons I instantly realised how much quicker the BMW is and how the PS figures of PHEVs are misleading, as the extra weight saps so much of it. However, it wil be fine. Conversely, we also instantly noticed how much extra road noise there is from the X1, so the quieter Tucson will be a treat in that respect.
Finally, a big thank you to @kezo for all the help, which has come on top of all the help you gave with my home electrics issues! Actually, some final quick questions that link both issues! You mentioned charging at 10 amps rather than 6, and said that there would be no issues with my electrics. The 3 pin socket I shall be using for charging is a double socket which has one of my two electric garage doors plugged in to it. Will that still be OK? Also, will it cost the same to charge at 10 amps versus 6 amps, the only advantage being that it’s quicker? Other than speed, are there no other cost or safety issues to consider when deciding whether to charge at 6 amps or 10 amps? Many thanks 👍
Congratulations, I’m sure you have made the correct decision @Glos Guy and can’t wait to see the photos. I have really enjoyed my Tucson Phev Ultimate over the past two and a half years and will order the new facelifted version in December.
It’s good that the dealership has really looked after you as well as our own personal advisor @Kezo on the forum.
@Glos Guy
One more thing and it’s probably a moot point but having seen a couple of (used) motability cars recently with hoists fitted, ensure the fitter who’s doing your hoist fits it with the mounting point on the right hand side (offside) of the boot, living in a right hand drive / left side of the road country you want to be picking any equipment up from towards the curbside, I know it seems like a no brainer but the 2 cars I saw had them mounted on the left and when I looked under the boot floors it seemed the fitter had done so solely for ease of wiring!
Good luck with the new car anyway mate 👍
Sorry, having one of my off days today and couldn’t stand earlier without feeling like jelly let alone face reading alot. Anyhow after an hydrocortisone injection I seem to have come roumd a bit.
10A (2.4kW) will be ok for prolonged continuous load when charging the car. The garage door will only draw about 1A and is only in use when the garage door is opened or closed, so there will be no worries there.
Whils’t I have said its quite on par with the likes of BMW, you could have done alot worse in the class and I’m sure you’ll like it just as much once your use to it. It also has a conventional awd system rather relying on a smaller electric motor
PHEV’s are weird with there power delivery, it’s like having 2 cars in one, with a 60/40 power delivery. Only in sport mode do you get full power of the 2 systems combined, which defeats the object, if your chasing economy.
I was told 5/6 weeks if I remember from the port but, in reality it took around 2 weeks all in, s I guess another 7-10days to get a hoist fitted and delivery taken.
Don’t go filling the tank, its highly likely you’ll use much less fuel than in your x1 and just be carrying additional weight unnecessarialy.
Can’t wait see pics lol.
@kezo I know that you have the patience of a Saint, so you will hopefully forgive me asking one more question 😂
The Sat Nav on my BMW has Real Time Traffic Information, which colour codes roads as green (free flowing), amber (slow moving) and red (very slow / stationary). It is frighteningly accurate, to within metres and is a godsend. I had read that the Tucson has a very similar system but it wasn’t working on the various Tucsons that I had on test. Is this something that you have to activate? I couldn’t see anything in the main menus.
@kezo I know that you have the patience of a Saint, so you will hopefully forgive me asking one more question
The Sat Nav on my BMW has Real Time Traffic Information, which colour codes roads as green (free flowing), amber (slow moving) and red (very slow / stationary). It is frighteningly accurate, to within metres and is a godsend. I had read that the Tucson has a very similar system but it wasn’t working on the various Tucsons that I had on test. Is this something that you have to activate? I couldn’t see anything in the main menus.I was messing with the settings this afternoon whils’t waiting for daughter to come out of school and there was a setting you need to enable, to turn on live traffic and alternative routes however, I still use A-Z’s 😂
P.S I’ll take some pic’s tomorrow 🙂
Thanks @kezo When you post them, could you please also let me know if there is a Hyundai App that lets you know the charge state of the car, both when parked and when charging, and does it alert you when the charge has finished? Cheers mate 👍
@Glos Guy the Hyundai App is called Hyundai Bluelink App which you can download to your phone. You won’t be able to set it up fully until you receice the car. It shows battery level, the car charging and the range of battery and fuel level. The app also warns you if the car is unlocked and lets you lock it. It has a diagnostics part to the app. The app lets you schedule charging if its plugged in. Ther are various other features included. Ther are a few YouTube videos on how to set the App up.
The only thing the App will not do is let you pre heat or cool the car. I don’t know if the facelift car has updated this feature.
Show traffic colours – Displays route guidance un colour depending on traffic conditions:
(green for smooth traffic, yellow for moderate congestion, and red for heavy traffic.)
Traffic info – shows nearby traffic information on the map in both 2D and 3D views1. This can help you stay informed about traffic conditions along your route.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.