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I know for some people it not just a choice and some need a certain type vehicle as transport, ie hoists to be fitted, ramps etc, we’re not at that stage yet so opens up I guess more choice.
However this choice for me is such a mine field.
Lots of different choice that lazily I’ve not kept up todate with, been to see a few cars available but tbh don’t like for what ever reason..
Think I’ll just go Volvo again, must be just age and lifestyle that’s brought me to such ignorance..
In reality I’d extend again and save the cost, even after 5 yrs..
Is it just me who feels such a dinosaur..😊😆
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I mean, if you like the Volvo and don’t think you’d like something else, get another one?
Not quite sure i understand the issue. If you don’t like any of the other cars, it’s the logical conclusion. Personally i think there’s way better choices for £3k+ available, but then i’ve never liked the XC40 interior (didn’t even bother looking at the EX30). It also feels a bit dated by now.
I’d have a whiff at a CX-30, Tucson, Sportage, Q2, CX-5, Q3 and/or the X1 and X2. Sit in either, see how that goes.
Or, as mentioned, get another XC40, if you’re happy with it.
Prior: SEAT Ateca Xcellence Lux 1.5 TSI DSG MY19, VW Golf GTE PHEV DSG MY23
Current: Hyundai Ioniq 6 Ultimate
Next: we'll see what's available in 2028.Thanks Rene for the reply, agreed the Volvo is 1000s over priced imo, haven’t been to see the Mazda, BMS seem a bit snoop dog to me, again just my aged opinion, hate the outside of the over fussed Tuscan, Audi slopped boot take much needed space…
Here’s my choice so far Over priced Volvo prefer to keep mine, can’t, Dacia jogger (Mrs calling it Dogger) or the X2 if I must, X1 great cars but the over sized plastic bits front and back give the impression to me it’s all to big for the size of the X1..
Volvo really need a facelift, love the can’t have Xc60
There’s a lot to be said for familiarity. We all find brands that we prefer. Mines BMW and, having moved away from them, I wish that we hadn’t. Having driven a few EVs I didn’t want one and the iX1 and iX2 were the only BMW choices at the time. In hindsight, we should have left the scheme at that stage and bought an ICE BMW privately.
The other thing I have learned is that whilst I really like some modern technical features (blind spot assist etc), I really dislike others, especially when accompanied by incessant bings and bongs, which I find to be far more distracting than the issues that they are trying to prevent. Unfortunately we chose a Hyundai, a brand which absolutely loves bings and bongs, including some that you have absolutely no idea whatsoever what they are telling you 🤬
The other thing that I miss is a CD player. I just loved the system on my 2015 BMW 5 Series where it had a 20GB hard drive and when you played a CD you could add it to the hard drive. I had all my favourites on there and could call them up without any issues at all. No connectivity issues, not reliant on your mobile phone, no error messages – all of which blight our current car and mean that I now listen mostly to the radio!
I am currently finding myself browsing the used car market for a nice BMW that predates some of this rather annoying ‘progress’ 😂
No I don’t think it is being a dinosaur, although there are parts of modern youth culture that baffle me, the car market is now such rapid moving thing, it has become similar to mobile phones and other technology, seems cars are introduced and updated annually, I remember when I was a lad my neighbour buying a morris marina every year and nothing changed except the colour. Lol
If I was in your position I would write down the following :-
your physical needs ( height of entry, comfort, seating adaptability etc)
your practical needs ( wheelchair access, space for family, dogs etc)
What journeys do you make ( every day driving around town, commuting on motorways, etc)
and of course not forgetting budget ( how much do you want to spend on the AP)
o would literally write this down, it’s a starting point.
My little bit of further advice is to not look at the badge, a lot of cars that you may not think of as premium ( Skoda, Hyundai, Kia of old) have developed considerably and often match or surpass what the premium European brands offer.
if you have space for a charger at your residence ( private driveway) I would highly recommend an electric car of some sort, that’s my personal preference over had 3 electric cars and I find them quiet , comfortable, safe, and very pet, family friendly
hope these little ideas help
vaun
Motability – ford cnax, mini cooper s, Nissan qashqai, Mazda cx-5, Skoda Octavia, Hyundai Kona EV, Hyundai Ioniq 5
Cheers, all the very best
Vaun
Vaun what a fantastic reply and Thanks, some things you mention taken into account, but defo not all so shining a much needed light into my dated dark mind lol.
Great points made above, joined the scheme 5 years ago, still got the first and only car.
Going to try get out to Dacia as I want to seat the seat hight, tbh think it could be a prob, We did go see the XTrail Mrs slightly weary of the size (country lanes), then the qusahki (I forgot about could be possible)..
Gone are the days of hammer and starting motors..
Screen shot your reply, sent to the Wife 👍
Hello Bandit fuel or hybrid, not really interested in the wall plug stuff as yet..
Prefer just to fill up go, and hopefully not as much as my present Volvo xc40 2ltr.
Even though it’s seen us through the last 5 yrs be sad to part with it, I do love this car even for its written faults
then the qusahki (I forgot about could be possible)..
On that note, a friend of mine from the drift club has one now (MB vehicle as well), 3 weeks old e-power thing – i actually was quite impressed. I only looked into the boot and sat on the drivers seat, didn’t drive, but in terms of first impressions, was actually nice. Very straight forward in the cockpit, and the infotainment is Android Automotive based, which is a huge plus for me (screw iDrive, whatever the Audi system is called etc pp – give me AA, it’s objectively the best infotainment OS with native integration of maps, spotify etc pp).
Boot is good too, wasn’t too impressed with it from the outside – it’s a Qashqai, and he chose black too, so.. yeah.
Generally, i’d give that a sniff and see how that goes.
Prior: SEAT Ateca Xcellence Lux 1.5 TSI DSG MY19, VW Golf GTE PHEV DSG MY23
Current: Hyundai Ioniq 6 Ultimate
Next: we'll see what's available in 2028.Thanks Rene for the reply, agreed the Volvo is 1000s over priced imo, haven’t been to see the Mazda, BMS seem a bit snoop dog to me, again just my aged opinion, hate the outside of the over fussed Tuscan, Audi slopped boot take much needed space… Here’s my choice so far Over priced Volvo prefer to keep mine, can’t, Dacia jogger (Mrs calling it Dogger) or the X2 if I must, X1 great cars but the over sized plastic bits front and back give the impression to me it’s all to big for the size of the X1.. Volvo really need a facelift, love the can’t have Xc60
I think that nowadays, where styling plays such a major part, it’s best to try to ignore the exterior (as best you can) and focus on the interior (which is, after all, where you spend your time). In that respect, the Tucson Ultimate (especially with the pale leather) came closest to our previous BMW and, in terms of interior look and feel, is hard to fault. It also wants for nothing kit wise (apart from a CD player 😂). However, I really don’t like the exterior and agree it’s over fussy. It looks as though the next generation will be more ‘conventional’ in appearance.
Much as I loved our previous BMW X1, I think that the styling of the new one isn’t as good and the interior quality seems to have taken a step backwards (as was also the case with the VW Tiguan – the new one is a definite step backwards in quality from the ones that we’ve had in the past).
Ultimately, we all have different priorities. Understandably, for many Motability users the priority is low running costs, hence the popularity of EVs. For others it’s the kit that comes as standard. For me, it’s a combination of practicality (for my wife’s hoist and wheelchair) and driver enjoyment. We had both with the X1 but Motability wouldn’t let us fit a hoist to the car and insisted we ordered a new car. The Tucson is certainly practical but lacks driver enjoyment. Like BMW drivers, Volvo drivers tend to be quite loyal to the brand, so if you can get a Volvo that ticks all your boxes that might be the way to go. Alternatively, if you are able, leaving the scheme and buying a used XC60 could be a good option?
@Rene picked the brains of some fellow b badge holders in parking bays on the Nissan q, most said they’ve not seen much change in fuel consumption with e power, until yesterday, very helpful guy allowed a good viewing and a chat, saying he’s put fuel in twice since picking it up of £15 pound of 3 week periods, where his last Nissan q was £30 a fortnight..
@Rene picked the brains of some fellow b badge holders in parking bays on the Nissan q, most said they’ve not seen much change in fuel consumption with e power, until yesterday, very helpful guy allowed a good viewing and a chat, saying he’s put fuel in twice since picking it up of £15 pound of 3 week periods, where his last Nissan q was £30 a fortnight..
Seems to be very reliant on the throttle foot, by the looks. Friend says that it’s decent on fuel but drops fast once you put your foot down.
Prior: SEAT Ateca Xcellence Lux 1.5 TSI DSG MY19, VW Golf GTE PHEV DSG MY23
Current: Hyundai Ioniq 6 Ultimate
Next: we'll see what's available in 2028.One thing thats often overlooked if you’ve kept away from the car scene for the past 5 or even 3 years, is the over zealous fecking safety bing bongs mandated by the equally over zealous EU, in which we follow and its only going to get worse!
I don’t blame auto manufacturers, afterall they are following rules, but it add an extra layer of complexity when choosing a car – Like how do you turn of the b@stard noises off every time you start the car – simply by pressing buttons, by voice or by delving into on screen menu’s, in which case youre fecked if you forget before pulling off.
Many Chinese & Korean cars have DAW cameras (infrared), that bing bong a tune telling you to keep your fecking eyes on the road, if you look in the mirrors too long, look down for that pesky button or even glance to talk to the passenger sitting next to you. Again, I don’t blame the manufacturer, they’re just ahead of the game, for when the EU advance it to the next level and it becomes mandatory on fecking new cars during GSR phases.
So getting a 3+ year old chain driven transit van, may not be such a bad idea!
@Rene picked the brains of some fellow b badge holders in parking bays on the Nissan q, most said they’ve not seen much change in fuel consumption with e power, until yesterday, very helpful guy allowed a good viewing and a chat, saying he’s put fuel in twice since picking it up of £15 pound of 3 week periods, where his last Nissan q was £30 a fortnight..
Seems to be very reliant on the throttle foot, by the looks. Friend says that it’s decent on fuel but drops fast once you put your foot down.
If they had a decent hybrid before, they aren’t going to see much improvement, where as, if they have come from ICE only they will. Another thing to point out, is not everbody monitors fuel consumption.
The E-Power will get 50+ all day long for the most part and 44-45 if you flog it down the A48/M4. A friend has the X Trail E-4orce and averages 44 all day long, unless he’s got his carvan on tow.
Either way, it will be more economical than the XC40 and the latest model has upped its game with fit and finish in the cabin.
@Rene picked the brains of some fellow b badge holders in parking bays on the Nissan q, most said they’ve not seen much change in fuel consumption with e power, until yesterday, very helpful guy allowed a good viewing and a chat, saying he’s put fuel in twice since picking it up of £15 pound of 3 week periods, where his last Nissan q was £30 a fortnight..
Seems to be very reliant on the throttle foot, by the looks. Friend says that it’s decent on fuel but drops fast once you put your foot down.
If they had a decent hybrid before, they aren’t going to see much improvement, where as, if they have come from ICE only they will. Another thing to point out, is not everbody monitors fuel consumption. The E-Power will get 50+ all day long for the most part and 44-45 if you flog it down the A48/M4. A friend has the X Trail E-4orce and averages 44 all day long, unless he’s got his carvan on tow. Either way, it will be more economical than the XC40 and the latest model has upped its game with fit and finish in the cabin.
I can do that in an Ateca though – these aren’t great numbers. 50+ urban is decent, but 44-45mpg i can do in a 1.5 TSI on the motorway no problem. I get 55+mpg on the petrol engine alone in the Golf, and that weighs close to 1.8 tons with me and the lady in it.
The friend didn’t have any kind of Hybrid prior, just some kind of petrol Ceed (can’t remember, i think he said 1.6l? Might misremember). He said currently he averages around 55mpg in Cardiff traffic, and around 40ish mpg on the M4 (at 75ish, probably closer to 80).
Certainly not bad numbers, especially compared to older cars, but one got to keep in mind that it’s not a PHEV or even full hybrid, it’s an EVREX that you can’t plug in. I think that what miffs me, dieselelectric works on trains, petrolelectrics don’t work great in cars imho.
And.. CVT. Ever since my Mk5 Escort Ghia, i despise CVT with a passion. But that’s just me.
But, yeah, it’ll beat the XC40 in economy all day long, and imho, it’s a considerably nicer place to sit in too. I was actually pretty impressed with the screen as well, no stutters or anything regardless of how fast and far i zoomed in and out on the map, felt premium. Seats were decent enough for what it is, too (bud has cloth, he went for the.. what did he say, N Connecta or something, for the smaller wheels – to improve the ride).
Came a long way, for sure.
Prior: SEAT Ateca Xcellence Lux 1.5 TSI DSG MY19, VW Golf GTE PHEV DSG MY23
Current: Hyundai Ioniq 6 Ultimate
Next: we'll see what's available in 2028.So after reading/sending @Vaun idea of simply jotting down a list, rather than a boiled head of confusion lol, we’ve come up with a list…
I’ll try posting some pics, however notice the extra interest on the Volvo scribbles, think could be a Volvo plus pro b4 forest lake green, if on the scheme would be wife’s choice..
Thanks for the correction @Glos Guy I’ll pass it on to admin 😉🤣, as for kezo no excuses…
Seriously though Thanks for the replies, info & time all..
I can do that in an Ateca though – these aren’t great numbers. 50+ urban is decent, but 44-45mpg i can do in a 1.5 TSI on the motorway no problem. I get 55+mpg on the petrol engine alone in the Golf, and that weighs close to 1.8 tons with me and the lady in it. The friend didn’t have any kind of Hybrid prior, just some kind of petrol Ceed (can’t remember, i think he said 1.6l? Might misremember). He said currently he averages around 55mpg in Cardiff traffic, and around 40ish mpg on the M4 (at 75ish, probably closer to 80). Certainly not bad numbers, especially compared to older cars, but one got to keep in mind that it’s not a PHEV or even full hybrid, it’s an EVREX that you can’t plug in. I think that what miffs me, dieselelectric works on trains, petrolelectrics don’t work great in cars imho. And.. CVT. Ever since my Mk5 Escort Ghia, i despise CVT with a passion. But that’s just me. But, yeah, it’ll beat the XC40 in economy all day long, and imho, it’s a considerably nicer place to sit in too. I was actually pretty impressed with the screen as well, no stutters or anything regardless of how fast and far i zoomed in and out on the map, felt premium. Seats were decent enough for what it is, too (bud has cloth, he went for the.. what did he say, N Connecta or something, for the smaller wheels – to improve the ride). Came a long way, for sure.
It depends on how you drive, Mike 700 gets mid 50’s+ mid 70’s on a run, which is as about what I get from my 220d gran gran coupe when visiting family!
The E-Power, I would class as more of a series hybrid, where the internal combustion engine works solely as a generator and electric motors turn the wheels, so no gears. I nearly had the pre facelift model, but wanted the Tecna+ for the leather, which never came, The new one is in a different league. The Qashqai mild hybrid has old style elastic band effect CVT😂 rather than planetary gears modern eCVT have i.e Toyota.
I’m suprised your mates Ceed was that economical, but there again it’s a car. My previous 1.6 Tucson was 33 at most (I calculate accurate mpg) and 42-44 if lucky on a run.
A few months ago, I got hold of a mates fathers immaculate 20 year old 2.5l V6 Rover 75 Connoisseur. Apart from being as comfy as hell, it lacked modern fecking bing bongs, whils’t still having satnav, cruise control etc. It reminded me of what peasure driving use to be, till eldest daughter nicked it, this will be my last scheme car and wil revert back to a car no newer than 2022/3. Probablyan X3 orX5 40d 🙂
I’ve reading this with interest as I’m having the same problem, I’m only interested in EVs so I’ve limited myself already but its got to the stage where I’m even looking at petrol ie BMW X2/X1, I’m blaming joss for that, when I saw he had ordered one it made me have a look.
Unfortunately theirs nothing really on the scheme that rocks my boat, I did have a look at a Volvo ex30 but I really don’t think I can live with the interior. I’ve now learnt my lesson with my Nissan Ariya it looks fantastic but it drives like a bloody barge.
@ajn The Tuscan has more room inside than the Sportage, hence my choice of the Tuscan or rather Tucson, but the right colour is important!
Other things, I have noticed from your list is that, you have gone from a whopping great big cars down to a car not much bigger than a city car?
Anyway from your list in no particular order:
Nissan Qashqai/X Trail E-Power
Skoda Kodiaq
Renault Symbioz / Austral – Perso allows you to deactivate bing bongs.
Toyota CHRX
Outsiders:
BMW X1/2 not as good as last gen, but may be worth looking at.
Jaecoo 7 Omoda 5 only as hybrids or worse economy than the XC40.
Kia Sportage Hybrid not ICE, as with Tucson.
@kezo I test drove a BMW X5 40d the other day. Nice car and very quiet, even with 22” alloys. It was a used one but still £50k. The guy tried to talk me into a new one, but even with the VAT knocked off it was still almost £70k. I just don’t do enough mileage these days to warrant that sort of outlay (decent cars are just ludicrously expensive these days). Another spanner in the works was that the 40d is more expensive than the new 50e X5 which, although a PHEV (which, as you know, I’m not keen on) has a realistic EV range of around 50 miles and it’s paired with the legendary BMW 3.0 six cylinder petrol engine, giving a combined power output of almost 500 bhp. I’ve since watched a number of YouTube reviews of the 50e and they all say that it’s absolutely superb. Back to the drawing board 😂
the nissans are better than they were i have the juke hybrid nconnecta and average over 55 mpg.
likewise i am stck on what to go for next. in one way i am lucky i get wpms so the ap is a bit cheaper but ive also lost the grant veterans used to do so i have to fund it my self. i dont need space for chairs or stuff so smaller suvs are the main areas.
i am down to :
juke tekna hybrid
toyota yaris cross hybrid.
kona n-line hybrid
quashqai epower nconnecta.
renault austral hybrid but price went up above my limit last quarter.
did consider the cupra formentor v2 petrol.
love the look of the ioniq 6 but cant charge at home so sensible head says no.
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