@John – thoughts on the GR, specifically ride and handling? We are testing a 2.0 GR tomorrow, and the salesperson advised us that the GR has a harder ride than the Excel due to being a little more sporty.
However, I have failed (but I am a man, we’re not know for being observant lol) to find any mention of sports suspension or firmer suspension in the online configurator, so don’t know if this is an oversight in the online info, an honest mistake (or opinion) by the salesperson, or a sneaky attempt to upsell.
I think the 2.0 GR with the bigger wheels looks absolutely fab, but haven’t seen any pictures of this spec, with those wheels, online – does it actually come with those wheels? Same with the Excel – all pictures of the 2.0 I’ve seen online, they only have the wheels that come with the 1.8, not the ones shown in the online configurator.
You might have guessed I’m incredibly fussy about wheels! It’s not a boy racer thing, it’s an “everything in the correct proportions” thing, a question of aesthetic balance. More of an autistic thing!
It’s a shame the bi-tone (black roof) doesn’t seem to be available for the Touring Sports in the UK, like it does in other markets – I’ve seen pics of a Pearl White GR with Black Roof and it looks absolutely stunning – almost worth seeing if I could just get the roof vinyl wrapped lol
@MenorcaMike, I’m talking the missus into the 2.0 over the 1.8. The 1.8 was underpowered on the motorway
I’ve heard, but can’t confirm, that under some circumstances the 2.0 can actually be more economical than the 1.8 due to a larger battery so it can accelerate to a little higher speed, and spend just a little bit longer running on electric. I saw a youtube video of a guy claiming 70mpg on the motorway for his 2.0 Touring – take that with chunk of salt though – I’ve seen people claiming 65mpg in petrol BMW’s and when questioned admitted they were cruising at 50mph and getting overtaken by HGV’s. The same guy claims the 2.0 comes with acoustic glass in the side windows and windscreen, and that the 1.8 only comes with acoustic glass in the windscreen, so it’s a bit quieter than the 1.8 (and less revvy under normal acceleration)
The salesperson is going to regret us booking the test drive with all our questions tomorrow!