Thanks @Rene That does indeed make a lot of sense to me. Most of our local journeys are around 30 miles round trip maximum, albeit a lot of that is motorway. On that basis, the electric only range on the Tucson should be just about sufficient to run in EV mode for the majority (if not all) of the trip, whereas the Tiguan’s extra capacity could be superfluous. I’ve never driven a PHEV, so I don’t know whether I would prefer to drive in EV mode as far as I can from the off, or whether I’d just leave it in auto (hybrid) mode and let the car decide when to use the battery and when to use the engine. Am I correct in thinking that it’s much cheaper to do the former, even though I’m on a standard electric tariff? I don’t intend to fit a charger, so would be charging via a 3-pin plug as there is always time to do that between journeys, and I can do this under cover in our garage.
You don’t leave it in auto/hybrid, you need to put it into that. By default, the car (at least the Tiguan, not sure about Tucson) is always in EV mode as long as the battery allows for it (or you put your foot through the floor, at which point the engine also kicks in – there’s a button behind the pedal that gives the signal).
It would certainly be cheaper to drive electrically even on a standard tariff, as long as you don’t charge it at public chargers (which is nonsensical for a PHEV).
In regards to what you’d prefer.. I’m driving a “lukewarm hatch”, and i much prefer driving it electric, despite being nominally weaker in terms of bhp compared to ICE or hybrid mode. Again, it boils down to what you need. I love engine noise as much as the next gearhead, but that’s for engines that actually sound good, not some generic four-pot. So i personally much prefer driving in silence, and without vibrations whatsoever.
In terms of acceleration, the electromotor does all the work. From 0-30mph, it pulls like a freight train. It gets more asthmatic higher up, but higher up is where the petrol engine lives, built to run 70mph all day long on the motorway. Torque just wins.
If i do journeys that reach the “outer edge” of my range, i tend to kick the petrol engine in every now and then. For our weekly shop, as an example, there’s a long, stretched steep hill on the way home. Downhill i’ll regenerate around a mile and a half of range, uphill we lose around 8 miles range for 2 miles of distance (steep hill, and 70). The usual sequence is, at around a mile before the hill, i pull the gear lever to put the car in “sport” (which sharpens a few things, but also puts the car in “hybrid” mode), give it a blast of throttle to kick the engine in, push it up the hill, and then pull the leaver again to put it back in normal (which re-activates E-mode, too). I turn the engine on a mile prior to get some heat in it before i stomp on it, it isn’t actually required – i specifically asked whether or not it’s required to do so since revving from a cold engine can’t be healthy, and apparently it’s not. I just don’t feel comfy revving to 7000rpm from stone cold. It’ll stay running continuously until it’s at operating temperature, usually at the top of the hill, so back to E it goes there.
As mentioned, this “system”, allows for around 1500 miles of range in a car with a 35l tank.
14.7kwh/100km, as a sidenote, is 4.2 miles per kwh. There were a few motorway journeys in there, too – as well as a bit of hooning. Back then, we didn’t have the 20mph limit either, so i might actually get further now as well (20mph is where the e-motor is most efficient, at least i’ve read that somewhere).
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.