@kezo I did try using regeneration for a time (level 1) after you mentioned it, but it didn’t seem to make any noticeable difference to my EV range (maybe the higher levels would) and, as mentioned previously, I don’t like the sensation of it, hence why I don’t use it regularly now. If my primary concern was running costs then maybe I’d persevere with it but, as you know, I value the driving experience more.
I guess that if it made a significant difference Hyundai would configure the car so that the default was for it to be ‘on’ and you actively have to turn it off (as with BMWs) but, as you know, the default is ‘off’ and, from memory, regeneration isn’t even mentioned in the owners manual (which only sad people like me read anyway 😂) so I bet that the vast majority of Tucson PHEV drivers are unaware of it and, if asked, would have no idea how to activate it!
As discussed at length on the other thread, the main reason for the difference in our running costs (given that we both charge the car after every use) is that we use the cars very differently. Doing your lengthy school run daily (all in EV mode from memory), plus a greater proportion of A road driving, makes a PHEV a better option for you. By contrast, I live within a few miles of a motorway and almost all my journeys to get anywhere involve using it. As I don’t like plodding along with the HGVs to save a few pence, it’s noticeable how mpg drops as speed rises and I think that’s primarily where I lose out.
Whilst the interior and standard kit of the Tucson make it hard to beat, it seems to be that Hyundai’s PHEV technology isn’t quite up to that of some other brands – Toyota and VW to name just two. Perhaps that and a combination of the petrol engine and gearbox. Compared to my BMW, the engine is far less refined and the auto gearbox holds on to revs much longer, neither of which is going to help when it comes to economy.