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Firstly I like to thank each and everyone for contributing on the site as I am always learning new things here. I’m excited but super anxious as I can order a new car from December. I am feeling nervous as my last 4 cars from motability has been from BMW, I have never thought of looking elsewhere as the service I was given was excellent but unfortunately due to high AP I will have to look elsewhere. I’m sad to give back my X1 petrol xline 2.0 even though I get 25mpg, it is a very comfortable drive, spacious boot size. Since I live in the city I’m looking at hybrid options as I’m just not ready for full electric. Will appreciate if the community can suggest any cars that can match the quality of my X1 without crazy high AP. I’m getting a lot of my people who tell me to stick to either Audi merc or bmw as the rest of the companies won’t match BMW’s quality of product and service. On a separate note I have my eye on the Volvo xc40 which has reasonable AP, but I don’t know if I should wait for jan new price list and heard xc40 is due a massive facelift some time soon. Thank you all
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I’ll anticipate a reply from @Glos Guy who recently moved from a petrol BMW X1 to a Hyundai Tucson PHEV.
He’s happy with the quality of the interior and the overall car.
There is also the sister car to this the Kia Sportage PHEV
As far as I remember without looking, the APs of the plug in hybrid versions of the Mercedes and Audi options are stupidly high.
The Volvo XC40 is one of the most comfortable and refined cars in its class, we had a petrol model for 4 years and it’s only shortcoming was a healthy appetite for petrol.
If the AP is reasonable on the Volvo PHEV, that’s a sure sign that it’s a run out model leading up to the new XC40 which is more than a facelift, it’s a new model.
But if you need an SUV and are not worried about having the latest model, then the XC40 would be a solid choice.
The Nissan Qashqai e-tech is also worth a look although the interior quality does fall a little short of the premium brands.
2024 - BMW i4 Grand Coupe eDrive 35 Sport
2020 - Volvo XC40 T4 Inscription
2017 - Audi Q3 TFSi Sport S-TronicWe are going to order an XC40 in the next week. Just need to decide on colour. The XC40 B4 Plus is a steal at the moment with the ever rising prices, it fell by a £1k from Q3 to Q4. A lot of people are going for the Black model as well. I’m not sure an all new model will be released until 2026.
If you order now and the price does drop in Jan, most dealers will honour the price or you can cancel and order elsewhere.
We thought about the Audi Q3 (my brother has one and loves it) but we didn’t think it was worth the extra AP. Same with the Mercedes GLA which is almost £2500 more than the Volvo.
Nissan Qashqai was on our list and it’s a nice car but we preferred the Volvo.You should go and test drive them.
ps – PHEV APs are high as @72 dudes mentioned. However if it is of interest as a plug in hybrid check out the Toyota CH-R which has a relatively reasonable AP of £2,795
As a city dweller, you may want to check if the city authorities have any restrictions planned regarding cars. No point in getting a petrol car if they are banning them from city centres etc.
Its just another tick box you have to do, try and find out what lies 3 years ahead.
Good luck with your search there are many cars that exceed bmw in terms of build quality, tech, and lower prices.
Just create a shortlist and give each a thorough test drive.
@rosie54 As mentioned by another poster, we moved in the summer from a 2021 BMW X1 2.0i xLine 4WD to the new facelifted Hyundai Tucson Ultimate PHEV.
We loved the X1. It was better in almost every respect to the VW Tiguan’s that we’d had through Motability before. I’ve owned, or had as company cars, many BMWs over the years (3, 5 and 7 series) and driven well over 50 of them, so I fully understand all the reasons why you are anxious about moving away. As a point of interest, over 3 years and 26,000 miles I averaged 42.2mpg in our X1, but we don’t live in a city! BMW is, and remains, my favourite mainstream brand, but nothing BMW wise available through the Motability scheme remotely appealed. The i4 looks gorgeous but was too cramped and impractical, as was the iX2. Besides, like you we didn’t want a full BEV, even though we could charge at home. We value convenience over costs, which it sounds like you do too.
I might have been tempted to wait to see if the petrol or PHEV X1 would join the scheme but, having had 3 different 24 hour test drives in 3 different iX1s, I knew that what had always been universally regarded as the industries best infotainment system has now become too complicated to use on the move, with the rotary dial (and, from memory, the excellent favourite buttons) having gone. It’s also not as intuitive as it was previously.
We didn’t set out wanting a Tucson, but ended up there having eliminated everything else for varying reasons. We discounted the following;
New VW Tiguan – quality has taken a step down from the previous generation model, much previously standard kit is now very expensive options and neither of us liked the interior.
Ford Kuga – build quality the worst of everything we looked at. The door cards were unbelievably cheap and nasty and the whole interior felt very low rent.
Volvo XC40 – build quality not too far behind the BMW but it now feels a very dated car. The infotainment system is an odd shape, too small by today’s standards and is all touchscreen. Standard equipment not great either. Boot very small (this alone could have ruled it out for us as my wife has a wheelchair). Petrol engines woefully behind the market when it comes to fuel economy.
Subaru Forester – A good size but dreadful in all other respects. Performance and economy both poor. Tech is from yesteryear and the rear seats were the worst I’ve ever sat in. Truly awful.
Mazda CX-60 – This was a close second to the Tucson. Interior quality good and standard kit good also, but the AP was way too expensive (especially when the option packs were no longer included) and there were some consistent shortcomings highlighted in several reviews I’d watched.
We looked at and discounted some others, but they’ve slipped my mind for now.
The Tucson was the last car we looked at as whilst I’m familiar with the brand (having bought a few i20s for one of my daughters and my mate has had a string of Santa Fe’s) I didn’t see them as being for me. I’m also not too keen on the exterior styling of the Tucson. However, the recent facelift, which has transformed the interior, was a game changer. Of every car that we’d looked at, the new Hyundai infotainment system was streets ahead of all of them, especially in terms of functionality and intuitiveness.
The boot of the Tucson (even in PHEV form) is bigger than the X1 and swallows my wife’s wheelchair with ease. We were torn between the N Line S (which has better exterior styling) and the Ultimate (which has more standard kit) but in the end went for the latter as the N Line S felt a bit of a step down from the BMW (interior wise) whereas the Ultimate, especially with the Moss Grey (cream) leather interior is every bit as good quality as the Oyster and black interior we had on the X1.
Equipment wise, all the included kit (e.g. adaptive matrix headlights, adaptive cruise control, head-up display, infotainment etc) all works as well as the BMW equivalent systems (whereas the VW systems didn’t). The level of standard kit is eye watering. It wants for nothing.
My biggest fear was that it would feel like a step down from the BMW but frankly it doesn’t. We went for the 4WD PHEV and the jury is still out a bit for me as to whether a PHEV is for us. I convert my running costs into true mpg equivalent (very few PHEV drivers on this forum do this, and they quote the mpg as stated in the car, which is wildly overstated as it doesn’t allow for charging costs), so I’m averaging the equivalent of about 48.5 mpg (not the 80 mpg that the cars computer states). As to whether a PHEV is right for you depends on several things, most notably if you can charge easily at home and also what proportion of your journeys are within the EV range of the car. As with all PHEVs, they are heavy cars (due to the battery) with relatively small petrol engines, so aren’t very fuel efficient unless the battery is charged. On short trips (within the EV range) it’s very cheap to run, but on longer journeys (where it’s running on petrol or self charging hybrid mode) it’s thirstier than my X1 was. The transition between EV mode and petrol is seamless and you can only tell by noticing that the rev counter has started to give a reading. However, once revs get over 2500 rpm the engine isnt as refined as the engine in your BMW. I still maintain that BMW achieve the perfect blend of performance, economy and refinement that no other mainstream manufacturer matches.
Even though I charge inside my garage (so don’t have the elements to contend with) it’s still more hassle than a 5 minute petrol stop once every 3 or 4 weeks, so if I could wave a magic wand and swap the PHEV engine in the Tucson for the 2.0i petrol BMW engine I would. I’d happily sacrifice the running cost savings for the convenience.
As well as far better standard equipment and it being a bigger car, the Tucson also scores over the X1 in that it is quieter when it comes to road noise. The Tucson suspension is OK but not quite as compliant as the setup on the BMW X1 xLine.
So, if you want a car that won’t feel like a step down from the X1 then the Tucson Ultimate might be worth a look. If most of your journeys are under 40 miles round trips then the PHEV could be an option, but only if you can charge at home and are prepared to do so after every journey.
P.S. Unless you live near London, I wouldn’t worry too much about the comment above about low emission zones if you end up sticking with petrol. We live near one and they tend to only affect quite old cars. Most modern petrol cars are OK and besides if you have a Motability car it is road tax exempt and therefore may also be exempt from any potential charges. We never once had to pay any charges in our petrol X1 and were even exempt from things like the Dartford Crossing.
I went from the BMW stable to a Mazda CX5 a car or so ago. I was pleasantly surprised.
Don’t be put off other brands completely, there are some good options I’m sure.
If you can charge at home, try an electric car, on performance terms, my wee VW ID3 blows away any of my BMWs, and easily.
Skoda Enyaq Race Blue
Have a look at the Renault Austral Alpine. It’s a full petrol hybrid, lovely interior and a great drive. No need to worry about charging points.The engine only charges the battery, the electric motor drives the car.
Have a look at the Renault Austral Alpine. It’s a full petrol hybrid, lovely interior and a great drive. No need to worry about charging points.The engine only charges the battery, the electric motor drives the car.
Another vote for the Austral but i maybe a bit bias lol.
Car History:
Ford Fiesta
Vauxhall Astra Mk6
Mazda 3
BMW 2 Series Coupe
Mercedes A Class
Vauxhall Astra Mk8 (Lease ended early)
Renault Austral@rosie54 Was the information provided by myself and others of any use to you?
I only ask as it’s a bit frustrating when someone asks for help with something, people invest time and effort in an attempt to help them, only to never hear another word from the person who asked the question!
Another vote for the Renault Australe – I’ve had mine since July 23
Its a great mid size SUV – very comfy, great access and space, great responsive top end spec, intuitive and quick. If i had waited I’d have gone for the Renault Rafaele, which appeared briefly on the scheme – which in essence is a sportback version of the Australe.
The hybrid system married to a 1.2 petrol engine, producing 200bhp, is efficient and economical , average 55mpg on 80% town / urban driving & on a full tank of petrol average between 600/650 mile range on average – having done 15000 miles to date.
Good luck whatever you decide
Ive gone from a diesel 2.0 150 Tiguan DSG (returned due to fault) back to a Ford Kuga 1.5 ecoboost 150 petrol manual (big mistake) ordered a Kia Sportage HEV, dealership were rude to me and didn’t give updates.
I contacted my local Hyundai garage and they had what I wanted in stock, a HEV Tucson in the Ultimate trim in Grey, ready for delivery in a week. I paid a little more in AP than I would have liked but it has been worth it, like Glos Guy has said it wants for nothing, Lovely car, everything is so smooth (including belt pulleys- nope I didn’t pick up on this passengers who have a brand new X1 did and actually commented on how BMW are taking a lot of ideas from the Gemini group; Hyundai/Kia ) the boot can be folded half back so you can store heavier things to stop it from squashing lighter stuff, its so quiet I have forgotten to turn it off a few times but it won’t lock (luckily for me I have to double check its locked).
I enjoy driving again, and when you put your foot down, well for me coming from the Kuga it feels like your taking off!
Hyundai wouldn’t be a brand i’m normally drawn to, but go and have a look, I wanted luxurious interior quality and the leather heated and cooled seats and whole interior really set it apart for me.
Definitely give other brands a chance, I loved the Kia Sportage also, only thing I didn’t like was no real exhausts on it. (nothing major) but IMO think they are both bold cars with fantastic equipment.
Dear all, my apologies for the late reply as I’ve been unwell and struggling to get my health back, anyway straight back to topic, I sincerely thank you all for your contribution and I have carefully considered all the factors you pin pointed and will continue to remember each point before my final decision. Equally I hope that I can also contribute with my findings which may help someone on this platform.
As I mentioned before I live in the city and I don’t feel ready for a full electric car, currently there are no restrictions on petrol cars in my borough and I hope to stick to petrol or self charging hybrid until the full electric car industry has a solid foundation in terms of charging stations and efficiency, I’m not ready for milage anxiety.
Today I randomly walked into Renault showroom(Enfield). while my 30mins visit, surprisingly not one single representative offered help enough though it was not busy, they just kept walking pass while I was exploring, where as my experience with bmw was always complimented via meet and greet in a polite and friendly manner, again maybe this is me over thinking.
I tried to use my time efficiently to analyse the Australe as it was advised by many on here. Compared to my X1, it definitely was more spacious, rear seat space was one of the biggest I’ve ever seen in a car. The interior felt premium and had a lot of high tech. The lumber massage feature was enjoyable but it did feel uncomfortable after a few mins . Boot space was not as big as the x1 but it was enough for a wheelchair. When you open the boot it makes a loud sound three times which is totally unnecessary but guess it’s helpful for some. Viewing angles from drivers position was good and you can rest both your arms on each side of the car. Both the touch screens were responsive and high quality resolution. Overall I was impressed with the quality and would say that the austral has made my shortlist, alongside xc40 black edition. I guess I still need to test drive both and come to a conclusion.
@Glos Guy you’ve also put the Tucson in my mind but I’m not a fan of the exterior design, I need to give it a chance. My x1 has 15,000 miles on the clock so I could look to extend for another 2 yrs and order a new car when I’m confident which car to go for but equally I have a feeling the deposits for Volvo cars will increase in January and I will miss the opportunity as currently it’s very affordable.
Hi @rosie54 I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been unwell. Thank you for coming back with an update, which is always appreciated.
If it wasn’t for the poor mpg that you get from your X1 (some 17 mpg less than I got from mine) then I’d be tempted to extend the lease, given that you can. However, I can understand the temptation to get a new car.
I quite understand your view on the looks of the Tucson. In all honesty, they match mine! I love the interior on our Ultimate (with the pale leather) but I’m not a fan of the exterior. It’s interesting how looks are subjective with cars. I much prefer the look of our previous X1 but my wife and both our adult daughters think that the Tucson looks much better 🤔 I don’t like the look of the Volvo XC40, whereas many do.
However, as you are looking for a self charging hybrid, I probably wouldn’t recommend the Tucson. I had a self charging hybrid Tucson for 24 hours and was unimpressed with the fuel economy. Our Tucson PHEV is fine when in electric mode, but when the battery is depleted it’s thirstier than my X1 was, as your dragging around a heavy battery with a modest sized petrol engine. Whilst I haven’t driven any of the new generation models, Toyota seem to have the whole hybrid engine thing well sorted, albeit their interiors are a bit plasticky compared to what you are used to.
If you are thinking of trying something very different, such as a French car, do make sure that you get a long test drive. Whilst France might be next door to Germany, they build very different cars. One wag on this forum made me laugh a year or so ago when they said “French cars – style over substance, except Citroen which has neither” 😂
Leaving aside my dislike of the XC40s stying, be aware that many people find the petrol engine variants to be extremely thirsty. If you can charge at home and do mostly short journeys, the PHEV variant could be an option. I might be wrong, but I don’t think they make a self charging hybrid. The XC40 is showing its age now and the infotainment isn’t a patch on your BMW system. Standard equipment isn’t great either.
Most cars these days are called ‘hybrid’ but are actually mild hybrids, which means that the hybrid bit is really only active in tiny bursts when starting and stopping, but in reality they are just normal petrol cars with no meaningful hybrid assistance. It’s probably a ‘self charging hybrid’ that you need to be looking at.
It won’t be an easy choice for you as, in truth, there aren’t really any true premium cars left on the scheme any more, so a degree of compromise will be necessary. Good luck.
If you are thinking of trying something very different, such as a French car, do make sure that you get a long test drive. Whilst France might be next door to Germany, they build very different cars. One wag on this forum made me laugh a year or so ago when they said “French cars – style over substance, except Citroen which has neither” 😂
Oh Glos Guy, I’m going to have to step in here 😆
While Rosie is looking for opinions, she’s not looking for bias. You’ve clearly never had a good look at a DS4 or 7 or indeed a new Scenic. Not that these are of much interest to her, but to make a sweeping statement about French cars is just way out of date. The Austral and Rafael are very nice cars indeed.
With regards to the XC40 I agree that it’s become dated, but that would be to ignore it’s finest strengths, namely seat comfort, beautifully supple suspension and lack of road, wind and engine noise. I drove one back to back with a BMW X1 in 2020 before we chose our Volvo and I can tell you that I found the X1 noisy and uncomfortable with far too much road noise and patter over poor surfaces (an X Line not even an M Sport)
As said, the XC40s with T4/T3 engines were known to be thirsty. Our T4 averaged 33MPG over 4 years (mainly shorter journeys) but could easily get over 40 on a run. The B3/B4 mild hybrid models are now better, but the PHEV would be the one to go for.
When giving advice, I think it would be wisest to stick to what we have direct experience of, and not general opinions which are largely out of date 🙂
Speaking as a BMW fan who loves his i4 😆
2024 - BMW i4 Grand Coupe eDrive 35 Sport
2020 - Volvo XC40 T4 Inscription
2017 - Audi Q3 TFSi Sport S-TronicFor hybrids the only ones really worth it are the PHEVs. We had an MG HS on hire after the ZS was written off and it saved so much money after 6 months in a 3008 diesel which nearly bankrupted me. Surprising how an electric range of just 30 miles odd can make such a difference a lot of journeys don’t even touch the fuel. That’s just my opinion of cour ymmv.
You say you’re not ready for an EV but if you’re doing mostly city driving and have your own driveway I would highly recommend a test drive esp as that would probably nearly double you choice given prices. If you can’t charge at home I would avoid as you say. Since moving 4 years ago I find I can now drive pain free and enjoy driving I find it a much easier relaxing drive and our charging bill is under £30 a month and since late July we’ve done about 6000 miles in the Enyaq now with around 300 miles between charges to date. Good luck with whatever you choose
If you are thinking of trying something very different, such as a French car, do make sure that you get a long test drive. Whilst France might be next door to Germany, they build very different cars. One wag on this forum made me laugh a year or so ago when they said “French cars – style over substance, except Citroen which has neither” 😂
Oh Glos Guy, I’m going to have to step in here 😆 While Rosie is looking for opinions, she’s not looking for bias. You’ve clearly never had a good look at a DS4 or 7 or indeed a new Scenic. Not that these are of much interest to her, but to make a sweeping statement about French cars is just way out of date. The Austral and Rafael are very nice cars indeed. With regards to the XC40 I agree that it’s become dated, but that would be to ignore it’s finest strengths, namely seat comfort, beautifully supple suspension and lack of road, wind and engine noise. I drove one back to back with a BMW X1 in 2020 before we chose our Volvo and I can tell you that I found the X1 noisy and uncomfortable with far too much road noise and patter over poor surfaces (an X Line not even an M Sport) As said, the XC40s with T4/T3 engines were known to be thirsty. Our T4 averaged 33MPG over 4 years (mainly shorter journeys) but could easily get over 40 on a run. The B3/B4 mild hybrid models are now better, but the PHEV would be the one to go for. When giving advice, I think it would be wisest to stick to what we have direct experience of, and not general opinions which are largely out of date 🙂 Speaking as a BMW fan who loves his i4 😆
Good morning @72dudes Just to clarify, my comment about French cars was a little tongue in cheek, hence the emoji, and the comment I quoted wasn’t mine but one from another member last year that had made me laugh. I had a Peugeot 405 for a few months whilst waiting for a new company BMW many years ago and it was a really nice drive with probably the most comfortable seat that I’ve had in a car. French cars don’t seem to have the reputation for quality that the Germans do, but on the flip side their styling and imaginative colours leave the Germans standing.
My comment about having a long test drive applies to any car from any manufacturer. It never ceases to amaze me how people make a decision on a car that they will be stuck with for 3 years based on a 30 minute drive. Buy in haste, repent at leisure!
I agree with your comments about the X1 road noise, which was noticeable on certain types of road surface. We are noticing the (positive) difference in that respect with the Tucson. I also agree that the standard xLine seats were poor, hence why we paid extra for BMW Sport seats, a decision that we never regretted. It’s interesting what you say about the seats in the XC40. Volvo have always been known as having the best seats in the business, but I recall several XC40 owners on this forum, when the car first came on to the scheme, complaining about poor seat comfort on one particular model. However, it was the infotainment system and small boot that finally knocked it off our shortlist in both 2021 and 2024. Your T4 averaged 9 mpg less than our X1 over our respective terms of ownership.
I hope that’s clarified things. I’m delighted to hear that you are loving your i4. I’m very envious as I think it’s been the best looking and most desirable car to come on to the scheme for some years. We didn’t want an EV, but I might have been tempted with the i4 had it not been too cramped and impractical for us given our needs. If we never carried rear seat passengers and didn’t have a wheelchair to contend with it could have been different!
@Glos Guy, thanks for the clarification! I thought it was unusual as you normally give great advice and we seem to agree on many subjects about the cars and the scheme. Over the years I’ve owned several French cars including a Renault 16 and a Citroen C5, both of which were among the most comfortable and no less reliable than others I’ve owned.
Yes, I think several early XC40 owners had trouble with the driver’s seat. I seem to remember that they’d all gone for the Pro model which had the extendable thigh cushions and there was a problem of insufficient padding.
For balance, I agree that the i4 is cramped and accessibility is poor 😆 Fortunately for us, this is not a problem and the driving experience far outweighs the negatives!
Totally agree about the need for a proper lengthy test drive. I’m a member of a few other forums and I’m amazed that some people order a new car without any test drive, as though they are merely upgrading a phone!
2024 - BMW i4 Grand Coupe eDrive 35 Sport
2020 - Volvo XC40 T4 Inscription
2017 - Audi Q3 TFSi Sport S-Tronic@Glos Guy, thanks for the clarification! I thought it was unusual as you normally give great advice and we seem to agree on many subjects about the cars and the scheme. Over the years I’ve owned several French cars including a Renault 16 and a Citroen C5, both of which were among the most comfortable and no less reliable than others I’ve owned. Yes, I think several early XC40 owners had trouble with the driver’s seat. I seem to remember that they’d all gone for the Pro model which had the extendable thigh cushions and there was a problem of insufficient padding.
For balance, I agree that the i4 is cramped and accessibility is poor 😆 Fortunately for us, this is not a problem and the driving experience far outweighs the negatives! Totally agree about the need for a proper lengthy test drive. I’m a member of a few other forums and I’m amazed that some people order a new car without any test drive, as though they are merely upgrading a phone!
Thanks. Going back to the X1, I wonder if the one that you test drove had ‘upgraded’ alloys? Almost every BMW that I’ve had on test over the years (and I’ve lost count of the number) has had larger alloys fitted than the ones that come as standard. BMW dealers are buggers at ‘speccing up’ their loan cars to make them more appealing and I don’t think I’ve ever had one in standard spec. IMHO they shoot themselves in the foot by doing this, as larger alloys = firmer ride. Once when we were looking for a private car for my wife they had a brand new BMW X3 M-Sport in stock that we could have had immediately. It looked amazing with all the options, but when we took it for a test drive it was the most jarring and uncomfortable ride I’ve ever had from a BMW as it had ‘upgraded’ alloys, so we said no. When I had a run of 5 series models, even at 530d level, I always went for the SE or Luxury models with the standard alloys, saving my upgrades for things that enhanced my enjoyment rather than ruined the ride. We did the same with the X1. Lots of extras but the standard alloys.
The reason I mention this is that whilst the Tucson definitely generates less road noise into the cabin than the X1 did, we have both noticed that the Tucson suspension isn’t quite as compliant as the BMWs was. In truth, what I’d ideally like is the X1 exterior and engine back, but with the Tucson interior and kit. Sadly, such a car doesn’t exist 😂
@Glos Guy. To the best of my memory it was on standard alloys, 18″ I think. It’s one of the things I try to ensure when test driving.
Conversely, one of the two XC40s we tried prior to ordering was a R Design Pro with silly 20″ wheels. Although the ride was still good, I did notice a degree of “tramlining” on uneven roads. Our T4 Inscription on 18″ was much better, very assured.
Before we ordered the i4, only the M Sport version was available for test drive. This didn’t worry me unduly as the Sport and M Sport (on the i4 at least) have the same suspension now, and although the M Sport has different alloys to the Sport, both are 18″ 🤷
2024 - BMW i4 Grand Coupe eDrive 35 Sport
2020 - Volvo XC40 T4 Inscription
2017 - Audi Q3 TFSi Sport S-Tronic
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