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Am I going mad? I could have sworn the e-power in tekna trim was on the scheme. But now it’s gone. Am I misremembering?
I’ll just go bang my head against the wall over here.
Current: MY24 Renault Austral Iconic FHD.
Ordered 5/2/26: Chery Tiggo 8 'Summit' ICEPrevious Motability cars:
2013 Ford Focus estate auto.
2016 Vauxhal Zafira 1.4T SE Auto.
2019 Ford Kuga Vignale 1.5 auto AWD. (Ext lease)
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I sometimes regret, not ordering and waiting for the Tekna as we really wanted heated front seats, the full Lane assist , the full Monty on the electric tailgate ,all of which are available on the Tekna!
But it was my choice to have an instant delivery rather than wait six months,, and I have had the QQ ePower n Connecta for a full 7 months, and we are slowly forgetting the differences with the Tiguan/ Tekna, as the NConnecta is still a superb family car, and I can have heated seats fitted for £350 anyway!
The lack of noise, instant uptake on throttle, and no gearchanges really does provide a EV driving experience, other than the engine cutting in occasionally, to recharge the battery, but the engine noise is not intrusive, and unlike other ‘hybrid’ types, there is no conflict between the ICE and the electric motor as to which should be working- the ePower is 100 % electric drive, 100% of the time.
Thanks for that info, Mike.
We’re also thinking of test driving the Austral, which is based on the same floor pan and I prefer the interior anyway. I need to experience what the primitive rear suspension feels like in use though.
Current: MY24 Renault Austral Iconic FHD.
Ordered 5/2/26: Chery Tiggo 8 'Summit' ICEPrevious Motability cars:
2013 Ford Focus estate auto.
2016 Vauxhal Zafira 1.4T SE Auto.
2019 Ford Kuga Vignale 1.5 auto AWD. (Ext lease)Although the QQ would be adequate for our needs, we have been holding out for the XT in Tecna trim (full faux leather) to appear since February. During that time the QQ Tekna trim has been and gone, which we regret now not ordering.
The Austral is indeed on our radar aswell but – considering Nissan and Renaults 50/50 partnership, Renault as the French do, have chosen to go their own way on everything bar sharing the platform. Renault therefore have chosen to use a completely different powertrain and how it drives the wheels and the choice of a terribly over complcated electronic controlled dog box automatic gearbox. Although this dog box setup is seen in the failed Arkana hybrid, with its overly slow to decide what powertrain it should use Renault has claimed to have solved this problem by using a 1.2 powerplant rather than the 1.6 seen in the Arkan and other Renault hybrids. Yes its better than better in the Austral but, every review or video you watch mentions the problem still exists, though alot will depend on how you drive to whether you notice it or not. From what I understand the rather ooutdated torsion beam rear suspension is also present in front wheel drive Qashqui’s, so @Mike 700 can give his review here.
Considering the Autral has 10bhp more than the Qashqui, it takes an additional 0.5s (8.4) to reach 60, video’s suggest it arround 9s, which can partly be down to that dog box. The Qahqui E-power has 330Nm of torque, whils’t reports say the the Austral has 205Nm, which I’m not totally convinced with given its hybrid.
The interior is is flashy especially with its Android Automotive system and its ambient lighting, if not somewhat overly dark interior materials, the weird thrust controller in the centre console that does nothing is weird. On paper the 61mpg are indeed excellent, although reporsts say its more like 53mpg, which is not too disimilar to the Qahqui. Oh and the matrix lights are appealing and it looks more modern than the Qashqui.
The Austral is a car I like but, there is perhaps more resevations than I would have say with other brands and Renaults build quality and reliabilty ratings of the not so distance past I’m unsure with.
My honest answer after all that rambling is I don’t know lol.
I thought the Arkana had a cvt gearbox
@Mike700
Does the QQ also have the raised area in front of the front drivers/passenger seats where the battery is housed? like the Austral?
Please excuse spelling/typos. Apart from being a clot it turns out I had one on my cerebellum that's now causing various problems!
I thought the Arkana had a cvt gearbox
Arkana’s innovative E-Tech hybrid technology is the perfect blend of dynamism and efficiency. With it’s two electric motors and multimode automatic gearbox, drive around town in full electric 80% of the time. The Arkana’s intelligent battery charges from regenerative braking or while driving. (Renault)
you get two powertrains to choose from with the Arkana – there’s a 1.3-litre turbo petrol (138bhp) with 12V mild hybrid tech (it has fancy stop/start and offers a weensy boost under acceleration) and a seven-speed dual clutch auto or a 1.6-litre full hybrid (143bhp combined) that has two electric motors and a dog box.
We would be very interested if the XT came on in Tekna. We need the power tailgate.
We have 14 months left on our extended lease. We almost ordered A Tuscon Ultimate full hybrid with the tech pack. Then that went away. Wondering what trim levels will be available for its replacement next year.
Current: MY24 Renault Austral Iconic FHD.
Ordered 5/2/26: Chery Tiggo 8 'Summit' ICEPrevious Motability cars:
2013 Ford Focus estate auto.
2016 Vauxhal Zafira 1.4T SE Auto.
2019 Ford Kuga Vignale 1.5 auto AWD. (Ext lease)@Mike700 Does the QQ also have the raised area in front of the front drivers/passenger seats where the battery is housed? like the Austral?
As far as I’m aware, the QQ battery is under the floorpan
As Mike700, the battery will also certainly be placed under the floorpan.
As far as I’m aware, the QQ battery is under the floorpan
In the Austral you can see floor slopes from where it accomondates the battery. You can see this slope at the front of the the front of drives seat which then levels into the floor pan.
We would be very interested if the XT came on in Tekna. We need the power tailgate.
Indeed power tailgate, leather seats for easy egress and regress for our daughter, along with heated seats is our ideal spec.
I really like the mid spec Mazda CX60 but, the AP is somewhat pricey for what I want to pay for a scheme car.
Kezo has the Clio hybrid got a dog box ? What is that ? Or a dsg gearbox I had that in my golf’s loved it the cvt gearbox in my Chr can be loud at times
Kezo has the Clio hybrid got a dog box ? What is that ? Or a dsg gearbox I had that in my golf’s loved it the cvt gearbox in my Chr can be loud at times
The Clio hybrid has a dog bog style gearbox AKA clutchless multimode gearbox. It is derived from a clutcless gearbox seen F1 cars 🙂
The Clio hybrid is a 1.6l that has two ratios (gears) for the main electric motor and four for the petrol engine, with 15 operating modes in total including the pure-electric one. The Arkana is fitted with the same engine and transmission. The Austral uses the same type of gearbox but has an extra gear for the 1.2l petrol engine.
All hybrids have some degree of lag when choosing what power-source to use similar to turbo lag on single turbo cars, some are better or worse than others. Reviews say the clio, When accelerating quickly from a standstill, it can take a second or two for the petrol engine to wake up when you press on the accelerator, and when you get underway the gearbox changes gears smoothly enough. Do bare in mind my background will be different to yours and your driving style will likely be night and day to mine and your highly unlikely to notice any such delay. Perhaps I’m in the wrong saying what I say on this forum sometimes, so don’t get too hooked up on what I say 🙂
Have a look at this video 🙂
VW groups DSG gearbox is their marketing term for a DCT (dual clutch) box. A CVT (constant variable) is like an elastic band and can hold on to its revs making it sound noisy.
Unfortunately the CX60 is plug in only and we have nowhere for a charger.
Current: MY24 Renault Austral Iconic FHD.
Ordered 5/2/26: Chery Tiggo 8 'Summit' ICEPrevious Motability cars:
2013 Ford Focus estate auto.
2016 Vauxhal Zafira 1.4T SE Auto.
2019 Ford Kuga Vignale 1.5 auto AWD. (Ext lease)Hi confusicated. The Mazda CX60 Phev comes with two charging cables a type 2 and a granny charging cable which would plug into a household three pin socket, still only taking a few hours to charge or top up.
Yes, I understand that, thanks. I can’t park outside our house – it’s a turning area.
Current: MY24 Renault Austral Iconic FHD.
Ordered 5/2/26: Chery Tiggo 8 'Summit' ICEPrevious Motability cars:
2013 Ford Focus estate auto.
2016 Vauxhal Zafira 1.4T SE Auto.
2019 Ford Kuga Vignale 1.5 auto AWD. (Ext lease)Cheers Kezo I think what you are saying is you drive a lot faster than me each to their own
Whether I drive faster or not is by the by really. Whats important is we all have different driving characteristics, therefore its important that we/you test drive every potential car we are interested in and not take the final word from someone else on a car we are going have to run for a minimum of 3yrs.
I’m def going to test drive the esprit alpine but is it my hearing aids but does that gearbox get loud when he accelerated on the open road ? Seemed quiet round town ?
I’m def going to test drive the esprit alpine but is it my hearing aids but does that gearbox get loud when he accelerated on the open road ? Seemed quiet round town
LOL mate.
As I said before its unlikely you are gong to join a motrway and plant your foot to the floor to reach top speed or will it be any worse than your CHR 🙂
I
I think if you can’t plug in and charge at home, or are not prepared to charge up at public charges, The choice of ice cars is getting limited, Most of the best cars on the scheme are Phev or Ev’s, often with the best discounts. So ordering now could be a difficult decision.
I’ve been looking at full hybrids, although two front runners have been removed from the scheme.
IMO, the infrastructure to support squillions of EV or PHEV just doesn’t exist yet.
Current: MY24 Renault Austral Iconic FHD.
Ordered 5/2/26: Chery Tiggo 8 'Summit' ICEPrevious Motability cars:
2013 Ford Focus estate auto.
2016 Vauxhal Zafira 1.4T SE Auto.
2019 Ford Kuga Vignale 1.5 auto AWD. (Ext lease)Have you considered another Ford Kuga, the Kuga FHEV could be a viable option.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
I think if you can’t plug in and charge at home, or are not prepared to charge up at public charges, The choice of ice cars is getting limited, Most of the best cars on the scheme are Phev or Ev’s, often with the best discounts. So ordering now could be a difficult decision.
Having to rely on public chargers alone will become expensive more so with an EV, let alone an inconvenience.
Our current (old shape) Vignale is a nice car and we rather fancied a change. Although the new Graphite Tech Kuga might be worth a look.
Current: MY24 Renault Austral Iconic FHD.
Ordered 5/2/26: Chery Tiggo 8 'Summit' ICEPrevious Motability cars:
2013 Ford Focus estate auto.
2016 Vauxhal Zafira 1.4T SE Auto.
2019 Ford Kuga Vignale 1.5 auto AWD. (Ext lease)
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