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@MissingSound7 How did it go with the dealer and test drive earlier?
All good @kezo, thank you.
Test drive went very well, the PHEV is much nicer to drive than the HEV. Got a fair number of questions answered, sorted out part exchange of current car, pick it up on Friday afternoon. Been a long wait so I’m happy things are moving forward.Thanks for helping with this, along with @Glos Guy. May need a few pointers here and there in upcoming weeks but I’m feeling a lot better about situation today.
Thanks @kezo for the trip comparison information as that sort of MPG is good for me. Feeling a bit more relaxed about situation now so will probably go ahead. The dealership are trying to clear onsite stock as the one I agreed to is there. Would have liked to see the actual car itself first but can always refuse to put pin in if not happy. Thanks for the support too @Glos Guy. Can I ask you guys if you added any options? I agreed to the bumper mat/flap for my assistance dog, turned down the paint “treatment” offered but wasn’t offered any additional items so am wondering if there’s anything you’d recommend? I’m assuming the floor mats don’t come as standard so need to purchase those either on pickup or elsewhere.
There’s no need to pay for anything extra. That’s the big advantage of the Tucson Ultimate – it doesn’t want for anything! Mats are included, so no need to buy those. You can have any paint colour at no extra cost (as per Motability policy). I didn’t bother with any boot protection even though I am hauling a wheelchair in and out of it every trip, and 1,500 miles in there’s no damage. If it’s a stock car that they are trying to shift, make sure that it’s the facelift model and not the pre facelift, as some dealers still have a few of the pre facelift models kicking around. The improvements are huge and of the scale of an all new model rather than a mid life facelift. The obvious things to look for are that the facelift has a transmission shifter to the right of the steering column, whereas the pre facelift has buttons between the front seats. Also, the pre facelift has a small (and somewhat dated) infotainment screen whereas the facelift has a very long one piece screen that is part instrument cluster and part infotainment.
Thanks @Glos Guy. I need the bumper protection as my partner dog is nearly 8 now, so jumping up into a higher boot (or getting down for the matter) is a concern with claw damage to paint. Plus when she’s unable to jump up, I’ll need to be able to place a ramp on bumper so any protection helps.
When I test drove the self charging hybrid, I was told the car onsite was exact replica (facelift model), so I won’t enter the pin for a pre-facelift model.Thanks @kezo. Will research charging cables to ensure I get the right one.
Thanks @kezo for the trip comparison information as that sort of MPG is good for me. Feeling a bit more relaxed about situation now so will probably go ahead. The dealership are trying to clear onsite stock as the one I agreed to is there. Would have liked to see the actual car itself first but can always refuse to put pin in if not happy.
Thanks for the support too @Glos Guy.
Can I ask you guys if you added any options? I agreed to the bumper mat/flap for my assistance dog, turned down the paint “treatment” offered but wasn’t offered any additional items so am wondering if there’s anything you’d recommend? I’m assuming the floor mats don’t come as standard so need to purchase those either on pickup or elsewhere.
Thanks @Glos Guy and @kezo. I’m going to have to talk to the dealership I think, because for this to work out financially, I need to be able to charge at home. I just need to use the car for local and short distances, taking the dog out, etc. So using the EV for those short daily trips would have been ideal. Chargers in the area are really costly and price of petrol has climbed back up so I need to have a rethink. Thanks for the link @kezo, (already had it saved from your last suggestion) but one of the neighbours already has those ramps and got into trouble using them, so it’s not an option. Think it may be the better decision to cancel the order and wait until I can get an answer on whether a drive can be arranged. It’s taken over a year and still no solution so I need to focus on that. Thanks for the advice.
The link was for a cable cover, which has apprval of many local authorities, as its slimmer/thiner than your average. Ideal for charging PHEV every 2 to 3 days
Thanks @kezo. Had that link saved as well but if I parked on pavement out front, the car would get battered by the pedestrians walking past. Nobody parks up on the kerb as the kids on way to school whack them with their scooters/bikes.
I emailed the dealership yesterday and they won’t let me cancel. Have arranged to go back on Monday to test drive the actual PHEV and see if I can explain it better in person. Unfortunately, weather is supposed to be awful on Monday so that’s not a good sign of things to come, especially now I’ve come down with a massive chest infection to boot.Thanks @Glos Guy and @kezo.
I’m going to have to talk to the dealership I think, because for this to work out financially, I need to be able to charge at home. I just need to use the car for local and short distances, taking the dog out, etc. So using the EV for those short daily trips would have been ideal. Chargers in the area are really costly and price of petrol has climbed back up so I need to have a rethink.
Thanks for the link @kezo, (already had it saved from your last suggestion) but one of the neighbours already has those ramps and got into trouble using them, so it’s not an option.Think it may be the better decision to cancel the order and wait until I can get an answer on whether a drive can be arranged. It’s taken over a year and still no solution so I need to focus on that.
Thanks for the advice.
@Glos Guy and @kezo, sorry to interrupt but I went to Hyundai today, test drove a Tucson hybrid and then placed an order for the PHEV (Ultimate). They have it on site so it’d be next week. I still don’t have a driveway as Highways and the council are being really difficult with OT. The salesman told me that the PHEV will be the same as the hybrid, shouldn’t need charging all the time, giving me enough time to get the drive and home charging sorted. I then agreed to go ahead but now I’m wondering if I made a mistake that could be impactful in the future if no home parking is possible. Can I ask: have you driven your Tucsons on little to no electric charge in the batteries? Seeing how you both have the car, what would either of you advise may be the best thing I do? Cheers.
@kezo is far more knowledgeable on the mechanical side than me, but my take is that a PHEV is only sensible if you can charge it at home after each use. Whilst the salesman is correct that you can use it as a normal hybrid, a PHEV is heavier and that makes it less fuel efficient as you are carting around a hell of a lot of weight with the battery. As part of my extensive test driving before committing to the Tucson I had a self charging hybrid for 24 hours and I was surprised at how poor the mpg was. Over a 25 mile round trip that I make every week it delivered around 5mpg less than our BMW 2.0i petrol 4WD X1, whereas I expected it to be much better. A PHEV with no charge would probably have been even thirstier over that journey as it’s heavier, unless the higher capacity battery offsets that (again, Kezo will be best to advise on this). My final comment is that whilst I am very happy with our Tucson PHEV, the big positive for me is that I can do most of our total mileage in EV mode as I always leave home with a fully charged battery. The petrol engine, whilst by no means the worst I’ve driven, isn’t a patch on the petrol engine in the BMW. It’s pretty silent up to 2,000 rpm but once you get much over that it’s noticeable, especially in contrast to the hushed EV mode. My personal view is that without the ability to charge at home after every use, a PHEV is rather pointless. A self charging hybrid may be a better bet but as I say I wasn’t impressed with the Tucson version and other more efficient cars might be available. So it really all depends on how certain you are that you will get a home charging solution in the near future.
Thanks for that @Glos Guy, you’ve confirmed what I suspected.
I’ll try and see how I can get out of the situation best I can tomorrow.@Glos Guy and @kezo, sorry to interrupt but I went to Hyundai today, test drove a Tucson hybrid and then placed an order for the PHEV (Ultimate). They have it on site so it’d be next week.
I still don’t have a driveway as Highways and the council are being really difficult with OT. The salesman told me that the PHEV will be the same as the hybrid, shouldn’t need charging all the time, giving me enough time to get the drive and home charging sorted. I then agreed to go ahead but now I’m wondering if I made a mistake that could be impactful in the future if no home parking is possible.Can I ask: have you driven your Tucsons on little to no electric charge in the batteries? Seeing how you both have the car, what would either of you advise may be the best thing I do?
Cheers.
£1499 for the Volvo XC40 B4 Plus. With the £750 Motability contribution that £40k car is costing you £749 up front. The classiest vehicle on the scheme for anything like that AP.
I really like Volvos but the fuel efficiency of the XC40 is really poor so yes, you get a very good car for the AP, but have to consider running costs.
This is true. I don’t drive very far though and value comfort & prestige over saving w few quid at the pumps. I also live in a flat so any cost savings of an EV or ever PHEV would be largely lost on me.
I don’t travel too far at the moment either so can understand your point.
I’m also unable (at present) to charge at home, so am in a strange position of trying to take advantage of the £750 discount and simply getting a car, whilst weighing up the chance to save money for travel costs.
Currently stuck between choosing the XC40 or a Tucson.
Another consideration is the possibility Volvo will release a new model soon. Could explain why they’ve dropped the AP so heavily (clearing space).£1499 for the Volvo XC40 B4 Plus. With the £750 Motability contribution that £40k car is costing you £749 up front. The classiest vehicle on the scheme for anything like that AP.
I really like Volvos but the fuel efficiency of the XC40 is really poor so yes, you get a very good car for the AP, but have to consider running costs.
“I was considering the M3 estate because of my assistance dog and the fact it was a great car to drive, especially compared to other estates on scheme. Yet even the dealer was saying it was too pricey (£7999) to make it practical. Glad they took it off the scheme though as it was tempting.” Guessing you don’t know your BMW’s that well. There has never been a M3 on the scheme. Haha.
Yes, made a mistake there, sorry. Still able to recognise when talking to someone who is pretty obnoxious though.
“I was considering the M3 estate because of my assistance dog and the fact it was a great car to drive, especially compared to other estates on scheme. Yet even the dealer was saying it was too pricey (£7999) to make it practical. Glad they took it off the scheme though as it was tempting.” £7999 for an M3 and the dealer said it was too pricey? That would be the best deal that Motability have ever done!
Also includes ongoing costs such as fuel as I’m still trying to sort out a driveway to allow charging. Without ability to charge at home, the estate is in the 20s mpg wise.
So, £7249 (not including options) for car itself along with petrol and public charging costs, plus a LONG wait, meant it wasn’t practical.[/quote] At one time the BMW badge was worth paying for, cant say the same nowadays.[/quote]
Don’t disagree with that but the prestige the badge has is still a huge draw; and BMW know it.
Missing sounds I was talking to a dealer today and he said he expects all EV prices to start going up and by a fair bit. More inline with ice cars.
Interesting but as manufacturers apparently will be heavily fined if they don’t get enough of their EV models out the door, then they may use Motability as a means to stay onside.
@AlexT – It’s way too much money, not worth it. Especially as you’ll likely need to add options which are not cheap.
BMW will ask for the money because of the badge.
I was considering the M3 estate because of my assistance dog and the fact it was a great car to drive, especially compared to other estates on scheme. Yet even the dealer was saying it was too pricey (£7999) to make it practical. Glad they took it off the scheme though as it was tempting.You can never say never, but BMW is unlikely to drastically reduce AP prices. I considered one of their models a few months ago but the AP (£7999) just made it too costly. Then BMW removed it from the scheme.
However, as the iX1 is electric and the motor industry needs to shift those, BMW may reduce the AP somewhat to get them out of the door. Not by much though.
Reminds me of the press with their eye catching headlines but, its evident when you read the article, its full of “could and maybe’s”
It’s the “to be confirmed” after majority of listed cars that gets me. May as well say Ferrari are coming onto scheme because there’s no way of knowing.
Have you modded the car (put different tyres on, custom body work, etc)? Because the dealership won’t do anything without charge if that has caused the pull.
If you say the car was suffering when you picked it up, you took it straight back to BMW, yes? When did you pick up the car?Thanks @kezo but road out front isn’t constant but is busy so any parking on road or kerb causes traffic to build up. Somewhat close to junction and cars go quick through turn and have clipped cars parked up. Person who came out from council said he would be looking to get an application sorted for double yellows painted out front due to “traffic buildup and risk to pedestrians and motorists”. I never park out front anyway, always in a parking bay or nearest to residence, hence the looking into a driveway.
Will book a test drive for Sportage and Tucson when it cools down and look into the practical issues with plug in hybrids and mild hybrids. If I order a car, will take a few months which may allow me to get things sorted. Would just be nice to know one way or the other.
In the meantime of getting your drive sorted, It is possible to use something like this D Line cable cover across the pavement however, it worth running by your local highways dept first. You only need a outdoor socket to charge a PHEV and that would make especially the Sportage a cracking lease at that AP, it also gives you some play compared to the Tucson AP https://professional-electrician.com/features/d-lines-cable-cover-solution-for-on-street-ev-charging/ As I think I said a while back, you could also use the kerb ramps for a tempory basis untill such time they are dropped.
Thanks @kezo. Trouble is that although I have a front garden area in a council residence; housing, council and Highway Services can’t work out what to do because one will claim the garden is mine and another will say it’s public. Council lease terms and conditions says cars can’t park on the grass unless a drive is installed but council are the ones saying the land is public. Highway Services are saying if a drive can’t be installed, they won’t drop the kerb, council says I can’t get a driveway application to go through until the kerb is dropped.
I went to a charity for advice on this and they said as the car would be needed for health reasons and the assistance dog, I needed to get the occupational therapy side of social service involved. Who I’ve been waiting for since April.It’s not permitted to park on a pavement and charge your car (rightly so), so unless I park on the grass and hope nobody reports it, I’m kind of stuck waiting for a solution to this.
Thanks @Glos Guy. Trouble is that I currently have a 63 plate diesel car, so I’m getting fairly good fuel economy (43/44mpg). For me to have to lose £300 a month for 3 years, plus the AP cost, I’d need a car that can help offset the cost of fuel. Getting a mild hybrid car of the size I’d need for my assistance dog would also cost me more in petrol, so it’s not financially sensible right now. PHEV would be ideal solution.
I have the money to get a driveway installed, I just don’t have the ability to call various departments and services to get the permission, red tape and logistics to do so.
Frustrating but is also why I was asking where I can find out the information as to which cars are being updated or facelifted. Will keep plugging away.
@Glos Guy – Thanks for following up. Some video reviews mentioned the mirrors causing wind noise, which isn’t going to affect me too much. However, some have also mentioned the gearbox being loud at times, flaring up whilst trying to settle on a gear. My stepfather had a Seat Alhambra auto that did the same all the time and made driving it a miserable experience.
The Tucson is not going to be anywhere as bad as that; was just checking to see if there were any noted issues from kezo and you on your brief time with the car.Trying to get as much information as I can before making a decision, so thanks.
Thanks @kezo. You mention the acoustic glass in Premium and up but would you say that’s worth it as I’m deaf? Some reviews say the road noise is a bit concerning so I imagine the acoustic glass helps with that, yes? Just seeing if it’d be an issue for myself. It’s been a while since I had a car that wasn’t a quick hatchback so checking if the Tucson is sluggish or quick for its size? Paddles help with downshifting? Saw the recent photos of yours and was very impressed; lovely looking car.
Sorry mate, I forgot acoustic glass would be as much use to you as a chocolate fireguard lol.
No worries @kezo, may be something to consider for me as my cochlear implant picks up the loudest noises (engine/road noise), so I tend to turn it off whilst driving. If Tucson is as quiet inside as you say, may open up opportunities.
That reminds me, some manufacturers (Ford) have a speaker in the boot floor, is this the same with the Tucson? I ask because the partner dog will be in the boot, so if I do have the sound on, obviously the volume may be an issue for her. Ford dealer just told me to remove the speaker but it’d likely not be covered by warranty so I decided not to go that way.My question of speed/engine was more of auto gearbox being hesitant at times as I’ve seen it said. I’m 44 now, not looking for a flashy speedster, just a car that can get up to speed quick enough and not take 10 secs to reach 60. The official 0-60 speeds listed wildly downplay actual speeds so that’s good.
The Kia Sportage GT-Line S PHEV? Can I run that car without an access point for charging it? Not sure if the costs for public charging AND petrol would make that feasible. Good car though at a good price.
Thanks for the video.
Suzuki is a no as I followed up your suggestion a while back about the Swace estate and didn’t like the interiors. Cheers for suggestion though.
Thanks @kezo. You mention the acoustic glass in Premium and up but would you say that’s worth it as I’m deaf? Some reviews say the road noise is a bit concerning so I imagine the acoustic glass helps with that, yes? Just seeing if it’d be an issue for myself.
It’s been a while since I had a car that wasn’t a quick hatchback so checking if the Tucson is sluggish or quick for its size? Paddles help with downshifting?
Saw the recent photos of yours and was very impressed; lovely looking car.
@Glos Guy – Any information helps so thanks again.
I forgot the XC40 isn’t very economical. I’ve been on a waiting list for four months for support with logistics in sorting out a driveway, so still not sure whether I’d be able to have a plug in hybrid (which could help alleviate the fuel economy issue). I’d be doing local runs mostly, very rarely long distances, so running off electric at home seems the best answer.
The XC60 has perfect boot lip level and overall size but can’t hold out on that returning to scheme.
Interior is pretty dated, yes.Will try and get to the next nearest Hyundai dealership as the Tucson looks pretty nice on outside, just haven’t seen much of the interior. Will need to take a look at your thread again to check the engine and if it’s suitable. Glad you’re enjoying it.
VW has always been my favourite manufacturer. Always had Golfs, which are not a practical option anymore. The Golf estate available is not a great spec so unless they put the GTD estate on, I won’t be considering one. Will keep an eye on the cost of options with the Tiguan. The R-Line Tiguan was pretty comfortable when I sat in it and looked pretty well put together. The plastic slab wouldn’t be an issue for me as a driver so not too bothered.
Thanks again and I’ll keep investigating my options.
@Glos Guy – Thanks, that helps. So the Tiguan and Tucson are likely to stay as is, Sportage given a facelift and the XC40 most probable for an update. Volvo may also be the most likely of the four to remove their car as an option from MB too.
@kezo – Thanks. I know you and Glos Guy have the Tucson but the local dealership wasn’t very welcoming the other week so may try and find another dealer.
I have no need for a hoist or wheelchair, just room for assistance dog partner and potentially a ramp for her when she retires in a couple of years, hence the SUV.Volvo is the smallest inside and the approach to the boot isn’t the best. Yet it has a very good engine by all accounts.
Sportage looks great inside, just the overall size of it is a concern.
Tucson needs further research.
Tiguan has a lower boot entry and was very impressive in person.Just wanted to see what the situation was with potential changes, thanks guys.
I was having a conversation somewhere, LinkedIn I think, about the challenge of charging if you live in a multi occupancy building. Between us we kind of got to a combination of solutions where chargers could have a digital connection to multiple meters and the entry of a specific code would allow a customer to charge their car and it gets billed to their home supply. This would be ideal for those blocks of flats with a car park near the base of the building or underground. Alternatively, there are already schemes where a supplier can give residents a discount for the chargers outside of their home. Costs would always mean that this wouldn’t be equivalent to charging on a home rate but if it’s significantly closer than current costs, that would also make for a suitable solution. This is in recognition that, of those who have a genuine barrier to running a BEV, the most significant will be residents in blocks of apartments/flats. Following that are those who can not consistently park at or close to home, who would require chargers to be available roadside that wouldn’t block pavements and wouldn’t cost the Earth to run.
It’s an important conversation and one worth looking into but I can see one potential problem straight off. I bet you someone will think to themselves: “why don’t I let other drivers pay me to use my charger, and then offset my supply costs?” and before long you have an array of non residents parking up and charging. Security codes to get to the parking space will be handed over, codes for the charger, neighbours upset, robberies, etc.
Think landlords/letting agencies want to deal with this stuff? They’re making enough money so they’d be reluctant to complicate things.
It’d be great if this worked but reality is that communal areas can have just one person manipulate things and bring the whole thing to a crash. Which is why a set up like this would be unlikely to work.
