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I think you’re missing the point of the original thread. Its a change in driving style based on getting the most out of your batteries, nothing more.
I’m dreading having to drive an EV. Most have terrible handling due to the heavy batteries
Out of interest, have you actually driven a modern EV, my cars handling is on a par with my last car, and the performance far exceeds it!
Yes I’ve driven a couple. Both seemed far too heavy for their size and didn’t handle anything like their non electric counterparts.
It is a well documented fact that battery weight affects handling and not in a good way. Some benefits arise from a low centre of gravity but overall the cars feel heavier and far less agile.
I think when we were talking about the driving experience being spoilt it was because people would be driving to get the most range out of their batteries rather than just driving normally, regardless of the handling characteristics of the vehicle.
I have just ordered a hybrid and really hope my habits don’t change. I have a genuine love of driving and always have and I don’t want the whole experience ruined by constantly trying to keep consumption down etc. It’s very easy to spot people doing just that by not putting there foot down a bit when they come to an incline and therefore reaching the top at a greatly reduced speed etc This is just one example, there are many others! I’m hoping to save a considerable some of money by doing the 25 mile round trip school run in all electric mode but I’m certainly not going to ruin the whole driving experience by trying to save a few extra pence.
Hi Vaun
It’s not easy, you can send yourself crazy overthinking things. You’re right about the Volvo, lovely but I just needed a bit more electric range to make the savings count. I could have got the 2 wheel drive 3008 hybrid but the price difference is fairly small and although 300 bhp is completely unnecessary I just thought, why not. Volvo AP was the same anyway.
Richard
Regards
All 4 are nice cars albeit for different reasons. My personal opinions are
The Golf is great and very economical but was just too small for us even as a second car.
Kona has the obvious advantage of very low running costs but also too small for us and the pure electric ‘thing’ is not suitable for our rural North Yorkshire lifestyle as things stand with charging infrastructure etc
Volvo was lovely. Excellent quality, great looking but even in recharge form not particularly economical and pure electric range fairly short.
Haven’t driven the 5008 so can’t offer any first hand experience of it. I am very impressed with Peugeot and have just ordered the 3008 hybrid4. The pure electric range is long enough to easily cover the 25 mile round trip for the school run twice a day so should be able to make some considerable savings.
Pod point wall chargers are recommended by Peugeot. Just wondered if anyone has had any dealings with them and if so, what do they think?
I have a Pod Point excellent service absolutely no problems, cannot say the same for BP pulse total muppets
Thanks Oscarmax, that’ll do for me. How long am I looking at (just roughly) from paying to installation?
If your PHEV only takes 16A (3.6kW) then still get a 32A (7kW) charger fitted because you’ll want that later on when you get a full EV, going for the 7kW version now avoids needing to uprate the cable that runs to the charger from your house electrics & avoids the need to upgrade the charger unit itself although most are simply a bank of 3 dip switches inside to change. Some “chargers” are a little more clever than others & can interact to use cheap rate electricity, but for a PHEV that’s probably not a big concern considering the extra costs involved (Zappi/OHME). This link may point you in the right direction – speakev.com/forums/home-charger-reviews.388/
Thanks for that very useful info Julie. Is it worth me upgrading the onboard charger to 7 kw for the sake of £400?
How did the test drive go Richard’s?
Not so good Paul. Drove an hour only to be told the car had been stolen from outside the garage overnight! Had a drive in a GTI clubsport though so not all bad. I’m afraid I’ve cancelled the order yesterday, it was just not big enough for us or my long legs.
Have you driven one?
Just to add that I was told yesterday that if I order the Volvo in the next 9 days it would be for a June build date. No mention of any shortages.
Well this morning I’ve had a watered down test drive in a T5 recharge R Design. I’m having an overnight test later this week so I can do the school run etc and see how the battery will cope with that etc. I’ll do a more detailed revue then but for now I would just like to pass on a few initial impressions.
I think the way to a successful test drive is not to expect too much. The XC40 does not profess to be a sporty agile b-roader. I expected comfort, safety, style and practicality. It provides these by the bucketload. Outside it really is stylish. It makes a statement and basically that statement is the 3 things mention above.
The doors close with a lovely thud, it sounds of quality. The feel inside is definitely premium, right up there with the big 3. Not flashy but once again very stylish, practical and comfortable. The seats feel very ‘spacious’. I’m used to a sportier seat but these are certainly aimed away from that. Lovely looking seats too. I’m 6’2″ and with the drivers seat set for me I had lots of room in the back, both for my head and legs.
More about the drive later in the week as I only covered around 10 miles. Having said that they were very smooth miles. Supposedly the sporty set up but it wasn’t very inspiring (not supposed to be), inscription pro supposed to be softer so we’ll see. Pretty quiet on the move. Much quieter than our 2 series Gran Tourer with regards to tyre noise which can be quite loud on certain surfaces. Engine has grunt should you need it, I thought the 3 cylinder sounded quite harsh when pressed but the answer would be not to thrash it. Remember its a safe, solid , comfortable mode of transport and not for racing about. On a worrying note, the car had 17 miles of electric range when I got in. Drove about 10 miles and this had dropped to 1 mile. That was in Hybrid mode too. We’ll see what the 24hr test brings but I think you would all too quickly become solely dependant on that 3 cylinder engine and that’s going to bring the mpg right down. Car was showing 40.8 mpg but of course I had no idea of how its been driven. Will do an accurate test in 2nd drive.
So that’s it for now. It does what it’s supposed too. If I was going on a 200 mile drive tomorrow I don’t think I would look out of the window and think, yay, can’t wait . But at least I would know I was going to be comfortable and well looked after.
Make sure you report back, Richardw.
Certainly will, there at 9.30am
I wouldn’t feel comfortable with committing to a car for 3 years without a few hours unaccompanied test drive and certainly not having to go around a predetermined route, as that will have been planned to show the car in its best light, avoiding types of roads that it may not be so good on. I’ve had two test drives in a BMW this week from different dealerships. The first was 2 hours and the second was 4 hours. Unaccompanied, no restrictions and no need to refuel. I was able to test the cars on motorways (tarmac and concrete sections), A roads, country roads, around town, in traffic etc. All critical to know if a car is right for you. I’m test driving a Volvo this week and they tried to say that test drives were 30-45 mins. I said that was not long enough so we agreed on 75 minutes. Still too short really but probably long enough to know whether it’s a contender or not for me. My advice would be to push back and insist on a decent unaccompanied test drive. If they won’t agree I would try another dealership.
I’m going for a test drive in a t5 inscription pro recharge tomorrow. Looking forward to it very much
I see the Tiguan 2.0 Tsi has been added to the scheme l still have time to cancel my BMW X1 order and reorder the Tiguan should l ?
I’ve got to be honest, we’ve had a BMW for the past 3 years and my problem with choosing a new car now is that lots of cars seem a little ‘low rent’ in comparison. I’d be sticking with the BMW if I were you, far superior in terms of build quality and driveability.
Hi, still not sure if I’m going to continue with the order until I’ve had a drive (think its going to be a bit small tbh) but I have been given a build of week 29 for the GTD if that helps others who have ordered.
@Richard “GTD has GTI suspension, bigger brakes, trick electronic diff. It is a long way removed from the standard Golf setup.” I read a new review of the GTD infact it could possibly of been a video review and the GTD doesnt have the same setup as the GTI
15mm lower suspension like the GTI, yet another pointer to the fact that it is far from a ‘standard’ Golf setup
I think a 7 sec 0-60, a top speed of 153mph and the suspension/ chassis of a Golf GTI constitutes a sporty car. That and 400nm of torque of course which means mid range punch is immense. Some ev’s might be quicker for a very brief period of time but a GTD covers everything. All the above and pushing 60 mpg.
I have virtually the same diesel lump in my Ateca, and despite the obvious grunt, it in no way could be described as being sporty, despite having an irrelevant top speed of 140 mph and 0-60 in just over 7 seconds, in everyday driving a modern EV is much quicker and more economical, and Greta will be smiling at you
An Ateca is a different beast altogether. An SUV with good handling for what it is, an SUV. An everyday ev is quicker for a very brief period but after that, not a contender and it’s a question of praying hard when you get to the twisty stuff. Lets remember that something doesn’t have to be a supercar to be considered ‘sporty’.
The GTD is not like the Diesel Focus ST in that its setup the same way as it’s petrol versions. The GTD has the standard Golf setup. I think the most sporty has to be the Mini Cooper S and Mazda MX5
GTD has GTI suspension, bigger brakes, trick electronic diff. It is a long way removed from the standard Golf setup.
And yes, I have got one on order :). Shame dealer has vanished into thin air since then when order is subject to test drive!
I think you’ve read that wrong twippers, I was referring to the earlier comment from Michael and was actually thanking you for your support.
orded a gtd today said i will be looking at september time for delivery got 15% off extras too.
Have you had a drive then Matt? I’ve ordered subject to test drive but no mention on them finding me a car to drive.
