Anyone got or had one?

Any info (good or bad)?

Boring to drive or...?

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Anyone got or had one?

Any info (good or bad)?

Boring to drive or...?

Am currently looking at the Hyundai Kona Electric as a 2nd car (for the Mrs as a shopping trolley etc) Up to 270 miles on full charge. As we have Solar panels the charging at home should be very cheap.

Toyota CHR PHEV is a nice motor too see a lot round here.
Not sure about the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV but again see a few on the road.

My friend ran a Prius as his company car and now he has retired he has the Yaris Hybrid..... he swears by Hybrids.

Bosscat wrote:Am currently looking at the Hyundai Kona Electric as a 2nd car (for the Mrs as a shopping trolley etc) Up to 270 miles on full charge. As we have Solar panels the charging at home should be very cheap.

Toyota CHR PHEV is a nice motor too see a lot round here.
Not sure about the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV but again see a few on the road.

My friend ran a Prius as his company car and now he has retired he has the Yaris Hybrid..... he swears by Hybrids.

Looks nice. And seems to have a fair bit of functionality. But looks a bit boring to drive.

Didnt think I would go down hybrid route (yet) but the 530e is jumping out as perfect (but for no AWD Option).

Sorry to hijack the thread somewhat, but has anyone driven the Hyundai Ioniq? Seems a decent alternatives to the Prius.

Hijacking it a bit moree.

Like the idea of an EV, but we'd need one that could carry 4 x bikes on a roof rack and still have decent mileage.

I've been looking, but can't see anything that springs to mind.

Lancaster the KONA has roof rails so would take a bike rack possibly.....
The website says it can take upto 80kg Load on the roof

Discover the New Hyundai Kona Electric - Electric SUV | Hyundai UK
https://www.hyundai.co.uk/new-cars/kona-electric" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Kona Electric is here - combining an impressive electric driving range and ... roofline and supports up to 80 kg of load – so you can mount a roof carrier.

Looks nice, and we do love our I30 estate.

Problem is I don't know how much of that mileage to take, plus the drag from the bikes (we only have the one car so we'd need it to be able to do everything!)

Lancasterclaret wrote:Hijacking it a bit moree.

Like the idea of an EV, but we'd need one that could carry 4 x bikes on a roof rack and still have decent mileage.

I've been looking, but can't see anything that springs to mind.

New audi will be perfect. If youre loaded. Failing that cycle the bikes

There are about 5 on the fleet where I work. The guys have them because they incur low income tax as they are a hybrid with a low carbon dioxide rating making it very company car tax efficient

Efficient but not my cup of tea. Tank capacity in very low and I used half a tank doing 100 miles once when borrowing one

I had use of a Hyundai Kona demonstrator when they were first launched, though not an electric. 3 things I had never considered when looking at cars

1. Hyundai
2. Automatic
3. SUV

Was pleasantly surprised on all fronts. Nicely equipped, decent performance from the 1.6 turbo charged engine and reasonably well made. Downside was the price of the one I had, which with all the extras I think was around 22k.

As with Warks we have some at work, fairly crucially I think, nobody has had a second one.

AUDI.....Enjoy the ride.

Caballo wrote:As with Warks we have some at work, fairly crucially I think, nobody has had a second one.

In the words of Duncan Bannatyne - im oot

Its the tax aspect that looked appealing. But with high mileage (especially motorway) probably nowhere near as economical as they first sound. And probably not all that enjoyable.

Short local trips only and home charging point. High mileage and you’re dragging a massive battery round with a 2L petrol engine in a massive car.

If you’re self employed it’s a good bet as they count as a van so 100% tax deductible in first year

/ Swiss Toni /

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Its the tax aspect that looked appealing. But with high mileage (especially motorway) probably nowhere near as economical as they first sound. And probably not all that enjoyable.

There's a few company car 530e's at my work. One of the guys has never charged his and averages 30mpg, doing a mix of driving with plenty of long distance. I charge mine every night and do a 60 mile round trip most days to/from Ashton under Lyne, with a long motorway journey every couple of weeks. I stick to the speed limits and it's averaged 46mpg over 5k miles, but don't forget you might be putting in a fiver's worth of electric every week, so the mpg number is artificially inflated. After you've got over the novelty of having a phev, it's a lovely cruising car and extremely quiet. You can also program it (links to an app) with your departure times and it will warm the cab up for you. It's quick when you want it to be, although the performance is absolutely not exciting, it never feels like a sporty car and nothing about it makes you want to drive it fast. Having said that it's perfectly composed and I've never felt like it was unstable. It was also fine to drive in the recent snow, which was surprising. I'm not sure if the battery weight over the rear wheels helps. There's lots of little quirks that might be annoying for some though. The electric range is pretty poor, from a full charge it will just about get from Read/Simonstone to Thompson Park and back (15ish miles). It will only do about 300 miles on a full tank of petrol, which can be annoying on longer journeys. If I'm working down south, I'll fill up before I go, again when I get there and again within a day or so of getting back. The car won't give you full power whilst the engine is cold and it can take ages for it to warm up if its running on electric. As there's no engine temperature gague (by default) on the dash, there's no easy way to know how much power you'll get if you put your foot down to overtake. This has caught me out a handful of times. The boot space is fine for every day usage, but would be a bit small for a family trip, esp with very young kids. It's probably not relevant but BMW's integrate with iPhones really well, but Android integration is lacking loads of functionality. You can just about scroll backward/forward through tracks, but that's your lot. The android app is also very limited, if you choose to use it. Might be worth bearing in mind if you love tech but only use android.
I like driving and I like sporty cars, but the tax saving on the phev was too difficult to ignore so the 530e seemed like the perfect compromise. I'm not disappointed but I'd want the phev technology to progress a bit before I'd choose another. Let me know if you want any more info...

I have a colleague who commutes from Ramsbottom to Leeds each day in a Renault Zoe. He charges it for free everyday at work and drives home. Whereas I commute York to Leeds - similar mileage and I'm spending around £60 per week on diesel. £240 per month can't be sniffed at.....

Veals wrote:There's a few company car 530e's at my work. One of the guys has never charged his and averages 30mpg, doing a mix of driving with plenty of long distance. I charge mine every night and do a 60 mile round trip most days to/from Ashton under Lyne, with a long motorway journey every couple of weeks. I stick to the speed limits and it's averaged 46mpg over 5k miles, but don't forget you might be putting in a fiver's worth of electric every week, so the mpg number is artificially inflated. After you've got over the novelty of having a phev, it's a lovely cruising car and extremely quiet. You can also program it (links to an app) with your departure times and it will warm the cab up for you. It's quick when you want it to be, although the performance is absolutely not exciting, it never feels like a sporty car and nothing about it makes you want to drive it fast. Having said that it's perfectly composed and I've never felt like it was unstable. It was also fine to drive in the recent snow, which was surprising. I'm not sure if the battery weight over the rear wheels helps. There's lots of little quirks that might be annoying for some though. The electric range is pretty poor, from a full charge it will just about get from Read/Simonstone to Thompson Park and back (15ish miles). It will only do about 300 miles on a full tank of petrol, which can be annoying on longer journeys. If I'm working down south, I'll fill up before I go, again when I get there and again within a day or so of getting back. The car won't give you full power whilst the engine is cold and it can take ages for it to warm up if its running on electric. As there's no engine temperature gague (by default) on the dash, there's no easy way to know how much power you'll get if you put your foot down to overtake. This has caught me out a handful of times. The boot space is fine for every day usage, but would be a bit small for a family trip, esp with very young kids. It's probably not relevant but BMW's integrate with iPhones really well, but Android integration is lacking loads of functionality. You can just about scroll backward/forward through tracks, but that's your lot. The android app is also very limited, if you choose to use it. Might be worth bearing in mind if you love tech but only use android.
I like driving and I like sporty cars, but the tax saving on the phev was too difficult to ignore so the 530e seemed like the perfect compromise. I'm not disappointed but I'd want the phev technology to progress a bit before I'd choose another. Let me know if you want any more info...

Really useful thanks. Had the diesel versions as long as i remember. Great cars. Loads of mpg (can get to london or glasgow and back on a full tank) and reliable as anything.

I probably do anything from 22to 35k a year miles. With that in mind while the tax benefits are obvious would the lower mpg defeat the object? (Im not fooled by the claimed 140).And with a new baby, boot space is now way more important than before. The 530 phev boot is smaller than my old 3 series which i struggled to get my bike in.

With my usage even with bik values to consider is ot better going with a more spacious and more efficient (on normal fuel) diesel or maybe even petrol?

Everyone's motoring is different so it's never a simple calculation, but as a rough rule of thumb, if you can charge it up in between journeys (4hr charge from 0% to full) and you're doing many journeys under 100 miles, it's probably worth it financially. If you can also charge at your destination, that's even better. If you're in london/Glasgow a lot then it might be a false economy. For comparison I recently had a 420d xd that averaged 46mpg, doing 25k miles/yr, mainly 30 mile commutes with 500mile round trips 1-2 times/month. That usually worked out at 13p/mile in diesel. The 530e is costing about 14.5p/mile to do the same, included electric costs, which is about an extra £30/month. The 5 series is much more tax efficient, so the extra £30 in fuel/electric is worthwhile. However if you do longer journeys, the avg mpg of a diesel would probably be higher and you'd expect to get lower mpg from the 530e. To give an idea of what you might get on a longer journey, on a recent round trip to Woking, with a full charge before setting off, the 530e averaged about 35mpg. The boot space isn't horrendous, we've got a 7yr old and a 2yr old and managed a couple of days at the in-laws over Christmas with a pram, travel cot and a couple of bags etc, but if you're going away for any longer you might struggle and there's no way you'd get a bike in without dropping the seats

The bikes are the issue for us.

Plus my two are 11 and 10, so we are starting to notice we need more leg room in the back.

But great info thanks!

Veals wrote:Everyone's motoring is different so it's never a simple calculation, but as a rough rule of thumb, if you can charge it up in between journeys (4hr charge from 0% to full) and you're doing many journeys under 100 miles, it's probably worth it financially. If you can also charge at your destination, that's even better. If you're in london/Glasgow a lot then it might be a false economy. For comparison I recently had a 420d xd that averaged 46mpg, doing 25k miles/yr, mainly 30 mile commutes with 500mile round trips 1-2 times/month. That usually worked out at 13p/mile in diesel. The 530e is costing about 14.5p/mile to do the same, included electric costs, which is about an extra £30/month. The 5 series is much more tax efficient, so the extra £30 in fuel/electric is worthwhile. However if you do longer journeys, the avg mpg of a diesel would probably be higher and you'd expect to get lower mpg from the 530e. To give an idea of what you might get on a longer journey, on a recent round trip to Woking, with a full charge before setting off, the 530e averaged about 35mpg. The boot space isn't horrendous, we've got a 7yr old and a 2yr old and managed a couple of days at the in-laws over Christmas with a pram, travel cot and a couple of bags etc, but if you're going away for any longer you might struggle and there's no way you'd get a bike in without dropping the seats

So historically I would drive anywhere from outskirts (or even into on occassion) london up to glasgow / edinburgh. South Wales. Then my last position was amore driving but lesser distances. New role will be predominantly more Birmingham to Scottish borders.

But outside of that I drive a lot at weekeends. Burnley away games. Weekends up in scotland etc.

Its a tough one. Going to test drive the 530e this weekend see how it feels and what I can fit in. But probably not as clear cut as I was expecting now.

Lancasterclaret wrote:The bikes are the issue for us.

Plus my two are 11 and 10, so we are starting to notice we need more leg room in the back.

But great info thanks!

One thing i will say is that the leg room in the back of the 5 is massive. I put the drivers seat right back and sat in the back myself and its amazingly spacious and comfortable.

Not been in an outlander but expect theyre much bigger still.

A really good site on youtube is carwow. The reviews are great. And quite funny.

cricketfieldclarets wrote:So historically I would drive anywhere from outskirts (or even into on occassion) london up to glasgow / edinburgh. South Wales. Then my last position was amore driving but lesser distances. New role will be predominantly more Birmingham to Scottish borders.

But outside of that I drive a lot at weekeends. Burnley away games. Weekends up in scotland etc.

Its a tough one. Going to test drive the 530e this weekend see how it feels and what I can fit in. But probably not as clear cut as I was expecting now.

Hope the test drive goes OK. If you think the hybrid might work out financially but space is the issue and you want to stick with a beemer, there's the 225xe. Don't know much about it but the family potential should be decent.

@Lancaster, Cricketfield's right about the rear space in the 5 series, its plentiful.

There's also the merc c350e (estate). You should be able to get kids' stuff in there and bikes on roof rack easy enough. Happy hunting!

cricketfieldclarets wrote:One thing i will say is that the leg room in the back of the 5 is massive. I put the drivers seat right back and sat in the back myself and its amazingly spacious and comfortable.

Not been in an outlander but expect theyre much bigger still.

A really good site on youtube is carwow. The reviews are great. And quite funny.

I like Carwow. I'm somewhat embarrassed to say I'm only just learning to drive (it has always been a bit of an irrational fear of mine). Got my first kid on the way in the summer and I just need to get the driving thing done. Anyway, Carwow has been a good resource in looking for my first car (and first family car really). It'll probably just end up being a hatchback or something (I like the new Kia Ceed for example). I'm also looking at hybrids like the Hyundai Ionic and Toyota Auris. Perhaps not the most exciting cars but they'll do the job!

Veals wrote:Hope the test drive goes OK. If you think the hybrid might work out financially but space is the issue and you want to stick with a beemer, there's the 225xe. Don't know much about it but the family potential should be decent.

@Lancaster, Cricketfield's right about the rear space in the 5 series, its plentiful.

There's also the merc c350e (estate). You should be able to get kids' stuff in there and bikes on roof rack easy enough. Happy hunting!

The guy in the garage tried to talk me into a 225xe if i go down the route of getting my own rather than through work but theyre horrendous looking things. As much as i love bm's i wouldnt be paid to have a 225

I can get a really cracking deal on a used but only 12 month old x4 which is tempting. And its the 2ldiesel version so reasonably efficient. But again not overly keen on the look of the x4.

IndigoLake wrote:I like Carwow. I'm somewhat embarrassed to say I'm only just learning to drive (it has always been a bit of an irrational fear of mine). Got my first kid on the way in the summer and I just need to get the driving thing done. Anyway, Carwow has been a good resource in looking for my first car (and first family car really). It'll probably just end up being a hatchback or something (I like the new Kia Ceed for example). I'm also looking at hybrids like the Hyundai Ionic and Toyota Auris. Perhaps not the most exciting cars but they'll do the job!

Carwows great. Ive ended up in loads of youtube worm holes thanks to carwow.

Start off looking at a sensible family car amd end up convincing myseelf a stevlio quadrifoglio is a good idea... if I sell my soul

cricketfieldclarets wrote:The guy in the garage tried to talk me into a 225xe if i go down the route of getting my own rather than through work but theyre horrendous looking things. As much as i love bm's i wouldnt be paid to have a 225

I can get a really cracking deal on a used but only 12 month old x4 which is tempting. And its the 2ldiesel version so reasonably efficient. But again not overly keen on the look of the x4.

If buying yourself is an option then surely it's all about the 335d?!!

Veals wrote:If buying yourself is an option then surely it's all about the 335d?!!

Nah. 6.1 seconds 0 to 60 is a second or two too slow.

Veals wrote:Hope the test drive goes OK. If you think the hybrid might work out financially but space is the issue and you want to stick with a beemer, there's the 225xe. Don't know much about it but the family potential should be decent.

@Lancaster, Cricketfield's right about the rear space in the 5 series, its plentiful.

There's also the merc c350e (estate). You should be able to get kids' stuff in there and bikes on roof rack easy enough. Happy hunting!

First impressions. How strange is it in electric mode. Especially when starting off.

Gave it a run tonight. Ridiculously quiet - even when in petrol mode. Very good to drive. Handling good. Acceleration very good for that car. In short in terms of handling, comfort, performance probably one of the best all rounder cars i can imagine. Doesnt really need anything else in that sense. In fact despite it being pretty quick off the mark, you actually want to drive it more leisurely!

Loads of space front and back for passengers. And i mean loads.

Down side boot isnt great. Its more than sufficient length wise but pretty shallow. Could even have sacrificed some of the passenger space. But then I guess most people dont by one for the boot. And can always put a roof box on if needed.

Only driving downside is the lack of awd option. Always had issues in winter in a rwd and theyre never great for anything other than good conditions. But 75 percent of my driving is motorway and or good conditions. So fine for that.

MPG even in electric mode is nowhere near advertised. Which was to be expected. But driving from Burnley to Rawtenstall, back roads into accy. M65 to blackburn. Then round into tod back to Burnley to get a good feel for it, the mpg is pretty poor. Around 30mpg. I could get 70 almost in my diesel 320.

That said with the massive savings in BIK tax and even if i drive 1,000 miles a week in personal journeys it will still probably make loads of sense if i go down the company route. As a personal car there are probably better options.

For now though easily the best PHEV. And the 5 series generally in any fueltype is a pheonomenal car.

Got a lot to think about. But if its a PHEV definitely going down that route. Cant think of a better option.

Id give it
Comfort 10/10
Drive 8.5/10
Bootspace 7/10
Economy 7/10

Lancasterclaret wrote:The bikes are the issue for us.

Plus my two are 11 and 10, so we are starting to notice we need more leg room in the back.

But great info thanks!

Bootspace lancaster.

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Gave it a run tonight. Ridiculously quiet - even when in petrol mode. Very good to drive. Handling good. Acceleration very good for that car. In short in terms of handling, comfort, performance probably one of the best all rounder cars i can imagine. Doesnt really need anything else in that sense. In fact despite it being pretty quick off the mark, you actually want to drive it more leisurely!

Loads of space front and back for passengers. And i mean loads.

Down side boot isnt great. Its more than sufficient length wise but pretty shallow. Could even have sacrificed some of the passenger space. But then I guess most people dont by one for the boot. And can always put a roof box on if needed.

Only driving downside is the lack of awd option. Always had issues in winter in a rwd and theyre never great for anything other than good conditions. But 75 percent of my driving is motorway and or good conditions. So fine for that.

MPG even in electric mode is nowhere near advertised. Which was to be expected. But driving from Burnley to Rawtenstall, back roads into accy. M65 to blackburn. Then round into tod back to Burnley to get a good feel for it, the mpg is pretty poor. Around 30mpg. I could get 70 almost in my diesel 320.

That said with the massive savings in BIK tax and even if i drive 1,000 miles a week in personal journeys it will still probably make loads of sense if i go down the company route. As a personal car there are probably better options.

For now though easily the best PHEV. And the 5 series generally in any fueltype is a pheonomenal car.

Got a lot to think about. But if its a PHEV definitely going down that route. Cant think of a better option.

Id give it
Comfort 10/10
Drive 8.5/10
Bootspace 7/10
Economy 7/10

You should be on f....ng top gear!!

tim_noone wrote:You should be on f....ng top gear!!

Not with my parralel parking

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Gave it a run tonight. Ridiculously quiet - even when in petrol mode. Very good to drive. Handling good. Acceleration very good for that car. In short in terms of handling, comfort, performance probably one of the best all rounder cars i can imagine. Doesnt really need anything else in that sense. In fact despite it being pretty quick off the mark, you actually want to drive it more leisurely!

Loads of space front and back for passengers. And i mean loads.

Down side boot isnt great. Its more than sufficient length wise but pretty shallow. Could even have sacrificed some of the passenger space. But then I guess most people dont by one for the boot. And can always put a roof box on if needed.

Only driving downside is the lack of awd option. Always had issues in winter in a rwd and theyre never great for anything other than good conditions. But 75 percent of my driving is motorway and or good conditions. So fine for that.

MPG even in electric mode is nowhere near advertised. Which was to be expected. But driving from Burnley to Rawtenstall, back roads into accy. M65 to blackburn. Then round into tod back to Burnley to get a good feel for it, the mpg is pretty poor. Around 30mpg. I could get 70 almost in my diesel 320.

That said with the massive savings in BIK tax and even if i drive 1,000 miles a week in personal journeys it will still probably make loads of sense if i go down the company route. As a personal car there are probably better options.

For now though easily the best PHEV. And the 5 series generally in any fueltype is a pheonomenal car.

Got a lot to think about. But if its a PHEV definitely going down that route. Cant think of a better option.

Id give it
Comfort 10/10
Drive 8.5/10
Bootspace 7/10
Economy 7/10

Great summary, and defo agree with the top gear comment! if you're a car enthusiast and the BIK is a big factor then it's a brilliant option. Let us know how you get on and what you decide...

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Bootspace lancaster.

You might have spotted this already Cricket field, the false floor in the boot will collapse to give a bit of extra depth at the rear. It's not difficult but I can't explain how to do it, it's pure muscle memory. You lift it up and kinda fold it back at the same time

Whilst I remember, you'll probably know this anyway. But the folding rear seats are an optional extra... Just thinking about the bike

cricketfieldclarets wrote:First impressions. How strange is it in electric mode. Especially when starting off.

Ha Haa, you press the start button and wonder whether it worked because literally nothing happens. Then you tentatively press the accelerator, more out of hope than expectation, and it creeps off like a thief in the night
Still not sure I've got used to that!

Veals wrote:You might have spotted this already Cricket field, the false floor in the boot will collapse to give a bit of extra depth at the rear. It's not difficult but I can't explain how to do it, it's pure muscle memory. You lift it up and kinda fold it back at the same time

Whilst I remember, you'll probably know this anyway. But the folding rear seats are an optional extra... Just thinking about the bike

Yeah sussed the boot and has the folding seats which are useful. More for suitcases rather than bikes now after some **** nicked mine.

Veals wrote:Great summary, and defo agree with the top gear comment! if you're a car enthusiast and the BIK is a big factor then it's a brilliant option. Let us know how you get on and what you decide...

Just drove to Manchester. Got 30mpg

Gonna get the calculator out.

A diesel or petrol MAY be a better option. When considering bootspace, awd option and electric costs.

The phev mpg is a total false economy but its worse than I thought.

Probably still work out better but it isnt clear cut. Especially when going to be doing two petrol station visits a week instead of 2 a month

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Just drove to Manchester. Got 30mpg

Gonna get the calculator out.

A diesel or petrol MAY be a better option. When considering bootspace, awd option and electric costs.

The phev mpg is a total false economy but its worse than I thought.

Probably still work out better but it isnt clear cut. Especially when going to be doing two petrol station visits a week instead of 2 a month

Did you use it on 'auto edrive' going to Manchester and was it charged when you set off? If the battery is never charged then 30mpg would seem about right. If you're using auto edrive and have a full battery, I'd expect to comfortably get 40mpg+ from that journey, assuming you're driving from the Burnley area. It does generally run on petrol at motorway speeds so if you've just gone to simister island and turned around, that might be right, but you can always put it into 'max edrive' to drain the battery for part of the journey and get your mpg up.

The electric range/mpg is the most disappointing bit about the car for anything other than short journeys, but i guess in a few years the battery tech will get better.

Just for info, it was better in the recent snow than I expected. I was a actually slightly disappointed I couldn't get it out of shape a bit more

Veals wrote:Did you use it on 'auto edrive' going to Manchester and was it charged when you set off? If the battery is never charged then 30mpg would seem about right. If you're using auto edrive and have a full battery, I'd expect to comfortably get 40mpg+ from that journey, assuming you're driving from the Burnley area. It does generally run on petrol at motorway speeds so if you've just gone to simister island and turned around, that might be right, but you can always put it into 'max edrive' to drain the battery for part of the journey and get your mpg up.

The electric range/mpg is the most disappointing bit about the car for anything other than short journeys, but i guess in a few years the battery tech will get better.

Just for info, it was better in the recent snow than I expected. I was a actually slightly disappointed I couldn't get it out of shape a bit more

Yes was charged up. Think i used eco pro mode but cant remember actually.

Havent sussed how it charges itself yet. Does it need to be in a certain mode?

Still very good to drive. Even if it does drink like a mustang

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Yes was charged up. Think i used eco pro mode but cant remember actually.

Havent sussed how it charges itself yet. Does it need to be in a certain mode?

Still very good to drive. Even if it does drink like a mustang

There's the usual eco pro/comfort and sport modes, that have no real influence on charging, then there's an 'edrive' button that let's you choose 'max edrive', auto and 'battery control.' 'auto' let's the car choose what to do, 'max edrive' just drives on battery power until it's run out and 'battery control' means it will charge/maintain the battery to a certain percentage without use any for driving. The latter kills your mpg because it uses the engine to drive and charge battery simultaneously. If you use the split screen function on your main display, one of the screens shows a diagram of the car, engine and batteries and how each power source is being used at that exact moment. You can see when it's charging and which power source its using. I have this on permanently and it's probably the best way to get a steer on what's going on!

Veals wrote:There's the usual eco pro/comfort and sport modes, that have no real influence on charging, then there's an 'edrive' button that let's you choose 'max edrive', auto and 'battery control.' 'auto' let's the car choose what to do, 'max edrive' just drives on battery power until it's run out and 'battery control' means it will charge/maintain the battery to a certain percentage without use any for driving. The latter kills your mpg because it uses the engine to drive and charge battery simultaneously. If you use the split screen function on your main display, one of the screens shows a diagram of the car, engine and batteries and how each power source is being used at that exact moment. You can see when it's charging and which power source its using. I have this on permanently and it's probably the best way to get a steer on what's going on!

Just drove to trafford centre. To the electric charging points. What a ballache. Lug out them big stupid cables. Set it all up and you need a card for these particular ones and the electric costs more than petrol...

Bloke next to me had same car. And he was raving about it. Not surprised... he had plugged it in but not turned it on. Just for the free parking.

And now cant get pram back in

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Just drove to trafford centre. To the electric charging points. What a ballache. Lug out them big stupid cables. Set it all up and you need a card for these particular ones and the electric costs more than petrol...

Bloke next to me had same car. And he was raving about it. Not surprised... he had plugged it in but not turned it on. Just for the free parking.

Ha Haa, never bothered with public charging points. It's the equivalent of filling up at a motorway service station and you'd need to be around for 4hrs to get a full charge in. I can understand it for fully electric motors though and had never considered you might be able to blag free parking
If you can't fit the shopping in with the pram then that might save you a fortune in shopping bills! don't forget to factor that in

Veals wrote:Ha Haa, never bothered with public charging points. It's the equivalent of filling up at a motorway service station and you'd need to be around for 4hrs to get a full charge in. I can understand it for fully electric motors though and had never considered you might be able to blag free parking
If you can't fit the shopping in with the pram then that might save you a fortune in shopping bills! don't forget to factor that in

Very good point.

Yes bloke next to me said he parks in westminster for free every day.

Think I am going to opt for diesel or maybe petrol after this weekend.

Diesel it is and with good reason https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/cars/ ... rmini.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Diesel it is and with good reason https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/cars/ ... rmini.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The ingenium engine used in Jaguar/Land Rover is a brilliant engine very economical and with "Adblue" very clean also

Its nonsense that electric is better. Especially in the current guise with 30 mile ranges and petrol for the rest
nd its definitely not more convenient. Glad I tried electric beforehand.