Any Ampera owners on here?
Discussion
I've got my eye on one of these at the moment, I'm curious about the range though, can I for example drive it from Manchester to London and back again in a day, using fuel on the motorways and electric when I get into London?
I wont have a charge point anywhere on that trip, so wont get the best mpg using it in Hold?
I wont have a charge point anywhere on that trip, so wont get the best mpg using it in Hold?
For me there were three deal breakers in the end.
The first was that the mpg in petrol mode isn't that good.
The second was that the engine cannot charge the battery. Once your electric range is gone, you HAVE to plug it in to get it back. This was a major issue for me. I wanted to drive around on leccy in town and then use the engine on the motorway and get it to top up the battery at the same time so that I then had a full battery for when I am back in town. No can do. (I think the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV can do this.)
The third was that I couldn't get on with the interior.
The first was that the mpg in petrol mode isn't that good.
The second was that the engine cannot charge the battery. Once your electric range is gone, you HAVE to plug it in to get it back. This was a major issue for me. I wanted to drive around on leccy in town and then use the engine on the motorway and get it to top up the battery at the same time so that I then had a full battery for when I am back in town. No can do. (I think the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV can do this.)
The third was that I couldn't get on with the interior.
andy-xr said:
I've got my eye on one of these at the moment, I'm curious about the range though, can I for example drive it from Manchester to London and back again in a day, using fuel on the motorways and electric when I get into London?
I wont have a charge point anywhere on that trip, so wont get the best mpg using it in Hold?
Not really an issue using HOLD if you want to but I very rarely do this. Just completed a 300 mile round trip today on one charge and a 32l fill. If you're constantly doing trips like that though then get a high mpg diesel - the Ampera comes into its own on relatively short commutes. Mine's returned around 120mpg over the last 5k miles as my round trip to my office is less than 40 miles so makes sense for the usage profile.I wont have a charge point anywhere on that trip, so wont get the best mpg using it in Hold?
purpleperil said:
andy-xr said:
I've got my eye on one of these at the moment, I'm curious about the range though, can I for example drive it from Manchester to London and back again in a day, using fuel on the motorways and electric when I get into London?
I wont have a charge point anywhere on that trip, so wont get the best mpg using it in Hold?
Not really an issue using HOLD if you want to but I very rarely do this. Just completed a 300 mile round trip today on one charge and a 32l fill. If you're constantly doing trips like that though then get a high mpg diesel - the Ampera comes into its own on relatively short commutes. Mine's returned around 120mpg over the last 5k miles as my round trip to my office is less than 40 miles so makes sense for the usage profile.I wont have a charge point anywhere on that trip, so wont get the best mpg using it in Hold?
phn said:
Is the problem of the Ampera front splitter scraping on speed bumps as bad as it's made out to be?
Is it possible to remove or reduce the size of this.
Could be really interested in one myself but surrounded by speedbumps in my area unfortunately!
Think of it more as a curtain rather than a splitter. It's no problem at all. It's designed to flex/deform - take a look at one to satisfy yourself and you'll understand that it's not an issue. You can get a smaller one fitted I believe but I haven't bothered. Always find it a source of amusement watching pedestrians' faces thinking you've just grounded out Is it possible to remove or reduce the size of this.
Could be really interested in one myself but surrounded by speedbumps in my area unfortunately!
Generally the first thing they hear if you're going slow over humps when in battery mode. I read today that the Vauxhall is being dropped from the range and not being replaced. If so, that's a real shame. I don't know if we'll still get the volt, but I'm surprised and disappointed that people didn't really go for it, but instead still buy overpriced German diesels instead.
Having driven a volt, I found it to be a perfectly good car, and was never that expensive.
Having driven a volt, I found it to be a perfectly good car, and was never that expensive.
It's a shame but IMHO they didn't really help themselves. The Ampera was only available in a small number of dealers. I bet most people had never even heard of it.
My personal deal breakers were listed above. If those had been solved I might have bought one.
I can see diesel owners getting hit with higher taxes soon and this will surely create a shift to petrol/EV/hybrids, perhaps the Ampera was just too ahead of its time.
My personal deal breakers were listed above. If those had been solved I might have bought one.
I can see diesel owners getting hit with higher taxes soon and this will surely create a shift to petrol/EV/hybrids, perhaps the Ampera was just too ahead of its time.
Just catching up on this thread, as I found myself browsing Amperas online earlier today.
My commute to work is 31 miles of a bit of town (and traffic) at each end, with the majority dual carriageway with lots of roundabouts in the middle.
There's a strong chance that I won't be able to plug it in when I get to work, and so assume I'd be doing the return leg with the engine running.
Does this sound like a suitable use of an Ampera, or not really?
My commute to work is 31 miles of a bit of town (and traffic) at each end, with the majority dual carriageway with lots of roundabouts in the middle.
There's a strong chance that I won't be able to plug it in when I get to work, and so assume I'd be doing the return leg with the engine running.
Does this sound like a suitable use of an Ampera, or not really?
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