New car option
Discussion
I need to make a choice for my next company car , which will be EV.
The short list is down to the following.
Lexus Rz Premium + 77 kWh with 18 inch wheels
VW ID 7 GTX estate 83 kWh
I know that these are not directly comparable, but due to my crap list these are the only 2 that float my boat.
Had the Lexus on 3 day loan , very comfortable, great ride and drive. Concerned over if it can actually give decent range. Loan car was a 20 inch wheeled version. Picked it up with 278 mile of charge 100% drove 170 mainly motorway (145) @73 mph on cruise with fan on low and I got to the destination with 4 miles left of range. This seems very poor to me.
Did the return trip of 145 miles (120) motorway had 96 miles left. What would be the reason for this difference, car setting were the same.
Only had a very short drive of the id7 so difficult to compare. Main concern with the VW is will it be comfortable on distance and poor road surface. Tech is better in the VW
My driving will be long motorway drives of 100-225 miles in the main.
I’m going to be with my choice for the next 4 yrs .
Interested in those who have had either car long term.
The short list is down to the following.
Lexus Rz Premium + 77 kWh with 18 inch wheels
VW ID 7 GTX estate 83 kWh
I know that these are not directly comparable, but due to my crap list these are the only 2 that float my boat.
Had the Lexus on 3 day loan , very comfortable, great ride and drive. Concerned over if it can actually give decent range. Loan car was a 20 inch wheeled version. Picked it up with 278 mile of charge 100% drove 170 mainly motorway (145) @73 mph on cruise with fan on low and I got to the destination with 4 miles left of range. This seems very poor to me.
Did the return trip of 145 miles (120) motorway had 96 miles left. What would be the reason for this difference, car setting were the same.
Only had a very short drive of the id7 so difficult to compare. Main concern with the VW is will it be comfortable on distance and poor road surface. Tech is better in the VW
My driving will be long motorway drives of 100-225 miles in the main.
I’m going to be with my choice for the next 4 yrs .
Interested in those who have had either car long term.
Wind and temperature can make a big difference to range. Wheel size and extra motors have an impact.
In my car the range estimate looks like it uses a fixed speed, say 60mph, if you go faster than this the range remaining drops faster than you travel.
That Lexus does sound particularly bad though.
In my car the range estimate looks like it uses a fixed speed, say 60mph, if you go faster than this the range remaining drops faster than you travel.
That Lexus does sound particularly bad though.
The range showing when you collected it would have been based on how it had been driven before you got it. So going everywhere at 50mph beforehand would be assuming continuing at those kinds of speeds*
Once you get uo to motorway speeds, range will drop. The difference between 50mph and 70mph for most EVs is huge.
Coming back, fewer motorway miles will certainly have improved the range, and perhas it was downhill over the distance as well.
None of thise is any different to an ICE car, but range is a thing with EVs is something that people keep an eye on far more closely.
Once you get uo to motorway speeds, range will drop. The difference between 50mph and 70mph for most EVs is huge.
Coming back, fewer motorway miles will certainly have improved the range, and perhas it was downhill over the distance as well.
None of thise is any different to an ICE car, but range is a thing with EVs is something that people keep an eye on far more closely.
- I assume this, it's certainly true on my Nissan Leaf. I doubt the car always assumes a certain speed, rather it constantly assesses range during use
Assuming the Lexus is an RZ 350e, the motorway range is 175-230 miles at 70mph, depending on weather, according to EV database https://ev-database.org/uk/car/3293/Lexus-RZ-350e (which is usually fairly accurate).
If the battery was warmer on the return trip that could explain the difference.
I’ve got an ID7 (non GTX) so close enough to comment.
Comfort wouldn’t worry me at all, it’s built for motorway miles and deals with poor surfaces really well. More wafty than sporty.
What you saw with the Lexus doesn’t surprise me. Big wheels, motorway speeds and conditions like wind, elevation and battery temp can massively impact range. Return leg often looks better for the opposite reasons.
For context, I’ve only really been slightly inconvenienced once in my ID7. Thought I could do an airport run on one charge but the weather coming back was awful, wind and rain, so had to stop. Other than that it’s been solid.
Secondary to range is charging speed, and the ID7 is good at that. It’s also very efficient aero wise which helps on motorway runs.
For 100 to 225 mile motorway driving I’d lean ID7. Just feels better suited to that use.
Comfort wouldn’t worry me at all, it’s built for motorway miles and deals with poor surfaces really well. More wafty than sporty.
What you saw with the Lexus doesn’t surprise me. Big wheels, motorway speeds and conditions like wind, elevation and battery temp can massively impact range. Return leg often looks better for the opposite reasons.
For context, I’ve only really been slightly inconvenienced once in my ID7. Thought I could do an airport run on one charge but the weather coming back was awful, wind and rain, so had to stop. Other than that it’s been solid.
Secondary to range is charging speed, and the ID7 is good at that. It’s also very efficient aero wise which helps on motorway runs.
For 100 to 225 mile motorway driving I’d lean ID7. Just feels better suited to that use.
Tractor Driver said:
The Japanese produce some great petrol cars and Toyota/Lexus have nailed their hybrid drivetrains. Arguably, they ve been caught napping regarding EVs.
Can t think of a best in class Japanese EV. From the two cars you ve listed, I d take the ID.7 all day long.
This. The rz is renowned for being poor from an efficiency standpoint, and if you do need to public charge the rate and curve are also poor.Can t think of a best in class Japanese EV. From the two cars you ve listed, I d take the ID.7 all day long.
The id7 will be plenty comfortable on the motorway and a lot easier to live with.
Meltham Terrier said:
Loan car was a 20 inch wheeled version. Picked it up with 278 mile of charge 100% drove 170 mainly motorway (145) @73 mph on cruise with fan on low and I got to the destination with 4 miles left of range. This seems very poor to me.
Did the return trip of 145 miles (120) motorway had 96 miles left. What would be the reason for this difference, car setting were the same.
Dark wintery day, single digit temperatures, standing water on the ground, and going into a persistent headwind of 40-50mph+ gusts, even in something like the new iX3 with it's 100kWh+ battery you be lucky to see 200 miles range unless you slow down to sub 60mph.Did the return trip of 145 miles (120) motorway had 96 miles left. What would be the reason for this difference, car setting were the same.
Wind, rain, and cold will kill range in any EV without you realising. Combustion cars are similarly effected but you notice less due to having more range to start of with and the general inefficiency of the combustion engine in the first place.
I have a done 13k in my GTX now. It’s not without its faults, but it is comfortable on long journeys. It’s a good car for doing long miles with a car full of people and other stuff.
Road noise is worse than my previous Msport 540 wich had larger wheels and I have a persistent issue with wind noise that VW can’t fix. So it’s not the quietest car.
Range is good. Through winter it was reporting 290 most of the time. That’s up to 300+ now.
To be honest I couldn’t tell how many miles it does per KWh. As I did with ICE, I fill it up when it needs filling up.
Road noise is worse than my previous Msport 540 wich had larger wheels and I have a persistent issue with wind noise that VW can’t fix. So it’s not the quietest car.
Range is good. Through winter it was reporting 290 most of the time. That’s up to 300+ now.
To be honest I couldn’t tell how many miles it does per KWh. As I did with ICE, I fill it up when it needs filling up.
TheDrownedApe said:
I've got a capri awd which is the same architecture as the id7. Drag slightly better in the id7 (.25 v .26).
I can get about 280 on a motorway run @68mph with current mild conditions.
Same architecture, but bigger battery in the ID.7 (86kWh in the GTX vs 79kWh in the Capri AWD. Every little helps I can get about 280 on a motorway run @68mph with current mild conditions.
plfrench said:
TheDrownedApe said:
I've got a capri awd which is the same architecture as the id7. Drag slightly better in the id7 (.25 v .26).
I can get about 280 on a motorway run @68mph with current mild conditions.
Same architecture, but bigger battery in the ID.7 (86kWh in the GTX vs 79kWh in the Capri AWD. Every little helps I can get about 280 on a motorway run @68mph with current mild conditions.
My brother has the GTX. I've had plenty of EVs over the years, including i-pace etc. Currently have Model 3 and Model Y LR. So I can compare those cars those to the GTX.
From your choice I would get the GTX. Range is good. Tech is good. Handles fine. Feels solid and well screwed together. Only slight downside is that it felt quite wide (I haven't checked the actual width, that was just my perception).
From your choice I would get the GTX. Range is good. Tech is good. Handles fine. Feels solid and well screwed together. Only slight downside is that it felt quite wide (I haven't checked the actual width, that was just my perception).
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