What car? Hybrid?

[Bannock]

ZX10R NIN said:

Bannock said:

Just wondering why you ignore the Leaf in your suggestions, ZX? IMHO it's a superior EV to the e-Golf, for less money.

I'm not a fan of the Leaf the gen2 is a much better car but yes you're right as an EV it is better than the E Golf, OP include the Leaf on your short list.

Interesting comment, ZX. I can see from these "what car" threads that you know your onions, what is it about gen1 Leaf that you you think makes it an inferior car? Got to say I've had 2 over the last 5 years and can't fault them. Paragons of reliability, comfort, practicality and efficiency. I'm not particularly motivated to upgrade mine to a gen2 (40 or 62kwh) as I can't see a good argument (in my use case) to justify the extra spend.

[dmsims]

The Outlander (which the OP is not looking for) is possibly the worst PHEV ever made

Other PHEV's (e.g. Golf GTE) have a 20's mile EV range and will do 50+ mpg on a very long journey
Cheap extended warranty ~ £220 p.a.

Snow and Rocks said:

It's worth finding out what MPG the PHEV will do once the battery is depleted before blindly assuming that it's automatically better than a (potentially more efficient) normal hybrid over the distance of the commute.

I remember a colleague raving about a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV that was going to save him so much money compared to his previous diesel CRV. It barely did 30mpg after the initial electric range ran out so the 50mpg CRV was quite a bit cheaper to run and much less faff.

I suspect a c350e will actually end up using more fuel than her existing car over that length of commute.

Also worth looking at the Prius if you can get on with the looks - a decent gen4 should achieve 70+ mpg.

[Bannock]

dmsims said:

The Outlander (which the OP is not looking for) is possibly the worst PHEV ever made

Other PHEV's (e.g. Golf GTE) have a 20's mile EV range and will do 50+ mpg on a very long journey
Cheap extended warranty ~ £220 p.a.

Snow and Rocks said:

It's worth finding out what MPG the PHEV will do once the battery is depleted before blindly assuming that it's automatically better than a (potentially more efficient) normal hybrid over the distance of the commute.

I remember a colleague raving about a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV that was going to save him so much money compared to his previous diesel CRV. It barely did 30mpg after the initial electric range ran out so the 50mpg CRV was quite a bit cheaper to run and much less faff.

I suspect a c350e will actually end up using more fuel than her existing car over that length of commute.

Also worth looking at the Prius if you can get on with the looks - a decent gen4 should achieve 70+ mpg.

Well, in its defence, the Outlander was pretty much the first PHEV to market (except the brilliant Ampera which was so far ahead of its time it shot itself in the foot), so it's fair to expect everything which came after to be an improvement.

I still think OP would be best off with a Leaf 40, but perhaps an Ampera would be a shout if he doesn't want to go full EV.

[ninjag]

lornemalvo said:

ninjag said:

Snow and Rocks said:

I had a Corolla hybrid as a hire car a while back and was really impressed - was expecting to hate it! Effortlessly smooth around town and quick enough on the open road, refined and comfortable but surprisingly decent on a twisty road. Couldn't fault it.

Was averaging low 60s MPG without any effort. 10 year/100k mile warranty on all Toyotas now too.

Some friends of mine have one and they love it as well. I got a lift in it a few times and it was actually very nice and more spacious than expected.

<Maybe so, but paying over £20,000 for a 3 year old example of the ultimate white goods car is pretty depressing and not something I could bring myself to do.

You can get them for £17k at 3 years old, but I have noticed they are a little pricey. Could be worth it for the reliability though.

There is a Lexus CT 200h available at a similar price: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208098...

[dmsims]

I really wanted to like the CT200h but the appaling ride (overprung and overdamped) was a deal breaker

I think it is an older generation of hybrid system (compared to the Corolla)

[Snow and Rocks]

The corolla is a much better car than the Ct200. Better to drive, more comfortable and more efficient thanks to the newer generation of hybrid.

The corolla or prius do hold their value incredibly well, largely because they stay reliable even with huge mileage so they're always in demand from taxi/ph drivers. If you can find the cash at the beginning, that same lack of depreciation really helps the whole life cost.

[Silvanus]

Snow and Rocks said:

The corolla is a much better car than the Ct200. Better to drive, more comfortable and more efficient thanks to the newer generation of hybrid.

The corolla or prius do hold their value incredibly well, largely because they stay reliable even with huge mileage so they're always in demand from taxi/ph drivers. If you can find the cash at the beginning, that same lack of depreciation really helps the whole life cost.

Personally it would be enough of a reason to not want the Prius or Corrolla, or the older Ioniq, makes you look like an Uber driver. Would much rather have one of the Hybrid or EV Kias or new Hyudais. The Nero, Soul and Bayon are all very decent, as are a few others. The Ampera is a decent shout along with the Cheverolet Volt and The MGs. I like the DS5 hybrid too, quite cool looking.

[ninjag]

Silvanus said:

Snow and Rocks said:

The corolla is a much better car than the Ct200. Better to drive, more comfortable and more efficient thanks to the newer generation of hybrid.

The corolla or prius do hold their value incredibly well, largely because they stay reliable even with huge mileage so they're always in demand from taxi/ph drivers. If you can find the cash at the beginning, that same lack of depreciation really helps the whole life cost.

Personally it would be enough of a reason to not want the Prius or Corrolla, or the older Ioniq, makes you look like an Uber driver. Would much rather have one of the Hybrid or EV Kias or new Hyudais. The Nero, Soul and Bayon are all very decent, as are a few others. The Ampera is a decent shout along with the Cheverolet Volt and The MGs. I like the DS5 hybrid too, quite cool looking.

Mechanic at work got a Nero hybrid, 2018 I think it was, but had quite a few issues with the ECU and electronics and kept getting stranded. They eventually got it sorted, although the courtesy car Kia gave him resulting in a hell of a slagging haha Cheapskates! He didn't keep it long though (traded it in for a 208 GTi), wasn't nearly as economical as he thought - I think he was getting around 45mpg mostly motorway, although may have been giving it a poke now and then. In comparison, my friend's Corolla was getting over 62mpg local from driving normally with three adults in it. Pretty good stuff.

[Silvanus]

ninjag said:

Silvanus said:

Snow and Rocks said:

The corolla is a much better car than the Ct200. Better to drive, more comfortable and more efficient thanks to the newer generation of hybrid.

The corolla or prius do hold their value incredibly well, largely because they stay reliable even with huge mileage so they're always in demand from taxi/ph drivers. If you can find the cash at the beginning, that same lack of depreciation really helps the whole life cost.

Personally it would be enough of a reason to not want the Prius or Corrolla, or the older Ioniq, makes you look like an Uber driver. Would much rather have one of the Hybrid or EV Kias or new Hyudais. The Nero, Soul and Bayon are all very decent, as are a few others. The Ampera is a decent shout along with the Cheverolet Volt and The MGs. I like the DS5 hybrid too, quite cool looking.

Mechanic at work got a Nero hybrid, 2018 I think it was, but had quite a few issues with the ECU and electronics and kept getting stranded. They eventually got it sorted, although the courtesy car Kia gave him resulting in a hell of a slagging haha Cheapskates! He didn't keep it long though (traded it in for a 208 GTi), wasn't nearly as economical as he thought - I think he was getting around 45mpg mostly motorway, although may have been giving it a poke now and then. In comparison, my friend's Corolla was getting over 62mpg local from driving normally with three adults in it. Pretty good stuff.

I'd still chose most alternatives over a Corolla hybrid or Prius, not for me.

[Snow and Rocks]

Silvanus said:

I'd still chose most alternatives over a Corolla hybrid or Prius, not for me.

Based purely on the image? None of them are cars that'll impress anyone or make you look back when you get out, even if you do care about that.

[samoht]

Snow and Rocks said:

Silvanus said:

I'd still chose most alternatives over a Corolla hybrid or Prius, not for me.

Based purely on the image? None of them are cars that'll impress anyone or make you look back when you get out, even if you do care about that.

I don't think it's worth us arguing about. It's up to the OP's wife what sort of car she would like to drive; both the Toyota and Hyundai hybrids suggested meet the stated criteria of 'auto, maybe hybrid'.

[georgeyboy12345]

70 miles a day for work is diesel territory, or even electric if you can install a charger at home.

Electric

Nissan Leaf 110 kW, 40 kWh
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209149...

Renault Zoe 80 kW, 50 kWh
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208128...



Diesel

Mini Cooper SD
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207137...

VW Golf 1.6 TDI Match AUC with only 8500 miles and 24 months unlimited mileage warranty
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207207...

Mercedes A180d Sport
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209260...

Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207238...

BMW 116d SE
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208269...

[Register1]

Silvanus said:

samoht said:

If it's only for a 70 mile round trip commute, you could consider going the whole hog and going EV, eg with a mk2 Leaf
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207217...

If going full EV, an MG ZS would be closer to the Nero

we did the test drive in the MG ZS EV.
A remarkable good drive.
It was £29,000 brand new.

Value for money in a big way.

[Silvanus]

Snow and Rocks said:

Silvanus said:

I'd still chose most alternatives over a Corolla hybrid or Prius, not for me.

Based purely on the image? None of them are cars that'll impress anyone or make you look back when you get out, even if you do care about that.

I'm not the least bit interested in impressing anyone, I still don't want a Corolla or a Prius. Some of the cars I mentioned look pretty decent, definitely cars that you would give a second glance, the Ampera, Soul and DS5 are good pieces of car design in my opinion. The Prius and Corolla you would lose in a car park, its possible to have a practical, economical car and it also be interesting. Not that it matters as its not me choosing a new car.

Edited by Silvanus on Friday 30th September 20:26

[samoht]

Register1 said:

Silvanus said:

samoht said:

If it's only for a 70 mile round trip commute, you could consider going the whole hog and going EV, eg with a mk2 Leaf
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207217...

If going full EV, an MG ZS would be closer to the Nero

we did the test drive in the MG ZS EV.
A remarkable good drive.
It was £29,000 brand new.

Value for money in a big way.

The new MG4 starts from £26k new with a 51kwh battery, apparently it's an all-new platform and much better to drive, not only than the older MGs, but than all the VW EVs too. Worth considering stretching the budget to have a brand new car with warranty perhaps, given how widely-praised it's been.

[maz8062]

I hate it when OP’s ask a question and then don’t return to respond and engage. It just wastes everyone’s time.

[doyouwantonions]

Had my Golf GTE for over a year now, Long term mileage is 84 mpg -

A 60 mile drive down the A272 (nice road) will see over 70mpg on a 2 way trip

I paid £20k last year for a three year old MK7.5 and I can't fault it

[ADogg]

maz8062 said:

I hate it when OP’s ask a question and then don’t return to respond and engage. It just wastes everyone’s time.

I’m back poppet.

Thanks everyone for your input - I’ve got a lot of research to do, and avenues to explore. I’d totally forgot about the Vauxhall Ampere!

We’re going to get mooching around some forecourts and take it from there!

[georgeyboy12345]

ADogg said:

Thanks everyone for your input - I’ve got a lot of research to do, and avenues to explore. I’d totally forgot about the Vauxhall Ampere!

We’re going to get mooching around some forecourts and take it from there!

Be careful with Amperas they use the now outdated type 1 charging connector. I could imagine it would be very frustrating trying to charge when out and about.

[mike9009]

BMW i3??