Which EV to buy?

[dmsims]

TheDeuce said:

dmsims said:

TheDeuce said:

It's the but in the middle that's a bit of a minefield. IE: you just want a spacious family car with average performance and trim level, but it suddenly costs at least £40,000.

ID3

Exactly. With the higher capacity battery that car is £40k.

You haven't quoted the bit where I referenced it being cheaper to get an EV if you can cope with shorter range...

The ID3 58 battery is just fine, unless you are a photocopier salesman

[ThomW]

EV Beano said:

Why do you want to own a car?

Much easier to just use a subscription service in the period where a) as you point out, getting a new car is challenging and b) the technology is still moving on month after month...

So why not subscribe until the point you can see through the fog and make a more informed choice?

....that's my decision anyway....

(And I have a referral code for £50 off On.to at the moment if anyone needs one - just DM me)

I am considering it tbh, I’m just working out whether I’m going to get a car myself or if it’ll be a company scheme.

I think the i4 eDrive40 is going to be the one for me. Watching some reviews the interior with iDrive 8 looks amazing, and I love the looks and hatchback practicality.

Phoned a couple of U.K. BMW dealers earlier though and they reckoned it would be early ‘23 before a new order would be delivered. Crazy.

[TheDeuce]

dmsims said:

TheDeuce said:

dmsims said:

TheDeuce said:

It's the but in the middle that's a bit of a minefield. IE: you just want a spacious family car with average performance and trim level, but it suddenly costs at least £40,000.

ID3

Exactly. With the higher capacity battery that car is £40k.

You haven't quoted the bit where I referenced it being cheaper to get an EV if you can cope with shorter range...

The ID3 58 battery is just fine, unless you are a photocopier salesman

You know what... I actually agree.

The problem is that those currently in a diesel family car don't, even if they're wrong. The middle sector of car buyer's want a typical family car EV with no worries about range and at a cost which competes with the average cost of a 2-3 year old diesel replacement. They can't get that right now.

To my original point, anyone currently using an ICE town car can switch to EV town car and probably have a brand new car and overall cost them less. Similarly, anyone that wants a very powerful luxury SUV can also make financial sense of the upfront cost given the hugely reduced running costs.

[TheDeuce]

ThomW said:

I am considering it tbh, I’m just working out whether I’m going to get a car myself or if it’ll be a company scheme.

I think the i4 eDrive40 is going to be the one for me. Watching some reviews the interior with iDrive 8 looks amazing, and I love the looks and hatchback practicality.

Phoned a couple of U.K. BMW dealers earlier though and they reckoned it would be early ‘23 before a new order would be delivered. Crazy.

That's really sad the lead time is so insane. The i4 is a car I'd happily recommend to most people - if they could actually get one.

And indeed, the new idrive is fantastic.

[Merry]

dmsims said:

TheDeuce said:

It's the but in the middle that's a bit of a minefield. IE: you just want a spacious family car with average performance and trim level, but it suddenly costs at least £40,000.

ID3

Ive been faced with this issue, needed a car for work - really had to be ev as we have free charging at work and an enhanced allowance for evs. Although not enhanced enough to get you into ev6/Ioniq 5/Model 3 territory. I also needed range as occasionally I may need to do 160 miles at the drop of a hat. Plus it helps with the 'only charge at work' thing.

I ended up with the new MG ZS LR. It's not pretty nor does it handle, but I can throw things in it, it'll do the milage and has a good amount of kit. Also I got lucky and got one within a month of ordering. I got the order in before the grant changes too.

I'm not sure I could have done much better to be honest. Especially with a decent lead time.

[TheDeuce]

Merry said:

Ive been faced with this issue, needed a car for work - really had to be ev as we have free charging at work and an enhanced allowance for evs. Although not enhanced enough to get you into ev6/Ioniq 5/Model 3 territory. I also needed range as occasionally I may need to do 160 miles at the drop of a hat. Plus it helps with the 'only charge at work' thing.

I ended up with the new MG ZS LR. It's not pretty nor does it handle, but I can throw things in it, it'll do the milage and has a good amount of kit. Also I got lucky and got one within a month of ordering. I got the order in before the grant changes too.

I'm not sure I could have done much better to be honest. Especially with a decent lead time.

What are these new MG's actually like? I'm guessing not the peak of quality although that could be a fair criticism of the brand for a long time now and before the Chinese scooped it up.

I'm curious because I suspect, once you've paid for the batteries, it probably is viable to make a perfectly decent EV on a budget. There's far less complexity involved which must save thousands per unit on a production line.

I can well imagine the various EV's headed out of China now are more than good enough for the majority of motorists. And significantly a good step up from more established western ICE options - in so far as everyday cars go, I appreciate they won't appeal to drivers used to sophisticated handling etc.

Edited by TheDeuce on Monday 20th December 20:24

[Merry]

TheDeuce said:

What are these new MG's actually like? I'm guessing not the peak of quality although that could be a fair criticism of the brand for a long time now and before the Chinese scooped it up.

I'm curious because I suspect, once you've paid for the batteries, it probably is viable to make a perfectly decent EV on a budget. There's far less complexity involved which must save thousands per unit on a production line.

I can well imagine the various EV's headed out of China now are more than good enough for the majority of motorists. And significantly a good step up from more established western ICE options - in so far as everyday cars go, I appreciate they won't appeal to drivers used to sophisticated handling etc.

Edited by TheDeuce on Monday 20th December 20:24

I'm picking it up tomorrow, but from the test drive I'd say its on par build wise with our Outlander, but with better tech. Everything seemed solid and the touchable bits were quite nice.

A BMW/VW it is not (although I prefer the ZS interior over an ID3) but then it doesn't cost that much either. I'll live with it for a week or so and report back!

[TheDeuce]

Merry said:

TheDeuce said:

What are these new MG's actually like? I'm guessing not the peak of quality although that could be a fair criticism of the brand for a long time now and before the Chinese scooped it up.

I'm curious because I suspect, once you've paid for the batteries, it probably is viable to make a perfectly decent EV on a budget. There's far less complexity involved which must save thousands per unit on a production line.

I can well imagine the various EV's headed out of China now are more than good enough for the majority of motorists. And significantly a good step up from more established western ICE options - in so far as everyday cars go, I appreciate they won't appeal to drivers used to sophisticated handling etc.

Edited by TheDeuce on Monday 20th December 20:24

I'm picking it up tomorrow, but from the test drive I'd say its on par build wise with our Outlander, but with better tech. Everything seemed solid and the touchable bits were quite nice.

A BMW/VW it is not (although I prefer the ZS interior over an ID3) but then it doesn't cost that much either. I'll live with it for a week or so and report back!

Thanks! Genuinely interested in how you get on - and I reckon you'll conclude that for the money it was indeed a very good choice.

[spaceship]

TheDeuce said:

Thanks! Genuinely interested in how you get on - and I reckon you'll conclude that for the money it was indeed a very good choice.

Also very interested to hear how you get on. I’ve placed an order for one but not sure whether to cancel it due to the cost of energy.

[RossP]

If you are a BMW fan, get an i3S. While you can.

Still up there as one of the better EVs on the market despite the fact it has been around for a while.

[Merry]

spaceship said:

Also very interested to hear how you get on. I’ve placed an order for one but not sure whether to cancel it due to the cost of energy.

I'll do a detailed post when I get chance, probably live with it a week or so and see what comes up.

First impressions are very good though. Happy with the general quality of it, its easy to use and to be honest looks better in the flesh than in pictures (mines blue).

Negatives so far -

- Auto hold is a bit slow, I'm used to that having had a mk1 Leaf and I tend to preempt it by nudging the throttle slightly before pulling away.

- Consumption is a bit high, 2.8 miles per kwh in the first 100 miles. I have been exploring performance and it has been cold though. I've been preheating without it being plugged in too.

-MG pilot leaves quite a large gap and can be slow to respond to changes in tragic speed.

Positives

- Handling better than expectedly, reviews mentioned body roll, one even saying it was scary in the corners. These people probably need to learn to drive. Or maybe I'm used to rubbish cars, but anyway I don't have a problem with it.

- Pretty pacey when you put your foot down. More than the 0-60 suggests.

- Pretty serene while cruising - which is what I was after tbh

I'm not regretting getting it at all. But like I said I'll live with it a bit more and report back.

[spaceship]

Sounds good. Thanks for the first impressions update. Consumption was one of the other things that has been niggling away at me. I’d be expecting about 3.5 m/KWh but as you say it’s cold and you’ve been trying it out so and preheating (why wouldn’t you).

I’ve driven a petrol version of the facelift model and found it to be a perfectly acceptable method of transportation - quiet, comfortable and well-equipped. Only issue with it was the terrible fuel-consumption!

Looking forward to your update.

[TheDeuce]

spaceship said:

Sounds good. Thanks for the first impressions update. Consumption was one of the other things that has been niggling away at me. I’d be expecting about 3.5 m/KWh but as you say it’s cold and you’ve been trying it out so and preheating (why wouldn’t you).

I’ve driven a petrol version of the facelift model and found it to be a perfectly acceptable method of transportation - quiet, comfortable and well-equipped. Only issue with it was the terrible fuel-consumption!

Looking forward to your update.

Thanks from me too. Sounds about as expected so far.

Regards handling, most EV's are pretty decent simply because the weight of batteries and motors is on or even below the axle centres - they're still heavy of course, but at least the weight is in the right place and does on most cars actually fight against roll.

For me the biggest deal is that even the cheapest EV can now cruise around as quietly and smoothly as the most expensive luxury cars could a few years ago. If you factor that in, along with the cheaper running costs, then pretty much anything else is a bonus.

And of course, in the real world, they're all quick - in terms of everyday driving, such as darting in to a tight space on a roundabout, a confident overtake or simply leaving the lights very promptly.

[bad company]

The op mentions huge lead times for a new ev. Anyone know how long for say a BMW i4?

[TheDeuce]

bad company said:

The op mentions huge lead times for a new ev. Anyone know how long for say a BMW i4?

2023 apparently..

Although if you go lease (you should..) I expect there's still some stock and scheduled deliveries available.

[ThomW]

TheDeuce said:

bad company said:

The op mentions huge lead times for a new ev. Anyone know how long for say a BMW i4?

2023 apparently..

Although if you go lease (you should..) I expect there's still some stock and scheduled deliveries available.

Factory order is Feb ‘23 now. Crazy times! Though I’m told they expect this to come down, that’s going off the current chip supply times, but once supply eases up in 2022 production will speed up.

I’ve placed an order for an i4 eDrive40 M-Sport in Sanremo green, red leather, tech plus and comfort packs. 19” wheels as they don’t affect the range and look much better. Fingers crossed it comes sooner!

[audikentman]

MOBB said:

I pay £160 a month for the Seat Mii electric, and it’s been a revelation. Peanuts to run and genuinely fun to drive.

This via Stoneacre leasing.

I commute 32 miles each day, fully charged the maximum range its shown is 205, mimimum is 130

[TheDeuce]

ThomW said:

TheDeuce said:

bad company said:

The op mentions huge lead times for a new ev. Anyone know how long for say a BMW i4?

2023 apparently..

Although if you go lease (you should..) I expect there's still some stock and scheduled deliveries available.

Factory order is Feb ‘23 now. Crazy times! Though I’m told they expect this to come down, that’s going off the current chip supply times, but once supply eases up in 2022 production will speed up.

I’ve placed an order for an i4 eDrive40 M-Sport in Sanremo green, red leather, tech plus and comfort packs. 19” wheels as they don’t affect the range and look much better. Fingers crossed it comes sooner!

I hope it comes down as the chip shortage eases - the problem is that currently the backlog is growing as the i4 is proving to be (rightly) extremely popular.

Nice spec btw, fingers crossed for you it turns up soon!

[Discombobulate]

RossP said:

If you are a BMW fan, get an i3S. While you can.

Still up there as one of the better EVs on the market despite the fact it has been around for a while.

I prefer the cooking 120 model. But fab cars whichever you choose. Often dismissed, until you drive one. Fun.