EV general discussion

viper_2003 said:
Sadly not DB pension for me so this is more about being tax efficient and retaining child benefit along with still putting a good chunk into my pension.

Funny you mention the IX3 as I did spot that it was surprisingly cheap but we like the performance of the Cupra so I suspect it along with the 2wd Q4’s will feel a bit slow once you get past the torque surge. That said I have driven precisely zero hybrids or EVs to date so I will drive a few before making an decisions.
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Q4 40 0-62mph in 8.5 seconds. It had the usual full torque feel but was very underwhelming overall.
Q4 50 Quattro has 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds but it is an expensive option
iX3 does it in 6.8 and it is the standard level performance. Being RWD on an EV does not diminish the performance.

iX3 also comes with a heatpump, adaptive suspension, rear privacy glass, reversing camera, front & rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control and a panoramic roof as standard. You need to go up to S-Line trim and specify the Tech Pack and Comfort and Sound packs to get these on a q4, though you do get the nice HUD when adding these which is not on the iX3. Adding all these missing features on a Q4 will be ~£6,000, bumping the final lease price by quite a bit. Panoramic roof is only available as part of the Vorsprung trim which is basically a very expensive fully equipped Q4.

I was genuinely shocked at how basic and stingily equipped the basic entry level Q4 was. All it comes with tech wise is basic cruise control and reverse parking sensors and cloth seats (which is fine if you prefer cloth).

My problem is that my wife really likes the Q4 Sportback and thinks the iX3 is too big. But in order to have similar monthly lease price I have to spec for a Q4 40 Sport, with C+S pack to get the reverse camera because on the sportback, the spoiler splits the rear windows destroying the rear visibility and there is no rear wiper.

Though the Q4 will have about 260 miles of range compared to 230 for the iX3. So that is a plus for the Q4. Don't get me wrong I think even in this basic trim level the Q4 50 Sportback would be a great EV and plenty of fun, but the iX3 reportedly has better driving dynamics and is cheaper if a little slower.
 
I suspect it’s going to be a hard sell to keep my wife away from the Q4. The 1st edition with tech, comfort and sound works out at about £550 (no deposit) which doesn’t seem bad for what is a £60k car!

Having sat in the i4 M50 at Goodwood it’s much more the sort of car I want and in reality it’s not hugely less practical than a Q4 but lacks the SUV look which is the only thing that seems to matter!

Having poked around the Ionic 5 and the Kia EV6 I wasn’t that impressed with the build quality/feel of both and they are much the same cost on the work scheme despite being circa £10k less.
 
The problem I have is that speccing up an Edition 1 Q4 Sportback will be £82 per month more than an iX3 Premium and is still less well equipped than an iX3. That is not even getting the panoramic roof for the Q4. I would be essentially throwing £3,000 down the drain over a 3 year lease, paying more money for arguably less car. Even if I do prefer the Q4 looks over the iX3 but not by that much. :)

For that extra money I would have a car that only has the additional benefit of marginally better performance, AWD and a HUD but with no panoramic roof.

Still planning to look around the Ioniq 5 but I do not like the look of the EV6 at all (subjective I know). There is no Model Y here in the UK yet but honestly I do not like the styling and the very minimilistic steering wheel and iPad stuck to a plank in the interior.
 
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No because for some reason even the basic version is almost £200 per month more expensive than an iX3 and basic spec Q4. I do really like it and would be very happy with one as would the wife.
 
All this talk of iX3 and Q4s is making me very jealous :p

Have to say the Q4 is a nice bit of kit, the benefit of the electric platform is loads more space relative to the actual length of the car. iX3 will be bigger but less spacious inside I imagine?

Pano roof is nice but is it worth thousands to make your passengers feel a tiny bit better? :D
 
chanjy said:
All this talk of iX3 and Q4s is making me very jealous :p

Have to say the Q4 is a nice bit of kit, the benefit of the electric platform is loads more space relative to the actual length of the car. iX3 will be bigger but less spacious inside I imagine?

Pano roof is nice but is it worth thousands to make your passengers feel a tiny bit better? :D
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That's the magic of a dedicated EV chassis. The Q4 is a smaller SUV than the iX3 but has a bit more room inside and the same boot space. The thing with the iX3 is the pano roof comes as standard as does the other stuff I mentioned. So once you spec a Q4 to the same or similar level it is quit a bit more expensive. Or if I look at it another way, for the same price you get some very nice extras. Like the adpative suspension, more power, panoramic roof, rear privacy glass, full leather interior, adaptive cruise control and a heat pump.

Does anyone else find it funny that cars with the old 1970s and 1980s style cheap "vinyl" seats, are now called Vegan Friendly? Is it ironic to be OK eating meat but feel quilty getting real leather seats in a car? I mean you eat the meat but sitting on the skin it came in is somewhow wrong? :)

It's like those modern fashion dogs like Cockapoos. When I grew up they were called mongrels.
 
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DanTheMan said:
I've been very impressed with our corsa e so far.

I never set my expectations higher than 'I own a vauxhall corsa', but I have found it a very nice place to be for all types of driving. Obviously the EV aspect means smooth power delivery and a quiet cabin. I also find the handling very good and it's still surprisingly fun to throw around back roads. The added weight of the EV and the stiffer dampers also make the ride feel better than the equivalent ICE versions.
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Yep, agree with all your points. The low driving position also helps (not sure how they did that given the batteries are under the seats!). It's a no-nonsense EV - does everything it needs to, and if you get the Elite it's very well specified.
 
Joe T said:
Yep, agree with all your points. The low driving position also helps (not sure how they did that given the batteries are under the seats!). It's a no-nonsense EV - does everything it needs to, and if you get the Elite it's very well specified.
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Seating position is a fair point actually. The Renault Zoe feels like you're sitting on it rather than in it.

We've got the Elite and the matrix led headlights are fantastic.

The few niggles I've had are mainly down to lolvauxhall rather than it being an EV. Everything seems to resolved by turning it off and on again though.
 
We're driving to Scotland next week, this will be the furthest I've taken the ioniq. It'll be loaded with luggage, two adults and two small children too... Lots of stops needed for them, fortunately :) ZapMap and ABRP are proving invaluable apps for planning our journey there, whilst there and back.
 
ICDP said:
Does anyone else find it funny that cars with the old 1970s and 1980s style cheap "vinyl" seats, are now called Vegan Friendly? Is it ironic to be OK eating meat but feel quilty getting real leather seats in a car? I mean you eat the meat but sitting on the skin it came in is somewhow wrong?
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presumably it feels ok, wearing shorts, grips, and breathes like leather, like, I assume, vinyl didn't
q4 steering wheel is still a bit marmite; with the grill wars, I think ix3 front is nicely understated for suv.
 
ICDP said:
Does anyone else find it funny that cars with the old 1970s and 1980s style cheap "vinyl" seats, are now called Vegan Friendly? Is it ironic to be OK eating meat but feel quilty getting real leather seats in a car? I mean you eat the meat but sitting on the skin it came in is somewhow wrong? :)

It's like those modern fashion dogs like Cockapoos. When I grew up they were called mongrels.
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FYI vegans don’t eat meat.
 
Saw an Ionic 5 on the road today. They are huge!
In pictures you think it's sort of Fiesta sized without a frame of reference. On the road they appear to be small SUV sized.

Thought it looked ace though.
 
I have to admit I was seriously looking at buying an EV. Then I watched the Guy Martin thing the other week driving the Ionic 5 and the poor range at motorway speeds and the reliability of the charging network and have decided I should maybe wait a few more years. On paper the range of the Ionic 5, Tesla 3 etc look ok as ideally I need sufficient range to get me to Dover or Portsmouth from Manchester a few times a year but the reality especially in the winter is that it would require an hour stop somewhere.
 
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