Convince me on an Outlander PHEV (or tell me no!)

[jaapv]

Check the tightness of the exhaust bolts...

 

[Claymore]

Maybe not quite that steep but with the 'Ergo' program selected and wearing a chest band the bike determines how much juice to give and also selects the gears on the NuVinci auto gears and it can get you up some pretty steep hills albeit with the infernal beeping telling you've exceeded your target heart rate.



JimB

 

[maby]

Check the tightness of the exhaust bolts...

Do you have experience of them coming loose?

 

[jaapv]

Not with this car, but plenty of other ones. On my Morgan tightening them was a weekly chore.

 

[Fragge]

Enjoy it while it lasts! At 19,000 miles, my ICE is beginning to sound quite unpleasant when cold...

Ran my first PHEV 40,000 miles and the ICE was as quiet as ever. (Live in Sweden so pretty cold weather)

 

[rennie]

I am a high mileage 'road warrior' who has managed to cut down to 30,000 miles a year and have driven turbo diesels exclusively for 15 years - and I love my new PHEV!

On Wednesday I drove 250 miles in very variable weather, including a couple of downpours, and the car was stable, quiet, comfortable and as quick as necessary.

First part of the day - down the M1 and straight into Central London for 8am. Clear view, hit SAVE button to preserve battery for town use and 40mpg at Sat Nav (my trusty Garmin) accurate 70. Power pick up almost instant when needed on Motorway, but in town, absolutely no problems. Remember, you can only go as fast as the car in front, and if you are the car in front, no matter what the speed limit, you can stay there. To top it all, no congestion charge (you must register first) and FREE parking in Westminster!

Next part of the day took me to rural Kent near Canterbury - so out through South East London, 50 miles of motorway, then country A and B roads to my destination. Really enjoyed it, car holds the road well, again motorway driving quiet and composed, with and without cruise control on. The high driving position, nimble handling, and instant electric acceleration made the country part fun.

After that, back to the Excel Centre in Docklands. Again 'point and shoot' no problem and stealth mode in the car park was fun!

Finally, out of Docklands at 4.45pm, North Circular, M11, M25, A1 and country roads home. All very relaxing.

I am now of an age where warp speed and mega acceleration no longer interest me, but equally I don't hang about and this car is not stretched meeting those demands. It isn't the last word in trim quality but I have no doubt that it will all still be in one piece in 4 years.

I picked the 3+ because I hate leather seats but the simpler audio system is fine. The voice recognition software is fantastic and it has no problem with the 800 or so contacts in my Blackberry Passport.

All in all, learn to fast cruise not race, enjoy the view over the bonnet and internal space andI think you will love it too. But take a good test drive to be sure.

Excellent post Steel188, I think that sums up my thoughts as well.

 

[Bladevane]

I like: driving position, access into the car, audio, cruise control (normal and adaptive), ability to optimise economy using paddles and driving style, boot space, sunroof (surprisingly quiet with it open), rain sensing wipers, charging for nothing where possible, stealth mode in EV only, rear leg room, still learning things after 3 months ownership.

Not so keen on: only 1 coat hook in the back, lack of illumination on door switches, uncomfortable (after a long time) centre arm rest, mirrors don't dip on reverse, lack of spare wheel, poor main beam bulbs, tendency for paintwork to chip, some of the menus in MMCS, cost of sat. nav update.

Would I have another one? Too right.

 

[jaapv]

Agree on the whole, but paint chipping is mainly on white and black paint, I got my update for free, mirror dip on reverse does not bother me as I will be watching the screen.

 

[PHEVundecided]

OK I deliberated over the car all weekend, seriously questioned what I want out of whatever I went with...... and chose a C200 Sport Premium.

I love the practicality of the PHEV, but the economy side of things was debatable for my driving style and type of journeys I do. So thought sod it and went for something completely the opposite anyway!

Thanks for all the comments as its been good to get some feedback from some real owners.

As for my choice, completely not what I expected. 12 month lead times on both the C350E and BMW 330E ruled them out for me on grounds of 'impatient' b*st*rd straight away!

 

[Hypermiler]

Fair enough but did you actually drive a phev? It is amazing what the peace and quiet can do to your driving style...
All the best
H

 

[maby]

Fair enough but did you actually drive a phev? It is amazing what the peace and quiet can do to your driving style...
All the best
H

In fairness, no modern and relatively up-market car is noisy.

 

[dilski]

I am a high mileage 'road warrior' who has managed to cut down to 30,000 miles a year and have driven turbo diesels exclusively for 15 years - and I love my new PHEV!

On Wednesday I drove 250 miles in very variable weather, including a couple of downpours, and the car was stable, quiet, comfortable and as quick as necessary.

First part of the day - down the M1 and straight into Central London for 8am. Clear view, hit SAVE button to preserve battery for town use and 40mpg at Sat Nav (my trusty Garmin) accurate 70. Power pick up almost instant when needed on Motorway, but in town, absolutely no problems. Remember, you can only go as fast as the car in front, and if you are the car in front, no matter what the speed limit, you can stay there. To top it all, no congestion charge (you must register first) and FREE parking in Westminster!

Next part of the day took me to rural Kent near Canterbury - so out through South East London, 50 miles of motorway, then country A and B roads to my destination. Really enjoyed it, car holds the road well, again motorway driving quiet and composed, with and without cruise control on. The high driving position, nimble handling, and instant electric acceleration made the country part fun.

After that, back to the Excel Centre in Docklands. Again 'point and shoot' no problem and stealth mode in the car park was fun!

Finally, out of Docklands at 4.45pm, North Circular, M11, M25, A1 and country roads home. All very relaxing.

I am now of an age where warp speed and mega acceleration no longer interest me, but equally I don't hang about and this car is not stretched meeting those demands. It isn't the last word in trim quality but I have no doubt that it will all still be in one piece in 4 years.

I picked the 3+ because I hate leather seats but the simpler audio system is fine. The voice recognition software is fantastic and it has no problem with the 800 or so contacts in my Blackberry Passport.

All in all, learn to fast cruise not race, enjoy the view over the bonnet and internal space andI think you will love it too. But take a good test drive to be sure.

And what was your MPG after all that driving?

 

[MarkC]

As regards being slow off the mark, I recently pulled up at a two lane traffic light and the guy sitting in the right hand lane (why would you be there on an empty road) decided to race me to the single lane ahead in his Mondeo. He got very upset (tooting horn etc.) when he lost big time because I had pressed Charge while waiting. There is the impresion the Outlander is not fast because there is a sort of lag between your foot and the wheels.
At 65 I don't make a habit appalling behaviour!

 

[greendwarf]

As regards being slow off the mark, I recently pulled up at a two lane traffic light and the guy sitting in the right hand lane (why would you be there on an empty road) decided to race me to the single lane ahead in his Mondeo. He got very upset (tooting horn etc.) when he lost big time because I had pressed Charge while waiting. There is the impresion the Outlander is not fast because there is a sort of lag between your foot and the wheels.
At 65 I don't make a habit appalling behaviour!

Rock on - I do at 67 :lol:

 

[Kesto]

Why compare a 4x4 with a car?