Returning to a PHEV - anyone with a MY 2019 who had a 2015?

[Stvtech]

Hi guys.

I had a 2015 4H for two years, but defected to a full BEV at the end of that lease.
The BEV has been fantastic, but replacing it with a longer range BEV is just not practical at the moment, and new circumstances dictate that I need an SUV but cannot go back to a full ICE because I'm too infected by electric drivetrains.

I have come full circle and am almost sold on the new 4h with it's improved battery and rear motor, plus 2.4L Atkinson cycle engine.

My question is, does anyone here now drive the 2019 having previously had a 2015, and is the driving experience significantly better?

Thanks.

 

[Trex]

Hi guys.

I had a 2015 4H for two years, but defected to a full BEV at the end of that lease.
The BEV has been fantastic, but replacing it with a longer range BEV is just not practical at the moment, and new circumstances dictate that I need an SUV but cannot go back to a full ICE because I'm too infected by electric drivetrains.

I have come full circle and am almost sold on the new 4h with it's improved battery and rear motor, plus 2.4L Atkinson cycle engine.

My question is, does anyone here now drive the 2019 having previously had a 2015, and is the driving experience significantly better?

Thanks.

Hi Stvtech been awhile,

I have the 2013-2014 model PHEV (still own it) and also bought a 2018 model PHEV (will not get 2.4L Atkinson cycle engine model here until 2020 I think) but my new PHEV to me feels more "solid" which I started a new thread about it here not that long ago if you would like to look it up. Better insulation so quieter, beefed up suspension on the rear from memory from 2017 model onwards and stronger chassis I think I read about hence the more solid feel and even the doors have a more solid sound to them.

So the one you are looking at will be even better IMHO. But you should have a test drive first IMO and see what you think. I did and was impressed with my new PHEV. But I still love the old one as well which my son drives and does not like other people driving it. :lol:

Seriously considering swapping my old PHEV for the model you are looking at when they are released here.

I hope that helps.

Regards Trex.

 

[karl]

I've driven the new 2019 model for a couple of weeks, replacing a car from 2015.

In general, everything that annoyed me has been fixed.

The dynamics is more or less the same, and it's still comfortable, have greate torque, and all that.
The power steering programming has been adjusted - it's a bit lighter in low speed and noticably firmer in high speed which feels good.

I didn't have EV mode before, and it's nice in general but a really big improvement in cold weather.
The engine stays off and no more guessing if it's possible to run the heater 0.5 degrees warmer.
When EV is enabled, the heater alone doesn't seem to start the engine, but running the "defrost/demist mode" does.
I guess there's a limit somewhere, but -10ºC seems to be fine with or without AC in "normal" mode. Great for short trips.

The new 2.4 engine is also an big improvement - it sounds so much better. The irritating droning sound at low speed is completely gone.
The revs are lower in general and more like what you'd expect from a normal automatic. It still a bit rough in "idle" since it's not really idling but working quite hard.

It's also an improvement at higher speeds. The low, slightly irritating grunt that often was heard when accelerating at low revs in parallel mode is gone,
and I must say that it's even harder to tell if the engine is running or not when cruising. I usually notice because of a clicking relay when it starts or stops,
rather than the actual engine, which I guess says something.

It still makes some noise when accelerating obviously, and if it's done in short bursts it even sounds nice!

It also seems like it's slightly less thirsty, just like they promised.

I don't think it's noticably quicker though, and the EV-range seems to be about the same as my 4 years old car, but maybe I spend the extra capacity on a warmer cabin now...

I like the new "4x4 Snow" mode, it softens acceleration a bit and seems to be trying to avoid wheel spin. I don't know if it does something else to the power distribution, but it seems to stop the car from going into serial mode. (Or maybe it was cold and the car needed some extra heating power. You never really know...)

The GPS is gone, but replaced by Android Auto or Apple Car (something), which is good, and there's some more beeps and bongs. I think it's the front parking sensors that I didn't have before,
and perhaps the anti collision systems.

I don't think anything got worse actually. Well, OK, I could do without the electrical parking brake, since what's the purpose of winters without handbrake turns.

 

[rgilyead]

I had a 2014 4h and just upgraded to a MY19 4h. I agree with everything Karl says plus I think the front seats are a little bit better shaped for comfort. Whole car feels more solidly put together and smooth when driving. Still annoyed that the "Eco" button has to pressed every time.

Getting used to the electronic parking brake which is actually great in stop/start traffic when "autohold" is active. I do think the brake button is badly placed for RHD being so close to the driver's seat because my winter coat obscures it. I find myself having to look down from driving if I forget to press autohold before starting off. Not safe.

I feel you need a pilot's checklist when you get in the car to make sure you remember to reset all your favourite settings. Still, very happy overall and glad that there are real improvements made rather than just another facelift. It's made my CD collection obsolete though!

 

[Stvtech]

Thanks for your replies, chaps.

@Trex Yes, a fair while in fact about two years . Good to see you still active on the forum!

I don't believe I will get the chance to test drive, plus I'm a bit of a softy when it comes to putting dealers through the test drive process knowing full well I will be going to a broker and leasing it through them. I did of course obtain a quote direct from the dealer and they were over £100 more per month than the broker on the same terms for the same car.

@karl Thanks again for that comprehensive reply.

Perhaps my biggest gripe about the 2015 model was the way the engine screamed like a banshee, and it was the annoyance of having the ICE cut in that shoved me in the direction of full EV.

Now I have gotten used to all electric torque, it gives me concern when going back to something like the PHEV which will run out of juice after only 20 odd miles.

Another gripe of the 2015 was getting it off the line. It was slow to pick up from a standing start but I understand this was fixed for the 2016 model as I was loaned one when my 2015 went in for service one time. It felt like that model launched off the line with some vigour. I'm assuming that this hasn't changed.

It is sad about the loss of Sat Nav, because you need to plug a phone in when using Carplay. I have an iPhone 6S with a wireless charging case and I never take that off. To use Carplay I would find myself having to fork out for an iPhone 8 for the sheer convenience of retaining the wireless charging whilst affording ready access to the plug socket.

You mention beeps and bongs but in going for the 4h I won’t get parking sensors, so will need to rely on the 360° cam. I hope you can turn that on for parking nose-in, without having to first select reverse to activate it.

@rgilyead I am happy about the Autohold, a feature that I use extensively on my current EV.

To be honest, I had forgotten that the 2015 had a CD player hidden behind the display. Hardly ever used it, and it’s easy enough to rip CD’s to USB nowadays.

Having a 4h, are you able to confirm if the 360° cam can be activated manually for nose-in parking?

I’m still procrastinating on whether to jump back in…

 

[ChrisMiller]

I can't be certain about the current model, but on my 'facelift' version, the 'camera' button on the steering wheel toggles between front, rear and side views and doesn't require R to be selected. I use it frequently for nose-in parking.

 

[Kesto]

I had 2016 . Swapped it for 2019 , took delivery on 17th Dec. To be honest it is a much improved car .I had 4H and now also 4 H . Mitsubishi says there are 300 improvements. The whole driving experience has much better. There many bits and bob improvements and I don't want to make it boring on the forum , you better go and drive one . Battery efficiency is improved and more predictable . I am getting 28 miles EV in winter with only seats heater on. The ford like front screen heater is fantastic ,works only 5deg and below.

 

[Stvtech]

I can't be certain about the current model, but on my 'facelift' version, the 'camera' button on the steering wheel toggles between front, rear and side views and doesn't require R to be selected. I use it frequently for nose-in parking.

Thank you. That's good enough for me.

I had 2016 . Swapped it for 2019 , took delivery on 17th Dec. To be honest it is a much improved car .I had 4H and now also 4 H . Mitsubishi says there are 300 improvements. The whole driving experience has much better. There many bits and bob improvements and I don't want to make it boring on the forum , you better go and drive one . Battery efficiency is improved and more predictable . I am getting 28 miles EV in winter with only seats heater on. The ford like front screen heater is fantastic ,works only 5deg and below.

That's the sort of stuff I like to hear - thanks.

 

[Hypermiler]

This is no good. You’re all making me want to upgrade my 2014 car... grr.
What bev have you got stvtech?
Cheers
H

 

[Stvtech]

This is no good. You’re all making me want to upgrade my 2014 car... grr.
What bev have you got stvtech?

Hi Hypermiler.

The BEV I have is a Hyundai Ioniq electric. A brilliant car that costs me 2p/mile to run in summer, and 3p/mile in winter.
The ICE never cuts in because it hasn't got one, and the car even drives itself to a point, with Adaptive Cruise and Lane Keep Assist etc.

But I have taken the plunge, and ordered the Outlander. I shall be sad to have to resume my visits to the fossil fuel station, which of course I haven't set wheel on since April 2017, but needs must I guess.

 

[jaapv]

I had 2016 . Swapped it for 2019 , took delivery on 17th Dec. To be honest it is a much improved car .I had 4H and now also 4 H . Mitsubishi says there are 300 improvements. The whole driving experience has much better. There many bits and bob improvements and I don't want to make it boring on the forum , you better go and drive one . Battery efficiency is improved and more predictable . I am getting 28 miles EV in winter with only seats heater on. The ford like front screen heater is fantastic ,works only 5deg and below.

I used to have such a Ford windscreen in another car. Hated it. It gave nasty prismatic effects when driving into low sunlight.

 

[jdsx]

[I used to have such a Ford windscreen in another car. Hated it. It gave nasty prismatic effects when driving into low sunlight.

The two things I miss from my previous car (Ford S-max) are the heated windscreen and the ability to close/open the windows with a long press on the keyfob. Well, and the 7 seats I suppose....but I kinda got to accept that :lol: . Heated windscreen was fantastic at clearing the screen in a car when you get in with wet clothes. I don't want to use the AC when it's already below freezing! Never noticed the 'prismatic effects', although I have read other similar comments, so I accept it's not just jaapv. Maybe they've improved the design on later cars.... my Ford was a 2008 model though....

 

[Kesto]

stvtech you will visit the pump once a month or 6 weeks if you do 30 - 35 miles a day. not bad plus freedom from charging on the run.

 

[cornclose]

I used to have such a Ford windscreen in another car. Hated it. It gave nasty prismatic effects when driving into low sunlight.

I think you must have had a bad one. The Outlander PHEV one doesn't exhibit this. Neither did the 2008 Ford Focus Titanium I had for several months, nor the 2014 V70 I had for 4 years (Volvo used to be owned by Ford..).

Actually, out of all of the cars I've had with the heated front screen, the Outlander's is the least visible by a long way, but even the others were not showing what you described.