So after selling the 5 and upgrading the 6 GT Sport Estate to the CX-60 Takumi we are almost 1000 miles into our new CX-60 PHEV.
Pros:
Lovely interior
Plenty of oomph for a big SUV
Comfortable
Handy App allowing you to monitor charging and defrost remotely
Nice high ride, one of the main reasons for the purchase.
Driver recognition puts the seat, steering wheel, mirrors and various other settings (KPH for the wife) to how the driver likes it.
Niggles:
Already had a recall for suspension.
Radio loses signal when you turn off the car and you have to re-select it when you start up, we have a s/w update booked to hopefully fix this.
Possible issue with 1 key fob not being recognised by the car.
Driver recognition doesnāt reposition the rear view mirror which seems a big omission.
The exit procedure moves the seat back but relative to the last driver so I canāt get into the car still after my wife has been driving it.
Cons:
EV range: so this is affected by the cold ( why didnāt I know this) so rather than the āup toā 39 miles quoted we which we were getting in Oct, we are down to 20 miles range currently which is actually uneconomical to charge based on the price of petrol.
Doesnāt leave a lot of room in the car park if you park in a normal space, so parking anxiety is always an issue but then it was in the 5 due to the size of the doors.
Would I have bought the PHEV versions and spent a further Ā£700 for a fast charger knowing the range drops in the cold. Itās a big No. In fact we probably would have bought a CX-5.
Iāll update again after weāve had the s/w update and the weather warms up see if I change my mind about the range and subsequent purchase.
My son had exactly the same issue regarding range on electricity only with his BMW 530e, which meant it was running on petrol for 1/3rd of his commute. He did the numbers (purchase/residuals cost, fuel, electricity etc) and heād have almost been better off running a 540i which is in a different league performance wise.
He obviously doesnāt learn as heās now running (and moaning about the range, spending lots of time drinking coffee waiting for it to charge) some god awful Audi fully electric thingā¦.
On the range issue, expected battery range really needs to explained better by the dealer, and in turn they need to learn more about it.
The ārangeā quoted is directly related to the battery packās capacity. The capacity (and therefore potential range) will be quoted at a certain ambient temperature. This is the key bit really, and the point that needs far better communication in brochures/car spec etc.
So in colder weather, the same capacity is not available. This is due to the chemical reactions that occur within a battery pack. In colder temperatures, this chemical reaction is slowed, reducing the amount of available power.
And thatās exactly my point to the dealership. They need to be more transparent about how they sell the car. As I said I probably would have just gone down the petrol route and potentially even just bought the CX-5 at a lot less cost if I had all that information up front.
So the range is improving again now the weather is warming up but amusingly even though the car has an āoff roadā mode the book tells us to avoid floods, I guess the batteries can get waterlogged
ā¦ interestingly someone discovered that the 0-60 is quicker in off road mode shaving a further .6 secs down to 5.2 secs! This is one fast SUV!
I have a new BMW 330e and I have to say its remarkably cost-effective to run on predominantly short journeys and way cheaper then my previous mx5. At 34p per Kwh itās running at about 13.1p per mile on electricity & petrol which is far better than using petrol only and no ill-effects from frequent cold starts. This of course, saves wear and tear and servicing costs. For basic commuting the engine doesnāt often kick in. It costs slightly more with the engine only for propulsion of courseā¦butā¦most people tend to use cars for relatively short journeys and this should be borne in mind. Mineās currently doing 169.3 mpg!! A petrol only 320i costs around 23per mile on a similar journey-profile.
No doubt however temperature affects it markedly.
Just a thoughtā¦Can you turn an ICE-engined car heater on from indoors so the car is toasty warm and defrosted minutes later?
What type of car is it? For an ICE engined car heater to work, the engine has to be running. Non-electric BMWs can have their climate control operated remotely, (hence the demister) but no heat unless thereās a bit of residual heat in the system. I have a G29 z4 with precisely this feature.
My last (2019) BM had this feature, and as well as an insulated engine, to keep heat in for I think up to 2days, the thermostat assembly could isolate the heater circuit, within which was an electric heating element, so instant heat.
The thermostat could also direct coolant to the turboās, oil cooler, or even the gearbox dependant on what the cooling demands were, and then run it through a choice of 3 radiators. Amazing.
And people wonder why cars occasionally go wrong.
