Flatcoat
Member
Been keeping an eye on the forum while waiting for my GX3h. Many thanks for the advice and guidance thus far. I've had it for a fortnight/1000+ miles and am very happy, albeit finding the initial attitude adjustment a little challenging.
The first key point seems to be that the PHEV is very dependent on driving style. After the first few days' driving like a nun (--.- MPG), I've fallen off the wagon a bit, with several 100+ mile days and limited recharging on site. My average is now just south of 50mpg which isn't bad for a 2000kg vehicle but the contrast between predominantly EV driving and ICE use is a bit frustrating. Most of my usage is on rural roads, so I'm not able to make the most of cruise control and steady speed cruising. Internal temperature is kept at 18, aircon is off (unless car starts to steam up), ECO mode used as a default (although it would be ideal if this was activated as the default on startup). Where possible, I plug in on site but being realistic sometimes I can't schedule my days to allow for 4 hours on site simply to recharge the battery. It's plugged in religiously every evening, so starts the day with a full charge. Any suggestions on how to bring the average back up a bit, or do I need to accept that there will be times when I feel smug and times when I get depressed?
On another front, it does seem as if various reviews are missing a critical point about the PHEV. It is a comfortable ol' bus with no performance pretensions. It reminds me a little of a Saab 9-5 estate I used to own: big, slightly saggy and definitely biased towards more leisurely progress. On the plus side, I'm not sure if there is another EV on the market that can take the volume of clobber that you can squeeze into a PHEV. My current record is 45 pairs of boots, in boxes, or four large cardboard boxes. Other EVs may (or may not, don't really know) be more efficient but quantity has a quality all of its own.
Thanks again for the help that the forum provides. Despite the technology, the PHEV is not exactly PnP for new users. This from someone who has been sad enough to read the manual. Twice.
Flatcoat
The first key point seems to be that the PHEV is very dependent on driving style. After the first few days' driving like a nun (--.- MPG), I've fallen off the wagon a bit, with several 100+ mile days and limited recharging on site. My average is now just south of 50mpg which isn't bad for a 2000kg vehicle but the contrast between predominantly EV driving and ICE use is a bit frustrating. Most of my usage is on rural roads, so I'm not able to make the most of cruise control and steady speed cruising. Internal temperature is kept at 18, aircon is off (unless car starts to steam up), ECO mode used as a default (although it would be ideal if this was activated as the default on startup). Where possible, I plug in on site but being realistic sometimes I can't schedule my days to allow for 4 hours on site simply to recharge the battery. It's plugged in religiously every evening, so starts the day with a full charge. Any suggestions on how to bring the average back up a bit, or do I need to accept that there will be times when I feel smug and times when I get depressed?
On another front, it does seem as if various reviews are missing a critical point about the PHEV. It is a comfortable ol' bus with no performance pretensions. It reminds me a little of a Saab 9-5 estate I used to own: big, slightly saggy and definitely biased towards more leisurely progress. On the plus side, I'm not sure if there is another EV on the market that can take the volume of clobber that you can squeeze into a PHEV. My current record is 45 pairs of boots, in boxes, or four large cardboard boxes. Other EVs may (or may not, don't really know) be more efficient but quantity has a quality all of its own.
Thanks again for the help that the forum provides. Despite the technology, the PHEV is not exactly PnP for new users. This from someone who has been sad enough to read the manual. Twice.
Flatcoat