GX3h or GX4h?

[DivineComedian]

I've pretty much decided to order a new MY2016 3h or 4h, but I'm struggling to choose between the two variants.

Unfortunately, there's a pretty big price differential (4k-ish) between them and I don't particularly like or want leather seats which seems to account for much of the mark-up. However I really, really want reversing/360 degree camera, sat nav and LED headlights - it's disappointing that they can't be ordered as standalone options. Powered tailgate and DAB would be nice but not essential. Pre-heat and remote app I already have on my Nissan LEAF and I rarely use it these days, so I don't value it for my own particular circumstances.

Any advice on what I should go for? Thanks in advance.

 

[Regulo]

I'd always go for the best spec I could afford. In the past I've not done that, and found myself wishing for things I hadn't got! Only you can decide what you want/need for your own circumstances though.

 

[maby]

I've pretty much decided to order a new MY2016 3h or 4h, but I'm struggling to choose between the two variants.

Unfortunately, there's a pretty big price differential (4k-ish) between them and I don't particularly like or want leather seats which seems to account for much of the mark-up. However I really, really want reversing/360 degree camera, sat nav and LED headlights - it's disappointing that they can't be ordered as standalone options. Powered tailgate and DAB would be nice but not essential. Pre-heat and remote app I already have on my Nissan LEAF and I rarely use it these days, so I don't value it for my own particular circumstances.

Any advice on what I should go for? Thanks in advance.

Do bear in mind that the Nissan LEAF is a pure electric car, so there is no petrol engine to start. A GX3h without pre-heat is either very cold in the winter, or it burns petrol to warm up - does that matter to you? Personally, I don't care, but there have been a fair few disgruntled GX3h owners here complaining that they are unable to run pure EV without getting cold. The GX3h+ does have the electric heater fitted and only costs a few hundred more than the most basic model.

 

[DivineComedian]

I assume that the electric heater in the 3h+ is of the resistive type and not a heat pump? In my Mk1 Leaf the heater uses 2-5KW of power in cold weather. I always thought that burning fuel to heat the cabin was of comparable efficiency and therefore I also fall into the 'not bothered' category, unless someone on this forum has done the analysis to prove me wrong?

 

[Wobblydeb]

Have you tried driving and parking both versions?

We were like you - really didn't want leather seats, and had expected to buy a GX3h+. During our extended test drive we took it to the multi-story car park I regularly use. The parking sensors are close to useless - far worse than other cars we have tested. I was being so careful manoeuvring the beast it was untrue.

We talked to the dealer about adding after market satnav and parking cameras - about £1500 and wouldn't be Mitsu, so some integrations issues. Still a saving on the £3k price difference between the models. However I worried that cost would be lost when we come to trade in the car, so we decided to test drive the 4h.

All it took was one reverse park and I was sold! It made using the PHEV in small spaces SO much easier, and I could see how daily life would be far less stressful as a result. The full display, sat nav, heated seats and steering wheel were all added "nice to haves". Add in the fact that buying the 4h means that we get full value on trade-in and we decided to stump up the extra cash. The leather seats were not as horrible/cold as I had expected so I'm going to have to get accustomed to them

In summary - definitely go try them both out before deciding!

 

[maby]

I assume that the electric heater in the 3h+ is of the resistive type and not a heat pump? In my Mk1 Leaf the heater uses 2-5KW of power in cold weather. I always thought that burning fuel to heat the cabin was of comparable efficiency and therefore I also fall into the 'not bothered' category, unless someone on this forum has done the analysis to prove me wrong?

The electric heating in all PHEVs is resistive, but in the cooling circuit of the engine - not a fan heater in the conventional sense. It is effectively an immersion heater in the water side of the heat exchanger that provides the heating.

Whether of not that is acceptable to you is rather a matter of taste really and probably depends very much on your pattern of usage. In cold weather - as in an average British winter - EV range can easily be less than 20 miles. If your daily journey is significantly more than that, you are going to burn petrol anyway, so it does not really matter that much if the car burns petrol to warm up - arguably it is more efficient than using up your charge to heat up. Those here that object strongly tend to be the ones whose daily journey is short and the battery could realistically provide both the heating and the motive power.

 

[anko]

Those here that object strongly tend to be the ones whose daily journey is short and the battery could realistically provide both the heating and the motive power.

Can't speak for all, but I totally agree that during "beyond EV range" trips, using engine heat is much more efficient than using an electric heater. No doubt.

But also be aware that, as it turns out, even on some "within EV range" trips, the car may not allow you to run in pure EV mode, unless you are willing to turn of the heater completely.

 

[Mitssupplier]

I've pretty much decided to order a new MY2016 3h or 4h, but I'm struggling to choose between the two variants.

Unfortunately, there's a pretty big price differential (4k-ish) between them and I don't particularly like or want leather seats which seems to account for much of the mark-up. However I really, really want reversing/360 degree camera, sat nav and LED headlights - it's disappointing that they can't be ordered as standalone options. Powered tailgate and DAB would be nice but not essential. Pre-heat and remote app I already have on my Nissan LEAF and I rarely use it these days, so I don't value it for my own particular circumstances.

Any advice on what I should go for? Thanks in advance.

From what you say its got to be the GX4h as you cant get the 360 skyview cameraon the GX3h. However if you can manage with just a rear camera I would go with the GX3h and specify the Kenwood DAB Multimedia with rear camera which is a dealer fitted option.

 

[lg1726]

I have the pre-face lift 4h which has the reversing camera and today had parking sensors fitted as I have found the camera to be worse than useless! It's fine in ok light, but its usefulness diminishes with the light; then if there's bright sunlight on the screen, its of limited use; in rain, sleet or snow, then the camera lens can get droplets on it making the screen image useless.

Am about to pop out now and make use of the parking sensors for the first time - we have a dark driveway (new external light being fitted tomorrow) with a tight reverse turn into a narrow entrance, but which widens out once through the gateway. Parking at night has been a nightmare(!) since getting the PHEV as the previous car had rear sensors and we have seriously missed that!

Personally, I wouldn't make the reversing camera a deal breaker!

 

[SolarBoy]

Go for the best you feel you want to spend?

I haven't had a new car since 2002 so decided to treat myself.

I was worried about myself or the Mrs switching over to an automatic so went with the version GX4hs as it comes with a radar thingiemabob that supposedly stops you crashing into the car in front. Plus the 360 camera is a must as driving the Outlander moving from a Ford Focus is a big leap.

Do consider the GX3h+ at a minimum, it has some extra equipment such as the electric pre-heat.

 

[greendwarf]

I have a Gx3h and have never missed the reversing camera. I find using wing mirrors plus the sensors perfectly adequate although the latter is more sensitive than I expected - still have plenty of room behind when the beeps go continuous.

Rarely need to heat the car, even at present temps, for the sort of short urban drives I mainly do.

So I'm perfectly happy with the base model

Also, I always understood that you never got back the cost of "extras" on re-sale.

 

[DazzyB]

I have the 3h+ and am very happy with it.
I prefer the seats to full leather but still get the benefit of heated front seats and the pre-heat function, which I do use every day at the moment.

The reversing sensors are fine, my wife goes from her Chevy Spark (tiny) to the Outlander and has no problem parking it anywhere. I always prefer to use my phone for satnav as the apps are constantly developing and integrate into google search etc. So I didn't consider the reversing camera or the MMCS to be important to me.

 

[Barnfather]

I know most will know this already, so just adding here for clarity for people browsing.

The GX4h does not have a straightforward 'reversing camera', but rather has a '360' or 'Birds-Eye View' camera similar to that found in recent Nissans.

This has a reversing camera, but also connects various other camera views (from the sides and front) to create an image of the car as if viewed from above. In my limited experience, of the Nissan variety, this is massively better for reversing than just having a reversing camera stuck on the back.

 

[Casper]

I've pretty much decided to order a new MY2016 3h or 4h, but I'm struggling to choose between the two variants.

Unfortunately, there's a pretty big price differential (4k-ish) ...

Any advice on what I should go for? Thanks in advance.

I had this dilemma over a year ago but I think using car wow reduced differential by about £2k and the prospect of heated leather seats, sat nav, electric sunshine roof and remote heating were easily worth the extra. I use mine mostly in EV mode throughout winter snow and ice up in the northern hills so must be getting some payback over 3h price if it keeps reverting to petrol. My 4h is parked outside a remote heating removes ice, whilst heated seat keeps it warm enough to run in EV mode. Sat Nav is now an essential requirement for me anyway and although I have a portable Garmin which I have use on hired cars everywhere, it's screen feels so tiny compared to outlanders.

 

[DivineComedian]

I use mine mostly in EV mode throughout winter snow and ice up in the northern hills so must be getting some payback over 3h price if it keeps reverting to petrol.

Thanks - does the GX4h use the electric heater instead of the ICE to warm the car during normal driving, i.e. instead of the ICE starting up? I thought the electric heater was only used during pre-heat phase, but perhaps I'm wrong.

 

[greendwarf]

I think he was saying that by using the heated seats alone he doesn't have the problem of the ICE starting to provide cabin heating. This is essentially the same way I drive my Gx3h, except I have a cold bum :lol:

 

[Regulo]

Thanks - does the GX4h use the electric heater instead of the ICE to warm the car during normal driving, i.e. instead of the ICE starting up? I thought the electric heater was only used during pre-heat phase, but perhaps I'm wrong.

It's a bit "Fuzzy logic". Depends on the outside temperature, inside set temperature, throttle setting, required power etc. etc. In reasonably warm weather, the heater will not require the engine to start, but below about 7C the engine will start if you have any moderate temperature set on the dial.

 

[Casper]

I think he was saying that by using the heated seats alone he doesn't have the problem of the ICE starting to provide cabin heating. This is essentially the same way I drive my Gx3h, except I have a cold bum :lol:

Correct the heated seats are sufficient, if you get inside a warm car you can easily avoid the the engine starting up if that's what you want. Using the heated seats doesn't seem to impact EV miles range much so must be quite efficient use of energy. I was so impressed with them in outlander bought cheap version from Lidyl at about £15 for my gen 1 Leaf which is very cold car with poor inefficient heating. It came with a cigarette lighter ( DC) connector and 3 pin (AC) plug so I was able to check its power use being about 10-15 W ( several massage modes) but although this worked fine I suspect it was reason a fuse went later ( not when it was actually being used)
With petrol being so cheap for forseeable future I wouldn't particularly worry about the petrol engine kicking in as I understand you do need to burn it now and then to stop it going stale. It's quite possible with my PHEV to run for months without using petrol because I live in NE where there are loads of charging points which I tend to use for destination charging/parking.
Also the sat nav screen can be set for showing energy flow demonstrating when the engine kicks in. I've just come in from a drive where it was clear with the heating in the normal default off setting even on steep banks in EV mode with the temp setting at 23 c the engine only kicks in when either you switch autoheat or screen demist buttons on. I used to leave heating on in my ICE when it was waste byproduct but if you drive an EV you have to accept that heat no longer comes free.