I am thinking about purchasing a 23 or 24 plate plug in hybrid. My current car is a 2020 D3 R-Design Pro. I have ruled out a mild hybrid due to poor fuel consumption.
Not sure whether to go for a T4 or T5 plug in hybrid. I will be test driving both over the next week or so.
I was hoping someone could give me realistic mpg for both cars.
Yes, I know it depends on how you drive......
Thanks
T4 or T5 plug in hybrid.
Hi
I have had a T4 phev for eighteen months and in general I have been happy with the car with the exception of the power of the ice engine on it’s own without battery assist it is only 130bhp and it can struggle and hence be a little noisy. I wanted a T5 when I bought the T4 but at the time you could only get the T5 in ultimate spec over £5K more.
So for me it’s the T5 without doubt, the T5 ice engine is 197 bhp + 80 bhp from the electric motor,using my car in ice engine only I get 45-50 mpg on a run of a road and motorway.
Just one further point, and without wishing to offend other T4 owners is the trade in value, I am interested in going full electric and asked for a partex valuation, car was £40k new in May 23, gmv at the end of pcp agreement is £26 k . Trade in value now £24400 !!! That was from a Volvo main dealer. When I asked him why such a drop in value he mentioned the electric range and the fact that it is a T4 phev
I have had a T4 phev for eighteen months and in general I have been happy with the car with the exception of the power of the ice engine on it’s own without battery assist it is only 130bhp and it can struggle and hence be a little noisy. I wanted a T5 when I bought the T4 but at the time you could only get the T5 in ultimate spec over £5K more.
So for me it’s the T5 without doubt, the T5 ice engine is 197 bhp + 80 bhp from the electric motor,using my car in ice engine only I get 45-50 mpg on a run of a road and motorway.
Just one further point, and without wishing to offend other T4 owners is the trade in value, I am interested in going full electric and asked for a partex valuation, car was £40k new in May 23, gmv at the end of pcp agreement is £26 k . Trade in value now £24400 !!! That was from a Volvo main dealer. When I asked him why such a drop in value he mentioned the electric range and the fact that it is a T4 phev
T4 recharge, plus spec, 23my
T5 plugin-hybrid has a 3 cylinder 1.5 liter engine with 180 HP coupled with an electric motor with 82 HP.
The 197 HP engine is the 4 cylinder 2.0 liter engine found in the mild-hybrid B4.
I’ve had a 23 plate T5 PHEV for a couple of months and am still getting used to it. My usage is quite consistent - mostly local 2-5 mile journeys which the XC40 does on electric in the default hybrid mode, and a long motorway run about once a month. The electric only range is a bit disappointing TBH averaging about 20 miles. In hybrid mode, it seems to use the battery first, then move to ICE/hybrid unless you manually set it to maintain charge. On the longer runs I think I am getting about 50mpg but haven’t tested it properly.
eugen61 is correct, it is a 3 pot 1.5L engine, but it feels poky enough. You do need to drive differently though when using the ICE, it needs more revs.
eugen61 is correct, it is a 3 pot 1.5L engine, but it feels poky enough. You do need to drive differently though when using the ICE, it needs more revs.
For all the additional weight, complexity, initial cost and subsequent depreciation it hardly seems worth buying to save a couple of quid in petrol bills. Or am I missing something?
XC40 MY24 B4 Ultimate Dark, Black Leather, Crystal White, 20" Rims
Lincolnshire England.
Lincolnshire England.
Here is real world Mpg calculated from fuel used.
The last month included driving up to Scotland, doing a fair bit of the Nc500 then back down to the Lakes for a couple of days then home.
This was all done with just the initial charge, for this week and a bit it was 42mpg.
This is a T5 Recharge PHEV with Polestar, I don't thrash it but I also don't drive for economy.
The car is charging every day at home with the granny cable, my wife does 10 to 15 miles per day on fully electric.
It has plenty of power but if giving it the beans you will feel a pause in acceleration at 58 ish mph as the electric motor shifts from 2nd 4th, once above this it picks up speed very rapidly.
The last month included driving up to Scotland, doing a fair bit of the Nc500 then back down to the Lakes for a couple of days then home.
This was all done with just the initial charge, for this week and a bit it was 42mpg.
This is a T5 Recharge PHEV with Polestar, I don't thrash it but I also don't drive for economy.
The car is charging every day at home with the granny cable, my wife does 10 to 15 miles per day on fully electric.
It has plenty of power but if giving it the beans you will feel a pause in acceleration at 58 ish mph as the electric motor shifts from 2nd 4th, once above this it picks up speed very rapidly.
MY21 T5 Recharge R Design Pro in Bursting Blue with all the options. I have added mud flaps, floor and boot protection and Polestar, with 2 years service and warranty.
PHEVs do tend to divide opinion. I think it depends on your typical use. For me, I can do my daily journeys around town for a whole week without using any petrol, then have a reasonably efficient engine for the longer trips. The initial price differential is less marked in the used market and I don't think the engineering is any more complex than the mild hybrid set up that seems to be becoming the norm.
Personally, I like the drive of EVs and would go fully electric if I could. Unfortunately it isn't feasible for me to install a home charger although I do have access to a domestic socket. Also, where I visit family in the North West, public chargers are few and far between.
It's a shame Volvo didn't do a next gen PHEV for the XC40 like they have with the XC60, which has a claimed 50 mile electric range. Even if it only achieves 40 miles, that would be a lot more useful.
XC40 PHEV features a unique drivetrain with its electric motor connected to the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, a design that faced challenges in achieving economies of scale, especially considering it was discontinued after only three years. Volvo’s current PHEV drivetrain setup combining an ICE-powered front-wheel drive with an electric rear-wheel drive having an 80-mile pure electric range cannot be adapted to fit the XC40 platform due to architectural and space limitations.
It ultimately depends on the use case. For someone driving daily in city traffic and having access to affordable electricity (such as a night tariff at home), the additional purchase cost of a plug-in hybrid could be offset by the savings from pure electric driving in urban settings. Before choosing my missus new car, we conducted a detailed cost-benefit analysis and found that a traditional hybrid would be the most cost-effective option for our specific needs.
