New Car advice, maybe a Hybrid

[Brighty]

Hi all

Looking for some car advice, either specifically on the 2 models below, or non plug in hybrids in general.

My current car, a leased Skoda Octavia Estate 2L TDI, goes back in December (option to extend for up to 6 months). In the current climate I’m at a bit of a loss what to do, lease prices have gone silly, cant find anything anywhere near the £250 a month I’m paying now. Used prices are crazy, new lead times also crazy, but I have up to 11 months to play with.

Have 2 kids, 11&9 who are both over 5ft, so likely getting big soon, also 2 dogs, so boot space is key.

Spoke to the broker who I did the Octavia deal with yesterday, Octavias and Superbs are over £500 a month, crazy, but they do have an ‘offer’ on the Kodiaq, so I can get the basic-ish SE Drive spec, which has pretty much everything I need. The reason I opted for the SE drive, is it’s the only model available with 5 rather than 7 seats, don’t need 7 seats and it just robs boot space. Offer is £340 in 1.5 petrol or £375 for the 2.0 diesel. 1.5 times what I’m paying now, but seems I don’t have many other options. Not keen on the petrol, it may feel a bit under powered. The diesel I know well, get 50 mpg in the octy, but how badly will diesel get punished over the next 3-4 years? Other down side to the Kodiaq is those prices are for the freebie ‘energy blue’ paint, which I find ok on my octy, but may be a bit much in a Kodiaq being so much bigger?

He then threw in a curve ball, Hyundai Tucson 1.6 petrol non plug in hybrid, 230 HP. Basic but reasonably generous ‘SE Connect’ spec for £340 or step up the the very generously and sporty spec ‘N Line S’ for £375, same price as the Kodiaq diesel, but lots of standard gadgets, panoramic sunroof, upgraded stereo, metallic paint of my choice included. A slightly smaller car, but on paper boot seems ok, but will look at one in the flesh to be sure.

Torn now, never had or driven a hybrid. How are they in the real world? Is that 230HP really available whenever you need it, or do they constantly run out of puff when the battery drains? Part of my thinks i'd be mad to pay over £350 a month for a car when i'm used to £250, but not many other options. Can't spash cash on a new or newish used car, as i got the wife a new car cash at Christmas, so it's either lease or back to buying bangers.

What would you do?

[Maysie]

I don't know about the specific cars you mention above, but if it helps at all I had a Toyota Corrola estate for a 2 day hire a week ago and it was returning between 65 and 75mpg dependant upon the style of driving. It returned better MPG pottering around the backroads A/B roads with lower MPG on a long motorway blast. There was plenty of grunt, but it definitely is NOT a sports car.

The electric/petrol switching was utterly seamless and if you don't watch the rev counter it was impossible to know what power was being used. It really was a great car, loaded with tech which is usually reserved for £££ options on higher spec cars (adaptive cruise control for example), the problem is that it was as dull as 4 week old dishwater. If it were a colour it would be magnolia. Absolutely nothing about it made you smile or enjoy the journey. In nearly every way it was brilliant, but it was a car you buy with your head/wallet and leave your heart behind.

If you want a hybrid, try the specific ones you like the sound of and see what you think, as they all have their individual 'quirks'. The noisy gearbox on Toyota hybrid's being one of them...

[Ivan Drago]

I’ve got a 2 litre Toyota Corolla Touring Spirts ( estate ).

It’s the excel model and it’s been absolutely great. The mpg I tend to get from mixed driving get is around mid 50s.

The car in sports mode is very fast, the acceleration is extremely quick for a car it’s size.

The only issue i had was over lockdown and the car not being driven the car wouldn’t start as it requires to be driven for a small battery to be charged for the ignition.


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[walkerwek1958]

Why not keep what you’ve got for another couple of years and pay (or borrow) what’s required to buy it. In 2 years time the options will (hopefully) be more attractive and you’ll have the advantage of owning something still worth a few ££££ as a trade in.

Getting out of the PCP cycle is worth considering provided you accept running an older car. Running a new car for 3 years means you’re paying for the depreciation at the steepest point in the curve, however it’s dressed up that’s the reality.

With the price of fuel making us all wince it's tempting to look for the cheapest fuelling alternative, but total ownership cost should be the guiding factor and that involves doing the maths objectively. Depreciation will still be the biggest factor, whether its dressed up as PCP or not.

Running a car from 3-6 years old is likely to be the most cost-effective way to a achieve reliable motoring, you lose the kudos of a new car but overall you’re spending less.

[mjc1216]

On the piston heads lease thread most are opting to extend the lease providing they are not charging over the top and then it gives you more time to consider.

However the down side is your warranty may have expired on your lease car.

[Brighty]

Buying what i have at the end of the lease could be an option, but based on what they wanted for my wifes old lease in Dec, £16k for a 2 yr old £18k new Scala, i can see them wanting £20k or more for the octy. £20k for a 3yr old out of warranty car doesn't appeal. Extending the lease is an option, but they only allow 6months, which with current lead times means i need to make a decision now really. Plus after Dec, the car is out of warranty and i'd rather not be renting a car when maintenace is my responsibility. I'm not really in the PCP cycle, this is actually my first ever new car, generally ran bangers before this, but that got a bit tiresome and i fancied something reliable and stress free. The cost of this lease over 3 yrs actually worked out less than the expected depreciation if i'd bought it, which is why i went for it.

[thieuster]

Honda CR-V. Hybrid.

Simple, do a testdrive and take your kids. It's perhaps not the most sexy car around but it ticks all your boxes.

[Brighty]

Honda CR-V. Hybrid.

Simple, do a testdrive and take your kids. It's perhaps not the most sexy car around but it ticks all your boxes.

£150 a month more than the kodiaq or tucson, so not an option

[JonRA]

Honda CR-V. Hybrid.

Simple, do a testdrive and take your kids. It's perhaps not the most sexy car around but it ticks all your boxes.

Definitely worth trying - I have one and I love the drivetrain. Instant torque (ok, it's not exactly sporty but it feels sporty) and around 49mpg. Very comfortable and very practical.


Edit - just seen your response. A shame.

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[xxnick1975]

Petrol kodiaq

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[wileeeeeey]

Petrol kodiaq. Have family with the Koroq and it puts the 2.0L petrol XC90 to shame. Rapid.

Shame the CRV is so expensive and it doesn't come with the pan roof but great cars. I nearly bought one but to get a 360 camera it needed to be a brand new factory order and was something like £1.5k extra. Was much cheaper to get a 3 year old GLC with 360 back then.

[reecie]

The view that shows like Fully Charged have is that hybrids are pointless now. They were more of an initial enabler for acceptance of electric vehicles. You have the worse of both worlds in that you are lugging a full ICE around with a tiny battery in a more complex drive system. Just get a full EV if you want to go electric as range anxiety is not really a thing now.

[Chicken Pox]

I might have missed it but what is your annual mileage? Do you do lots of short journey that would be electric only from the hybrid? Do you do lots of journeys that are long motorways? Does it have to be a larger vehicle (presume it's the family wagon and the mrs has a Boxter? ;0) )

[Mr Nuttington]

I ran the 1.5 petrol in an Octavia for a couple of years (a 68 reg hatch) - it was far from gutless (150bhp ) and very economical so I wouldn’t rule it out without giving one a try. Prior to that I had a 1.4t Audi A4 and that also was really impressive given its capacity - remarkable what they can get out of these smaller petrol turbos.

That said I then jumped off the leasing merry go round and have gone cheap and cheerful used for the last 18 months which has worked out ok so far.

[Passenger]

Another vote for the KODIAQ...another happy KAROQ owner.

[dougair]

Petrol kodiaq. Have family with the Koroq and it puts the 2.0L petrol XC90 to shame. Rapid.

I know where I’d rather sit though!

[Brighty]

I might have missed it but what is your annual mileage? Do you do lots of short journey that would be electric only from the hybrid? Do you do lots of journeys that are long motorways? Does it have to be a larger vehicle (presume it's the family wagon and the mrs has a Boxter? ;0) )

I've ruled out the Tucson, it has that stupid lane assist like my wifes old Scala had, that cant be turned off, hated it and positively dangerous on the country lanes near me, always wanting to steer you into a hedge, pedestrian or oncoming car. Kodiaq it is.

Mileage is 8-10k per year, 15 mile each way commute, plus 2 or 3 250 mile each way jaunts down south each year to visit wifes family. Had no DPF issues with my current 2.0TDI octavia. Both the petrol and diesel are 150HP, but i think i'd miss the torque of the diesel, it's going to feel sluggish compared to the smaller lighter octy anyway.

Yes, needs to be a big ish family wagon, 2 kids, 2 dogs, camping and occasional towing, wife has a mini convertible. We easily fill the octy and often have to add the roof box, so the extra space of the kodiaq will be welcome, especially as the kids are now over 5ft at 9&11yrs old, i can see my 9yr old daughter shooting up towards 6ft over the next few years. I could probably get away with the karoq, but as the kodiaq is considerably cheaper to lease at the moment than the karoq, octavia or superb, makes it a no brainer

[xxnick1975]

Good choice, my mate has one and it's a very nice vehicle

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[Liner33]

The view that shows like Fully Charged have is that hybrids are pointless now. They were more of an initial enabler for acceptance of electric vehicles. You have the worse of both worlds in that you are lugging a full ICE around with a tiny battery in a more complex drive system. Just get a full EV if you want to go electric as range anxiety is not really a thing now.

Outside of Tesla i remain unconvinced that EV are the option that many think they are. Plenty of other shows have demonstrated the pitfalls of trying to charge anywhere other than home

[reecie]

Outside of Tesla i remain unconvinced that EV are the option that many think they are. Plenty of other shows have demonstrated the pitfalls of trying to charge anywhere other than home

I guess this seems a decent summary of PHEVs

[thieuster]

I drove a full-electric Honda-e the other day. I was, apart from the gimmicks and the 'remember-the-first-Civic?' layout of the dash, not impressed by the range. The range meter dropped like a brick. Lots of raving words about the range in the sales brochure, but in real life, the car only managed to do 60% of that. Disappointing.

A full electric car is not on my list for now. A plug-in is perhaps better. But have you any idea of the costs? Installing a charger next to your home. Who pays for that or is that included in the lease? If you have to pay for that, how many tanks of fuel is that? Is the charger compatible with other car brands? (I have no idea how that works). Or do you need a new charger when you replace your plug-in after a few years?

How much does recharging cost you? I know someone who had a Tesla with those gull-wing doors. His monthly electrics bill doubled. It was a company car, but he had to pay it first and then he had to get the money back from his employer.

My previous neighbour (previous address) had Chevrolet Volt and later a Tesla 3. She only used the cars for her work and back. They have a charger next to their home and she has a charger where she works. All other driving (holidays, skiing etc) was done with her husband's BMW 3 Touring.

[Michael 38]

I guess this seems a decent summary of PHEVs

I watched this I have a phev but I have a drive and charger and charge the car at work everyday

[casbar]

Honda CR-V. Hybrid.

Simple, do a testdrive and take your kids. It's perhaps not the most sexy car around but it ticks all your boxes.

As above, had one for nearly 2 years, it is really good. I have had 2 CRVs before this one and the Hybrid is the best yet.

[Liner33]

[video=youtube;PsQORFOUgTY]

I guess this seems a decent summary of PHEVs

Few hybrids are phev, I wasn't talking about them as I have no experiences but we are on our 2nd conventional hybrid and will probably get at least one more, there are plenty of videos on YouTube demonstrating the issues of getting full EV's charged away from home (Unless its a Tesla)

[Brighty]

Cheers all

Kodiaq ordered, went for the dreaded diesel in the end, the better fuel economy will save me at least half of the extra £30 a month over the petrol and the bonus of the extra torque.

Just have to wait out the 26 week expected lead time, plus inevitable delays

[thieuster]

26 weeks! Ouch! But, that's around X-Mas! The nicest gift you can give to yourself. The Honda dealer told me that he would offer me the sum we paid for the car in May 2020! Car plants are down due to the shortage of (mainly) semiconductors. People tend to buy a second-hand car from a brand with a good reputation. (Honda in this case).

[jaytip]

Cheers all

Kodiaq ordered, went for the dreaded diesel in the end, the better fuel economy will save me at least half of the extra £30 a month over the petrol and the bonus of the extra torque.

Just have to wait out the 26 week expected lead time, plus inevitable delays

You are doing well with a 26 week wait. The Enyaq is currently running at about a years waiting.

[Brighty]

You are doing well with a 26 week wait. The Enyaq is currently running at about a years waiting.

Yeah, apparently people that ordered Kodiaqs a year ago have not long had them and deliveries now are 9 months old, seems they're catching up. Taking the 26 weeks with a large pinch of salt though, not a problem, apparently as im sticking with Skoda, I can keep what I have until it's ready