I'm supplying real life experience of the VW ID4 :-)
EV Owners Thread
- Thread starter icowden
- Start date
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What are you after finding out?
Ask away!
One thing - we have a chargepoint on our driveway, so have only used public chargepoints a handful of times (some of those in the early days just to try them!). If you don't have space for that, then charging will become a more important consideration than it would for us.
We have had our Hyundai Kona EV for over 4 years now - 45k miles, & aside from the free battery swap (a global recall
) we've had nothing but immense admiration for this car!It does indeed.....& it is going on tour if you want to see one! We are dropping down to Northampton on 3rd Sept to take a look.
TBH, we *love* our Kona - it is simply astonishing for 80-90% of our needs.
That said, we know we ought to think about changing it in the next couple of years, so seeing the Volvo is an exploratory glimpse into alternatives - my other motor is a 2014 XC60.
I will likely drive that into the ground - the Volvo is great tool for the tip run, long journeys, moving stuff about, but the Kona is our go-to for all other duties.
- Location
- Somewhere wet & hilly in NW England.
What are you after finding out?
Ask away!
One thing - we have a chargepoint on our driveway, so have only used public chargepoints a handful of times (some of those in the early days just to try them!). If you don't have space for that, then charging will become a more important consideration than it would for us.
We have had our Hyundai Kona EV for over 4 years now - 45k miles, & aside from the free battery swap (a global recall
It does indeed.....& it is going on tour if you want to see one! We are dropping down to Northampton on 3rd Sept to take a look.
TBH, we *love* our Kona - it is simply astonishing for 80-90% of our needs.
That said, we know we ought to think about changing it in the next couple of years, so seeing the Volvo is an exploratory glimpse into alternatives - my other motor is a 2014 XC60.
I will likely drive that into the ground - the Volvo is great tool for the tip run, long journeys, moving stuff about, but the Kona is our go-to for all other duties.
The new Kona looks rather nice although on looks the Volvo beats it hands down.
The Ionic 5 looks good too but it is fairly expensive snd too large for what would be a local runabout for us.
It looks like the EV revolution is missing Cumbria - nothing nearby re the Volvo tour.
- Location
- Somewhere wet & hilly in NW England.
I was referring to the baby Tesla and ID2 in that sentence.
The ID4 looks nice as does the reworked 3.
ID2 is what interests us but is still 2-3 years away.
The ID1 should be a game-changer too. Whether the price point of £17k can be met is moot.
Probably too small for us although confusion reigns as I've read that both the ID1 and ID2 are polo sized.
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
It goes like a scalded cat, so it shouldn't take Volvo long to get one to you.
Well, maybe the newer 2024 Kona might look good in comparison...but we may find out when we see the Volvo in the flesh.
We drove the Ionic 5 - very futuristic vehicle, bodes well for the next Kona (which shares some similarities), but I agree, too big for our needs.
If I remember, I will report back after seeing the Volvo - it does look very nice.
Indeed. It essentially comes down to cost and what you expect in terms of technology. At the moment VW cannot hold a candle to Tesla in terms of the tech, and the equipment tends to be a level down.
Certainly at the ID4 level, the main competitor is Tesla Y. The Tesla has electronic seats with memory and a self opening boot. The VW has neither. And when it comes to the dash "tablet" the ID4 is streets behind Tesla with slow and often clunky software that can be a pain to use. The Adaptive Cruise Control isn't particularly bright and the VW has trouble with corners and hills (i.e. car in front goes over the top of the hill, ID4 immediately speeds up as no car is in front) giving a patchy and often uncomfortable ride.
It is however (IMHO) more comfortable than the Y and I do like the looks and the headlights. And the fact that it is electric.
- Location
- Somewhere wet & hilly in NW England.
It is a quick beast although tbh I got the performance bug out of my head back in the 90's & 00's with a string of hot hatches and then some fast German execu-barges.
Seems a bit shallow looking back.
The Volvo appeals with a reasonable starting price, cracking exterior looks (imo) and a very classy interior.
Only downer I can see is there are no analogue controls for climate.
- Location
- Somewhere wet & hilly in NW England.
Do ACC's generally do that? - we have it on our T.Cross and haven't noticed it, although tbh it is only used on the M'way (ie rare for us) and some Cumbrian A roads.
BoldonLad
Not part of the Elite
- Location
- South Tyneside
There are "small" EVs available now, but, all of those I have looked at (online) appear to have poor range. I am no expert, but, I assume this is down to battery size, ie, you cannot fit a big battery in a small car. Unless battery technology improves, it would seem to me that if you want "good" range (ie 200miles +) then, the lowest you can come in size is Golf or Focus size.
But, as I said, I am no expert, I don't actually have an EV, the nearest real life experience I have is my Son-in-law who has a Cupra Born. He has had it for about six months, replacing a BMW 1 M Sport. So far, he is happy and impressed with the Born.
It's going to depend on the programming. The ID4s isn't great. Tesla obviously use Autopilot AI so it's massively refined and pretty intelligent.
It's pretty much exactly that. The new CATL super dense batteries look like they might be a game changer once commercially viable, so we may see that change in around 2025.
I do dislike the enthusiasm for screen-only control. Puts me right off Teslas, to be honest 🤷♂️
Climate especially - much easier to reach for knob to raise the fan speed or change the temperature, than divert eyes to a screen. The Kona has a good mix (IMHO).
Adaptive cruise is a brilliant feature….even on my 9yr old Volvo, it is superb 💪
lazybloke
Today i follow the flying spaghetti monster
- Location
- Leafy Surrey
My folks got an ioniq 5 about 1-2 yrs ago. Am still not sure about the styling of it, or some other EVs, but do like VWs and really sat up when i saw the ad for the new volvo.
Am still only a prospective buyer, and EV options seemed sparse or weird to me for ages, but there's an exciting wider choice exploding onto the market now.
Am also liking the proliferation of press releases about battery advances : new lithium ion formulations, and many mentions of solid state cells.
Or what really activates my nerd-sense is the apparent commercial reality of sodium-ion cells with stability benefits, availability of the headline ingredient, and tolerance of deep/total discharge.
Why do you need to reach for a knob? If you have climate control all you do is set the thermostat. No need to change it.
