PHEV X5s, Cayennes, etc

[lemming]

Starting to gear up the search. So interesting, this market niche. EV for 30 miles or so.

[FC]

Originally Posted by lemming

Starting to gear up the search. So interesting, this market niche. EV for 30 miles or so.

Whenever we decide to upgrade the LR4, we'll definitely go this route. The ability to go pure EV for a tens of miles is excellent for short errands, but you still have the ICE for long trips.

[JST]

The two I’d look mostly closely at are the X5 and the GLE; the GLE is interesting because it can DC fast charge, which means if you have a Level 3 charger near the office you might be able to juice up there. It’s also a bit cheaper, I think, comparably equipped, and supposedly has a bit more EV range. Downsides are that it’s a Mercedes, which means the ride/handling isn’t as sporty (though the X5 is hardly sporty) and the UI is bad. Also, it just has a four instead of a six.

Still, it’s one that I’d look at.

The Grand Cherokee PHEV is also worth a look. There too it’s a four as the ICE engine, but otherwise it looks compelling and probably a lot cheaper.

[FC]

Originally Posted by JST

The two I’d look mostly closely at are the X5 and the GLE; the GLE is interesting because it can DC fast charge, which means if you have a Level 3 charger near the office you might be able to juice up there. It’s also a bit cheaper, I think, comparably equipped, and supposedly has a bit more EV range. Downsides are that it’s a Mercedes, which means the ride/handling isn’t as sporty (though the X5 is hardly sporty) and the UI is bad. Also, it just has a four instead of a six.

Still, it’s one that I’d look at.

The Grand Cherokee PHEV is also worth a look. There too it’s a four as the ICE engine, but otherwise it looks compelling and probably a lot cheaper.

That is a big deal to me. Now, some 4's are VERY smooth (like the one in the GTI), but the "4-banger" aspect always rears its head. I've been spending time on the LR4 as my son learns to drive and, well, V8's are nice.

[SCA]

Originally Posted by FC

That is a big deal to me. Now, some 4's are VERY smooth (like the one in the GTI), but the "4-banger" aspect always rears its head. I've been spending time on the LR4 as my son learns to drive and, well, V8's are nice.

100% this. I have an extremely difficult time accepting a “4 banger” as the replacement of what was formerly a six cylinder. A 4 banger turbo in a SUV = no sale for this guy. Got to draw the line somewhere.

Edit: It appears that a vast majority of manufactures have moved or are moving to 4 bangers for their SUVs. If one desires a 6 they are definitely limited.

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by SCA

100% this. I have an extremely difficult time accepting a “4 banger” as the replacement of what was formerly a six cylinder. A 4 banger turbo in a SUV = no sale for this guy. Got to draw the line somewhere.

Edit: It appears that a vast majority of manufactures have moved or are moving to 4 bangers for their SUVs. If one desires a 6 they are definitely limited.

The 4 cylinder turbo was fine in my CX-5 for around town, but it did lack some umpf on the highway. And, it would have been sorely inadequate if full of passengers.

[Nick M3]

The problem with the 4-cylinder turbos isn't power. It's the horrible noises that they make. And they somehow seem to keep getting worse. It's not like a 4-cylinder has to sound horrendous - there's just something about the modern direct injected 4-cylinder that is extremely unpleasant.

[FC]

Originally Posted by Nick M3

The problem with the 4-cylinder turbos isn't power. It's the horrible noises that they make. And they somehow seem to keep getting worse. It's not like a 4-cylinder has to sound horrendous - there's just something about the modern direct injected 4-cylinder that is extremely unpleasant.

This.

[JST]

Yeah, and this is all compounded by aluminum blocks (which don’t dampen noise as well) and the sharp contrast between the silence of the EV motor and the roar of a coarse four.

[Jeff_DML]

Originally Posted by JST

Yeah, and this is all compounded by aluminum blocks (which don’t dampen noise as well) and the sharp contrast between the silence of the EV motor and the roar of a coarse four.

My GTI has a nice heavy iron block 4-cylinder