Outlander Phev

I've already noticed a dearth of chargers in Aberdeen, even with our apparent lack of EV uptake.
It's only going to get worse as they grow in popularity and the council fails to keep up.
I'm going to start hanging around charging points with my phone on video, they're potential flash points.

 

Thought you may like a few comments from somebody who own's an Outlander PHEV.
I have the MY2016 GX4Hs - so top spec (unless they actually released the GX5 yet? - haven't looked).

Looks/Style
Let's be honest, they're not the best looking motors, however the MY2016 is huge improvement over the previous model. The Higher spec's get LED lights etc which make a huge difference and make it look more expensive. I also added the bodykit and the 'Outlander' badge on the bonnet, which again give's it more style and makes it look that bit better than the standard models.

Interior
Leather throughout, again nicer than the previous model.
There's also plenty of plastics and you can definitely see the Outlander heritage of a 4x4 utility vehicle rather than a luxury car. The plastics used a pretty cheap in honesty.
Buttons and switches used are a wierd mix of new and old. It's like somebody designed a new car but went to the 1990's part bin when they ran out of new switches to use.
Plenty of space, cubby holes and big door pockets mean it's ideal for the wife to fill full of crap... sorry, i meant ideal for the family.

Gadgets
My model has plenty of stuff to keep most entertained, electric bootlid, electric seats, heated steering wheel, heating can be set on a timer for cold mornings, touch screen display, sat nav, all the usuals.
However, the integration of the display and software is horrendous - not user friendly at all.
As an example, the Sat Nav, you can choose to enter destination by Post Code.
As we all know a Post Code is unique to a single street in the UK... Yet the Outlander needs you to first select which country, then put the postcode in, then select the street (even though you only have one street to chose from because you've put in a postcode!)....
The menu systems are awkward and confusing, and the interface in general feels dated.

Performance
So, here's the biggy i guess...
On electric, it's wonderful. Quiet, smooth, in fact very strange to drive if you're not used to it.
On petrol.... it's a 2.0 4x4 from the 90's. It sound's absolutely awful!
the Auto gearbox on mine is slower than slow too. I have to plan my overtakes like never before because it takes so long to kick down and get going.
MPG is not worth talking about... you'll be lucky to see 40mpg IMO.
Charging takes about 8 hours and depending how you drive you'll whack through the battery in about 15 miles.
You can re-charge on-the-go so if you're on a motorway for example you can charge up ready for using battery when you hit a city center.
Or you can let it just sort itself out and the car will automatically choose how and when to use battery power.

One thing i would say about the car is the way it transfers between battery and engine is phenomenal... you really can't tell apart from the sound of engine suddenly appears.
The way it uses the engine/battery is great and a technical masterpiece (of course not just unique to this car).

Let's not forget the fuel tank the size of a milk carton! I'm lucky to see 250-270 miles from a tank before i'm in the station again...

Overall
Generally, the car is woeful (for a car lover). It's slow, boat like handling, fairly cheap feeling with a mediocre brand badge on it.
When you consider my model is circa £45k you have to be insane to buy one.

So, why do i have one you might ask?

The taxman!

Mine is a company car, and at the time of ordering there was practically no options for a large family hybrid and so the outlander was pretty much the only thing available that suited my requirements.
With it's 5% BIK value, i don't care what it performs like and how it handles, because with the tax i save i went out and bought a car for the weekend.

If it was my own money, i would 100% NOT buy one.
However, the tax benefits i get by having this outweigh the negatives.

Any questions feel free to ask...

 

A BIK of £2250 on a £45000 car is quite something.
Hence the fact I looked at the Volvo diesel hybrid estate.
Unfortunately, the lease company simply went into spasms when I asked for lease figures and just seemed to throw a dart at it.
They came up with something like £800 per month, simply because they'd no clue about residuals etc.
Practically double what you were paying for a lease on a decent BMW/Audi/Merc ICE car.
So while the BIK benefitted me, I couldn't put the lease forward to the MD.

 

The Volvo pricing on the V60 Hybrid has recently dropped quite a bit.
One of the guys in my place is getting one in a couple of months and i'm sure it comes in circa £600 for a 35k p/year, 3 year lease, inc maintenance.

 

I've got this car on company bik lease as well. How much are you paying for this a month if you don't mind me asking