T4 Recharge PHEV or T3?

[drkash]

Hi,
I'm new to this forum and hoping for some advice. I'm looking at the XC40 and wandering which of these options would be best for me financially?

1. T3 FWD R-Design Auto
2. 1.5 T4 Recharge PHEV R DESIGN Auto

My daily commute is inner city 15-18 miles roundtrip. I don't have charging facilities at work (but shouldn't need them I gather).

My annual mileage is around 10k miles. I probably do 70 miles journeys each way every couple of weeks. Then every few months 125 mile journeys each way.

Can the PHEV be recharged at someone's home in a standard 3 pin plug socket? How long does this take?

My main question is would I save enough in petrol costs with the PHEV to justify the extra £3,500 I would need to pay over a 4 year lease?

What MPG does anyone get once the T4 PHEVs battery is depleted?

Thanks for any advice

[booke02]

My usage is quite similar to yours. I haven't done the maths, but my guess is that the extra cost of the PHEV won't be covered by your savings in petrol costs. IMHO, the advantages of the PHEV over the T3 are that it is more environmentally friendly, is quieter, and has much better torque/acceleration.

[drkash]

After doing the fuel cost calculations on both I calculate they both will cost a very similar amount over the 4 years taking into account the lease and fuel costs. I'm just wandering if in this case the PHEV is worth the extra hassle of plugging it in to charge it every night?

Or if the B4 mild hybrid is a better bet vs T3?

[Felindre]

I'll let you know in around 3 months I ordered one before Christmas!

[Peter8642]

Agreed, your usage pattern is ideal for maximising the benefit of the PHEV.

I get about 80mpg on a 70 mile trip starting with a full battery.

Journeys starting with an empty battery get about 45 mpg, better than a T3 because the PHEV still harvests braking energy, stores it in the battery and uses it to aid subsequent acceleration.

Yes, you can charge from a 13A socket, it takes 6 hours.

If you’re being really fastidious about comparing fuel costs, don’t forget to add in the electricity cost- 10KWh per charge, about £1.70 on daytime electricity, 65p on overnight economy 7 electricity, or nothing if the sun is shining and you have solar panels.

The PHEV is a much more powerful car than the T3 if you deploy petrol power, and a lovely silent smooth drive for your daily commute in pure electric mode.

Pete

[drkash]

I now have changed my mind and will buy the car outright rather than leasing it given the deal I'm getting. I intend to keep it long term (10yrs hopefully). Is there anything I should be aware of with the PHEV costing me more long term with battery & EV problems / battery replacement costs etc/ reliability? Or is going with a tried and tested T3 petrol the better option long term for reliability? Cheers

[eugen61]

If you’re really looking for tried and tested reliability, than choose B4 or B5 where the 2L engine and A8 gearbox has 5 years of user data from the entire Volvo model range. T3 and T4 Recharge have the new 1.5L 3 cylinder engine that currently is only 1 year old, not benefiting from enough user data to be as reliable as the 2L architecture. On the other hand, with a 4-5 years full warranty plan you shouldn’t worry about this topic since all problems or recalls would be covered in the future.

[drkash]

Thanks but what put me off the B4 was I read the fuel economy is particularly worse comparing it to the T3

[Rifleman]

Thanks but what put me off the B4 was I read the fuel economy is particularly worse comparing it to the T3

If fuel economy is a concern for you then don’t get an XC40 with an ICE
As aerodynamic as a brick, weighs as much as a small tank, fuel tank too small and the AWD doesn’t help either...

Looks nice though

[mr.vladis]

Thanks but what put me off the B4 was I read the fuel economy is particularly worse comparing it to the T3

If fuel economy is a concern for you then don’t get an XC40 with an ICE
As aerodynamic as a brick, weighs as much as a small tank, fuel tank too small and the AWD doesn’t help either...

Looks nice though

That's questionable. With my T3 making 38 to 45 mpg - it think it is quite a fuel economy.

All my previous cars, including diesel - were more fuel hungry.