Hybrid Vehicles
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MntnMan62
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I know this is an old thread but I find it pertinent as my current vehicle now has 150,000 miles on it. It's a 2012 Audi A6 3.0T. And it's getting a bit tired looking. Mechanic said to listen for a noise when I start up the car. He was referring to the timing chain. No way am I going to spend that kind of money on this car. So I've begun looking into what to replace it with. As a divorced guy (about 4 years now), who plays drums, does some minor home improvement projects and is looking to buy a second house in the Adirondack mountains, I'm looking for one car that hits all the buttons. And I think I've settled on another Audi. This time an A6 Allroad. It's what they call a "mild hybrid". I gather that means it has a small electric motor that kicks on for highway driving. I don't want full electric for the same reasons others have said no. Infrastructure just isn't there yet. I like the A6 over the A4 version because I need the extra cargo space for the drums. Also, I prefer the ride of a larger car, especially on the highway. I plan on heading up to the Adirondacks more often going forward so I want something that feels luxury on the road. The extra ground clearance will only be moderately useful since I have no plans of doing any real off road driving other than to get to the cabin that I am either renting or will ultimately buy. And as a mid sized Audi, it offers me enough sport for me to enjoy those winding mountain back roads. And I just happen to love the way it looks. An added bonus is that the gas mileage is understated by the manufacturer as several reviews I have read indicated overall mileage will end up being in the mid 30's. That's significantly better than I am getting now. Biggest issue is how pricey it is and since it's not very popular, the ability to find what I want used with low mileage will be a challenge. But I'll try that first. And if I don't find it then I guess I'll have to buy new, although I really don't want to do that. But it won't be the end of the world. I imagine this could be the last car I ever buy for myself, other than a Triumph TR6 which could be a toy that I add to the mix. Anyway, I'll go hybrid electric, not full electric.
That is a difficult choice to make and I hope whatever you do choose works for you. I am not looking forward to possibly having to choose in the future.
Bob
MntnMan62
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The alternative is the Volvo V90 Cross Country. But the gas mileage is significantly worse than the Audi. Road noise is higher in the Volvo. I believe they said the ride is more plush with the Audi. And the interior of the Audi is top notch in my opinion. The Volvo is about $10,000 less. But, Volvo is now owned by Geely, a Chinese parent. I have owned a Volvo S60 in the past and really enjoyed that car. But that was back when Ford owned Volvo. I think I've made my choice. Audi A6 Allroad Premium Plus with the 6 cylinder turbo.
Mike Smart
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Iv got a BMW X5 Hybrid and is first class
mind you mine isn’t plug in Hybrid
mind you mine isn’t plug in Hybrid
DesertIguana
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Gas is king.
Bob65
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Obviously, I'm speaking about the Italian situation, the one I know.
Right now, buying a fully electric car is pure madness, from my perspective.
There's practically no charging infrastructure, and in Italy, full of historic cities with residents living in old houses (like me), installing solar panels is unthinkable.
As usual, legislators have passed regulations without even considering the implications.
Let me give you an example.
My example.
I live in the historic center in a building built in the late 1700s. Finding parking, even with a residents' permit, is very difficult (so many cars, so few spaces).
Luckily, there's a multi-story parking lot next to my house, which, with a monthly pass, allows me to park relatively safely at any time of day.
The parking lot has about 250 spaces.
And not even a charging station for electric cars.
Even thinking about electrifying some of them is pure madness.
How do they plan to transition from fossil-fueled cars to electric cars without first creating charging infrastructure?
Right now, buying a fully electric car is pure madness, from my perspective.
There's practically no charging infrastructure, and in Italy, full of historic cities with residents living in old houses (like me), installing solar panels is unthinkable.
As usual, legislators have passed regulations without even considering the implications.
Let me give you an example.
My example.
I live in the historic center in a building built in the late 1700s. Finding parking, even with a residents' permit, is very difficult (so many cars, so few spaces).
Luckily, there's a multi-story parking lot next to my house, which, with a monthly pass, allows me to park relatively safely at any time of day.
The parking lot has about 250 spaces.
And not even a charging station for electric cars.
Even thinking about electrifying some of them is pure madness.
How do they plan to transition from fossil-fueled cars to electric cars without first creating charging infrastructure?
Seems that in most countries mandating the change to EVs have put the cart before the horse when it comes to having a good charging infrastructure in place from the beginning. Also, there has been no mandated standardisation of plugin types or charging rates either. Most countries appear not to have given much thought as to where they are going to get the extra electrical capacity that the mandated change to EVs will bring on top of even more electrical capacity needed for AI. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out in the long run but to give credit where it is due they seem to have at least built a better can of worms.
Bob
Bob
Bob65
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Whether it will be better or worse, time will tell, as always.
Although, frankly, I don't see how we'll be able to meet the deadline.
Meanwhile, one thing is certain: all non-Western automotive industries, especially European ones, are suffering from a profound crisis, which in my opinion will only worsen with the advent of electric propulsion, the resources of which are practically entirely in the hands of China.
Which will wipe us out in this production segment as well.
China plays the long game and saw an opportunity to capture the market in certain raw materials that would become critical in the years to come. They also saw a critical weakness in Capitalism, greed, and used that to become a world leading producer of consumer goods. Meanwhile, western countries in which include the EU have fallen into disarray amongst themselves weakening their position as a counterbalance to an emerging world power that China is. The future ain't looking good for the western countries.
Bob
Bob65
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Correct analysis.
Fortunately for them and unfortunately for us, China's "silent capitalism" is eroding what remains of Western production at a logarithmic rate.
But not only that.
As far as Italy is concerned, even domestic production, such as the much-vaunted haute couture industry, heralded worldwide as an example of Made in Italy excellence, has been in the hands of Chinese artisans operating in our country for years, creating designer labels of the moment in dormitory-like workshops, sold worldwide at stratospheric prices.
I'm not sold on hybrids because now you have to operating systems to maintain - gas and electric
Buddy is sold on Prius', but keep complaining about the maintenance and break down costs. He puts allot of miles on it. He's on his third. Not sure I understand his logic but hey, it's his choice
Friends on the left coast of the US have the same story. Big upkeep costs and certain places you have to wait for a mechanic to become available to work on it.
Since the post deviated from it's original post, I'll comment on a few of them
Son got a Chevy Bolt. He loves it but it in the shop about 3x/year for something not covered under warranty.
Buddy is sold on Prius', but keep complaining about the maintenance and break down costs. He puts allot of miles on it. He's on his third. Not sure I understand his logic but hey, it's his choice
Friends on the left coast of the US have the same story. Big upkeep costs and certain places you have to wait for a mechanic to become available to work on it.
Since the post deviated from it's original post, I'll comment on a few of them
Great idea. Great driving vehicle. But I've know three people who loved their Volvo until they had to change the tranny at 90,000 miles for around $10,000 US. This is a local repair shop not the dealership.
Son got a Chevy Bolt. He loves it but it in the shop about 3x/year for something not covered under warranty.
We're seeing this fight now with energy in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. But electric cars are not what's affecting the power grid. It's data centers.
I'm still the this phase. I drive a jacked up Jeep Wrangler. When I first got a Wrangler, a Prius driver came up to me in a parking lot and said "I get over 50 mpg. What do you get in that Jeep?" I responded with "I get laid"