Driving the Leon eHybrid when battery is depleted

[fpdave]

Hi, I'm back on this forum after several years and created a new account.

I still have a trusty Mk1 Leon Cupra 225, which is still going well and with just a little rust and a water leak!

But time has come to change car I think, after 17 years with it!

I'm interested in the Cupra Leon Estate eHybrid, and have some questions about driving it:

My driving/Me:
- I do quite a lot of shortish journeys delivering my daughter to swimming, cricket, hockey, school etc, most of which will be around 10 miles round trip in a day, but sometimes will be up to 30 miles round trip, mostly on smaller A/B roads.
- I want to do day and over night trips to North Wales (150m round trip), perhaps once a month
- I'll drive into the Peak District for a 60m round trip every few weeks or so
- occasional longer trips to the lake District or Scotland, or maybe abroad, staying in Hotels/cottages etc
- I have a driveway, so expect to charge every night
- I do care about the environment
- I can be an enthusiastic driver at times.

1) whats its real world EV range - will most of my weekly journeys be covered so long as I charge overnight
2) on longer trips, say 100+ miles in a day, starting fully charged, what economy (mpg) will I likely get once the battery is depleted
3) on any trip, once the battery is depleted, what performance should I expect from the 1.4L engine?
4) is it any fun compared to my current car?

 

[G.P]

It'll be interesting to see if anyone's gone from a Mk1 to a Mk4, or the other way around even, each time I get a new car its never been as good as the previous, as for the environment, surely at present an EV just moves the pollution to a power station with a hybrid creating more pollution due to its weight both of which have other environmental issues, but we will all probably end up with 2..

 

[fpdave]

It'll be interesting to see if anyone's gone from a Mk1 to a Mk4, or the other way around even, each time I get a new car its never been as good as the previous, as for the environment, surely at present an EV just moves the pollution to a power station with a hybrid creating more pollution due to its weight both of which have other environmental issues, but we will all probably end up with 2..

a power station could be generating electricity from renewable sources (40+%) of electricity currently comes from renewables, and I am with Octopus, so the guarantee 100%, for my home charging at least.
I have to do something - for my daughter - or she will live in an even more trashed world!

 

[Fergoo]

Hi, I'm back on this forum after several years and created a new account.

I still have a trusty Mk1 Leon Cupra 225, which is still going well and with just a little rust and a water leak!

But time has come to change car I think, after 17 years with it!

I'm interested in the Cupra Leon Estate eHybrid, and have some questions about driving it:

My driving/Me:
- I do quite a lot of shortish journeys delivering my daughter to swimming, cricket, hockey, school etc, most of which will be around 10 miles round trip in a day, but sometimes will be up to 30 miles round trip, mostly on smaller A/B roads.
- I want to do day and over night trips to North Wales (150m round trip), perhaps once a month
- I'll drive into the Peak District for a 60m round trip every few weeks or so
- occasional longer trips to the lake District or Scotland, or maybe abroad, staying in Hotels/cottages etc
- I have a driveway, so expect to charge every night
- I do care about the environment
- I can be an enthusiastic driver at times.

1) whats its real world EV range - will most of my weekly journeys be covered so long as I charge overnight
2) on longer trips, say 100+ miles in a day, starting fully charged, what economy (mpg) will I likely get once the battery is depleted
3) on any trip, once the battery is depleted, what performance should I expect from the 1.4L engine?
4) is it any fun compared to my current car?

Happy to share my thoughts, although this is for the MK4 Hatch 245, but should be similar. I came from a MK3 290 DSG hatch and it's so long since I had my MK1 Cupra R and a manual for that matter it's hard to compare.

1) So many factors affect this, none more so than the outside temperature and how warm you like the cabin. Pre-heating from the mains not only heats the cabin (saving the battery from doing so) but also heats the batteries/motor so they are at a better operating temperature. So you also get more usable power for the motor, right from start. Lifting and coasting as you approach junction/roundabout as the car suggests you do, makes a difference too. You learner very quickly that your driving style has a far bigger impact on electric range than it does on MPG in a petrol car.

This time of year I've averaged low 20s on a full charge. Today I've done 18 miles and have 18% remaining on a mix of town and 50mph roads.

In the summer I've had as high as mid-30s, but that's driving very conservatively.

2) If you use the in built sav nav it will decide when to use the ICE most effectively. Looking back at my data and in December I did a 90 mile round trip averaging 78.5MPG. The further you go the more this will drop. The furthest I've gone in one go was 225 miles, which was all motorway so not ideal for battery and I averaged 54mpg.

No battery at all and your probably looking at 50MPG on the motorway, more on A roads.

3) Overall I would say mediocre. You're losing 75hp from the ICE alone and gaining 300kg in weight. That said even with a depleted battery you will usually be able to get a form of 'Boost' (motor and ICE) for a short overtake, which at low speed and in the right gear gives you a whack of torque.

With battery available and in Sports/Cupra mode the performance is 'warm'. At low speed and if you can handle the wheelspin from the torque it's reasonably brisk up to 60. At higher speeds, like pulling onto a motorway slip road I find the difference to my previous MK3 290 far more noticeable.

In Comfort mode the performance is very much set for economy. The car feels sluggish even if you kick it down. Sport/Cupra makes this far better and the car feels more brisk and alive, however ultimately your always fighting it's desire to switch the ICE off.

4) Hard to say, as it's going to be a massive change from your MK1 LCR. Ultimately it's a car that's designed for 'Warm' performance but ultimately economy vs what was a loutish hot hatch 20 years ago, using a performance Audi engine.

It's significantly more refined and comfortable thanks to technology such as the Dynamic Chassis Control, which you can really feel the difference. However, losing the manual alone, could affect how fun you find the car.

Personally I love the MK4 hybrid and don't miss my MK3.5 290, despite the well documented software gremlins, most of which are now resolved. I still find it sufficiently fun to drive on the rare occasion it finds itself in Sports/Cupra mode.

I have a similar usage to you and charging every night on Intelligent Octopus costs me circa £18 a month, which includes using some household appliances too.

For the 6K I've done in 8 months, I've averaged 104MPG, so it's saving me a small fortunate in fuel.

As always I'd recommend a test drive but ask them to charge it first, as most dealers seem to just use the ICE.

Hopefully that helps, any questions ask away.

 

[Darmik]

a power station could be generating electricity from renewable sources (40+%) of electricity currently comes from renewables, and I am with Octopus, so the guarantee 100%, for my home charging at least.
I have to do something - for my daughter - or she will live in an even more trashed world!

Octopus cannot guarantee to supply you with 100% renewable energy, they only buy renewable, what you are supplied comes from the grid…. It’s smoke and mirrors advertising from them…. Unless of course you have a dedicated feed to your house from Octopus Energy.

 

[fpdave]

It's all about Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificate.

Basically, Octopus get enough certificates to cover the energy they supply.

So yes, the individual electrons may not be green, but they pay for enough green sourced energy to supply their customers.