Anyone going from a mk3.5 1.4 (150) to a mk4 hybrid

[AndyRJones]

Just ordered the 1.4 ehybrid and i'm interested to know if anyone else has made the change from mk3.5 FR 1.4 150 to the new ehybrid and whether the car feels faster or handles better.

My old car was possibly my favourite ever vehicle in terms of how nippy it was but mainly how it was so easy to drive and handled extremely well for a low powered hatchback.

I would love some real world information on driving in hybrid mode does it perform well or does it feel heavier due to battery packs, can it still put those pesky 118d and A180 drivers in their place hahaha jokes

I will use EV mode on my commute to Manchester which is crawling traffic most of the way but some 50 / 60 mph driving and i am guessing that will be slower than the standard petrol i am used to.

 

[HazeTaze]

I have gone from the old MK3 León ST generation 5F 1.4 TSI DSG 150hp to a new Cupra Leon ST generation KL 1.4 E-Hybrid DSG 245hp.
I assume you went for the Seat E-Hybrid so maybe a little difference.

It definitely feels a lot quicker when it with the help of the electric engine kicks in. If it is illusion due to the 100% momentum directly or not i cannot answer. I mainly try to drive it all electric as much as i can as this is standard if you don't force hybrid mode or engage kickdown so the petrol engine engage. When the battery is empty you will see an increasing fuel consumption compared to the old gen probably all due to the increased weight from the battery. But combined it will use a lot less if you don't drive long distances.

You will definitely kick ass if you compare it to those cars.

 

[AndyRJones]

I have ordered the cupra Leon hatch ehybrid 245 and was just having a bit of a panic that it won’t have the same feel or drive experience that my old Leon gave me.

I don’t drive long distances my commute is 30 mile round trip in traffic and city roads and at weekends we may nip to places but never a million miles away so I think I may be able to charge every night and get the most out of it

 

[HazeTaze]

I have ordered the cupra Leon hatch ehybrid 245 and was just having a bit of a panic that it won’t have the same feel or drive experience that my old Leon gave me.

I don’t drive long distances my commute is 30 mile round trip in traffic and city roads and at weekends we may nip to places but never a million miles away so I think I may be able to charge every night and get the most out of it

Then you will be more then fine for sure! The power is there when needed but i went from throttle happy to throttle happy trying to stay all EV.

 

[yaffa0]

I also went from mk3.5 Leon 1.4 TSI (ACT engine with 150 hp, manual gears) to eHybrid (204 hp). I had the same fears. The previous Leon was just pure fun to drive. It was light, nimble, handled very well and the engine was just superb: economical when needed but powerful enough for the light vehicle. Plus the mk3.5 Leon was the most reliable car I've ever had. Nothing broke during the 4 years I had it. I only needed to do the regular maintenance service (oil/filter change). On-board computer worked without flaws, including Android Auto and Apple Carplay. Everything just worked.

Now with the eHybrid you can really notice the extra weight. It is OK to drive and the handling is actually quite nice. I have the dynamic chassis control (DCC), which helps also with the steering (progressive steering comes with DCC), but still you can feel the weight, especially when driving on bendy country roads. With eHybrid you have more torque and power and the boost the electricity gives is noticeable. I don't personally like DSG but you can live with it. With D-mode it revs too much and only in S-mode it will (surprisingly) use the torque of the two engines better.

Overall, this eHybrid is a compromise solution... If you have the possibility to continue with mk3.5 1.4 TSI ACT it may not be a bad solution. Drive few more years with it and then change to full electric car? I probably would go that route now, if I could turn back the time.