I am looking at the Formentor 1.5 e-Hybrid (latest facelift) 2wd version for my new car. For me it would be the ideal car with the electric range (usually I don't drive more than 50 km a day), the pulling force and the ability to drive long distances on holidays without charging.
But one of the important demands is that it can pull my boat / trailer combination out of a steeper boat ramp. The combination weight is between 1400 kg (3086 lbs) and 1500 kg (3307 lbs) max.
Currently I am using my European 8th gen Honda Civic (2.2 CDTI 140 hp, kerb weight 1322 kg (2915 lbs) ) to do the job. Small hatchback car, but most ramps work fine. Sadly, in my home town there is a ramp that has a slightly too steep angle. I am able to pull it out when a couple of friends help me to push the car (sounds ridiculous, but this really makes a difference). Lots of wheelspin though, but I do not mind a bit of extra wear on the tires.
I can actually manage it with almost zero wheelspin if I heavily slip the clutch, so it's not strictly a tire grip issue, it's a torque delivery bottleneck at 0 RPM. I basically have to sacrifice and burn the manual clutch just to keep the diesel engine from stalling under that initial launch load. So I would rather have wear on the tire than burned clutch plates, though.
The steeper slipway is the only struggle I have though. I haven't had any problems hauling this combination all the way from the Netherlands through the mountains of the French Alps.
Anyway, my new car should be able to do this without friends. But I am totally unsure if the Formentor can handle this. My first thought was that it would be an easy win for the Formentor because the electric motor has a massive amount of instant torque to pull it out of the water from a dead stop. I figured the massive torque of an electric motor would just take off smoothly at ultra-low speeds without needing to burn a traditional dry clutch. I might get wheelspin due to the front-wheel-drive weight transfer on the incline, but I don't mind putting my wife and kids in the front seats for some extra ballast over the front axle. But AI made some comments about how the DSG clutches slip and behave when launching on a steep incline under heavy loads, which made me doubt my assumptions. It also made some comments about an overheating protection system. I can "misuse" my Civic to haul it out the water, where the Formentor might simply refuse it a all.
So my question is, are there people over here that use the Formentor for hauling boats? How much does your combination (boat and trailer) weight? Do you have any problems with slipways? Or if there are no boaters here, maybe someone can give me some substantiated advice about how this wet DSG and e-motor setup handles steep ramps under a 1500 kg (3307 lbs) load?
Note: I know the 4wd would be a better choice, but this version is not for sale in the Netherlands (and if so, it is out of budget).
But one of the important demands is that it can pull my boat / trailer combination out of a steeper boat ramp. The combination weight is between 1400 kg (3086 lbs) and 1500 kg (3307 lbs) max.
Currently I am using my European 8th gen Honda Civic (2.2 CDTI 140 hp, kerb weight 1322 kg (2915 lbs) ) to do the job. Small hatchback car, but most ramps work fine. Sadly, in my home town there is a ramp that has a slightly too steep angle. I am able to pull it out when a couple of friends help me to push the car (sounds ridiculous, but this really makes a difference). Lots of wheelspin though, but I do not mind a bit of extra wear on the tires.
I can actually manage it with almost zero wheelspin if I heavily slip the clutch, so it's not strictly a tire grip issue, it's a torque delivery bottleneck at 0 RPM. I basically have to sacrifice and burn the manual clutch just to keep the diesel engine from stalling under that initial launch load. So I would rather have wear on the tire than burned clutch plates, though.
The steeper slipway is the only struggle I have though. I haven't had any problems hauling this combination all the way from the Netherlands through the mountains of the French Alps.
Anyway, my new car should be able to do this without friends. But I am totally unsure if the Formentor can handle this. My first thought was that it would be an easy win for the Formentor because the electric motor has a massive amount of instant torque to pull it out of the water from a dead stop. I figured the massive torque of an electric motor would just take off smoothly at ultra-low speeds without needing to burn a traditional dry clutch. I might get wheelspin due to the front-wheel-drive weight transfer on the incline, but I don't mind putting my wife and kids in the front seats for some extra ballast over the front axle. But AI made some comments about how the DSG clutches slip and behave when launching on a steep incline under heavy loads, which made me doubt my assumptions. It also made some comments about an overheating protection system. I can "misuse" my Civic to haul it out the water, where the Formentor might simply refuse it a all.
So my question is, are there people over here that use the Formentor for hauling boats? How much does your combination (boat and trailer) weight? Do you have any problems with slipways? Or if there are no boaters here, maybe someone can give me some substantiated advice about how this wet DSG and e-motor setup handles steep ramps under a 1500 kg (3307 lbs) load?
Note: I know the 4wd would be a better choice, but this version is not for sale in the Netherlands (and if so, it is out of budget).
