Formentor PHEV: real world performance?

[steverob]

Hi - first time here: I have the Formentor plug in hybrid on my list for my next car. Comparing PHEVs is difficult, but I'm trying to figure out a) how far you can travel on electric alone, and b) what's the fuel consumption (mpg) like when the batery is flat? Interested to hear your experience and thoughts about this vehicle. Thanks!

 

[Naxterra]

Average is 35-40 km (max) on hybrid. Average usage is around 8-22 lt / 100 km. If battery level is low and I drive at low speeds like 30-35 km/h, it uses 22-25 lt like a maniac.

 

[LetsForment]

I can do 28 odd miles given or take a few depending on how much the Aircon is used and what traffic is like. 40mpg is the other number.

But I will say the only other PHEV I would consider is the lexus nx400 series. Nothing else drives as well, and is as comfortable.

 

[Sandiemandie]

Concur with letsforment, but pushing 35 miles in summer, again 40_50mpg petrol alone, 80-100mpg in hybrid. Definitely a split personality….so comfortable and refined in relaxed mode, but a lot of fun to be had when you want it!!

 

[CupraJJ]

Im getting anywhere between 28-34 in winter (with & without ac) & 40 miles when temps go above 16-18degree. Not sure how im getting 40miles but I am, might be my journey to work & home is hilly and im regenning a few miles back and the computer is learning my work trip who knows. Petrol MPG alone roughly 50 as long as you dont put it in Cupra Mode! When you run out of juice the car still regens from braking so reality is prob 40mpg but your always regenning battery if set to high.

My driving data over 386miles between fuel fill ups is 156mg and I put £20 in the tank trying to keep the weight down as much as i can. Driving mode is old fart for work & Cupra on the weekend. For work i try and squeeze every last bit of electric out of it. My daily mileage is 42miles.

Average MPG is a bit of BS on these cars, its relative. I get high MPG on trips 130mpg to MAXmpg but my work is exactly 21miles to home. If my work was further away it would be low and id say the car was shite.
If your charging at home at 28p vs 7.5p on a off peak tariff your looking at a car thats not too much cheaper than a normal petrol car and your 150mpg is meaningless and just as expensive. To save money you need a off peak charging tariff.

Hope that helps - Other than that this car is awesome, coming from a Golf R & GTi previously i did think i needed my head testing getting one of these, but it was a fantastic decision and keeps my license clean. Fast enough to overtake, slow enough to save money and a real joy to drive.

 

[the_lorne_ranger]

I am considering the new Formentor VZ2 1.5 e-HYBRID 272 as a lease car through work, Cupra states the MPG for these is 644mpg, can this even be right?

Anyone got the new one on order, or has the previous VZ2 242 hybrid that confirm any figures?

 

[CupraJJ]

I havent a clue what VZ mine is, its a 242 hybrid though, potentially a VZ1?? i dont know

These MPG figures can only be taken with a pinch of salt. Real world MPG for that petrol engine will only ever be 40-60mpg. The rest of the MPG is built up from electric or times the engine is switched off for coasting.
It all depends on Seats tests. I get anywhere between 180-300mpg to work, then the same going home. My car maxes out at 300 so who knows. Depends what % of fuel is being used per drive.

For it to pay off you need to charge up every day, have an off peak electricity tariff and your daily drive to fall within the EV range.

I now fill up £50 in fuel and im getting around 950-1000 miles before I have to refill. After my electricity bill the car now costs me around 0.08p per mile. I average 180 to 300mpg daily.

My daily miles are 44miles, my EV range is typically 35-38miles. Winter time hurts as you need the heater on, Summer hurts as you need the AC on.

The thing I hate more than anything is the infotainment system, its awful, slow and sometimes decides to not work so i dont have any controls over the heater/AC or fan. Hoepfully the new one is better!!

Hope that is somewhat helpful.

 

[the_lorne_ranger]

I havent a clue what VZ mine is, its a 242 hybrid though, potentially a VZ1?? i dont know

These MPG figures can only be taken with a pinch of salt. Real world MPG for that petrol engine will only ever be 40-60mpg. The rest of the MPG is built up from electric or times the engine is switched off for coasting.
It all depends on Seats tests. I get anywhere between 180-300mpg to work, then the same going home. My car maxes out at 300 so who knows. Depends what % of fuel is being used per drive.

For it to pay off you need to charge up every day, have an off peak electricity tariff and your daily drive to fall within the EV range.

I now fill up £50 in fuel and im getting around 950-1000 miles before I have to refill. After my electricity bill the car now costs me around 0.08p per mile. I average 180 to 300mpg daily.

My daily miles are 44miles, my EV range is typically 35-38miles. Winter time hurts as you need the heater on, Summer hurts as you need the AC on.

The thing I hate more than anything is the infotainment system, its awful, slow and sometimes decides to not work so I don't have any controls over the heater/AC or fan. Hoepfully the new one is better!!

Hope that is somewhat helpful.

If you have VZ2 it would have:

Electrically-adjustable with memory function Black Nappa leather heated bucket seats with copper stitching and embroidered CUPRA logo in headrest
● Leather dashboard, door insert and side trim panel
● Heated, leather multi-function sports steering wheel with start stop, CUPRA mode button and gear shift paddles
● Safety and Driving Pack, comprising Dynamic road sign display, High Beam Assist, Side Assist (blind spot monitor), Exit Assist (audible and visual warnings of approaching traffic when opening doors), Lane Change Assist and Emergency Assist


Yes very helpful thanks, I only do around 16 miles each day for work, and I'm with Octopus Energy, so can get 7p per kwh charging overnight between 00:30 and 05:30am.

£50 of fuel currently gets me about 160 ish miles!

 

[CupraJJ]

Mine is a VZ1 then. I have unheated bucket seats & no heated steering..
I do however have leather dash & door insert and the safety driving pack with all features.

If your 16miles each away, you'll easily get even higher than the quoted MPG as youll end up with Max MPG both ways (as you'll never use the petrol engine).
I would once a week or every other week use the petrol engine to keep it running and healthy.

Why the Hybrid and not just a full EV? If your not going to use the engine maybe worth thinking about

 

[LetsForment]

I am considering the new Formentor VZ2 1.5 e-HYBRID 272 as a lease car through work, Cupra states the MPG for these is 644mpg, can this even be right?

Anyone got the new one on order, or has the previous VZ2 242 hybrid that confirm any figures?

Yes, it's right. When only using electric and ideally going downhill! To get a real metric, you need to workout what the £ per mile is, for the hybrid mode, electric mode and petrol mode. It's not simple as @CupraJJ pointed out. Your own driving style and road conditions will make a massive difference.

My main recommendation is that mpg itself is not a useful thing to consider on a hybrid car, if you are going to charge it from a wall plug. If you only ever use it with petrol, 35 to 40 mpg is the number you want to lean on.

 

[LetsForment]

Btw that 7p overnight on octopus may be costing you more than 19p on eon depending on what the rest of the tariffs are. These hybrids with tiny batteries don't always work out with the 'for EV' rates.

Maybe it does but do the maths once.

 

[the_lorne_ranger]

Mine is a VZ1 then. I have unheated bucket seats & no heated steering..
I do however have leather dash & door insert and the safety driving pack with all features.

If your 16miles each away, you'll easily get even higher than the quoted MPG as youll end up with Max MPG both ways (as you'll never use the petrol engine).
I would once a week or every other week use the petrol engine to keep it running and healthy.

Why the Hybrid and not just a full EV? If your not going to use the engine maybe worth thinking about

Is there a full EV Formentor?

I was looking at the Polestar 2 EV, but, there are just too many mixed reviews for me to consider it, also no dealers nearby to test drive and actually see the car inside and out.

Thing is, I really love my Formentor VZ2 310, but with the warranty expiry coming up, warranty extension, servicing, MoT costs, with fuel, it will put the monthly running cost around £760, with a Lease car from my work, I can have a VZ2 ehybrid 272 for £623 a month (That's not including fuel, but includes insurance, tax, servicing and tyres)

 

[the_lorne_ranger]

Yes, it's right. When only using electric and ideally going downhill! To get a real metric, you need to workout what the £ per mile is, for the hybrid mode, electric mode and petrol mode. It's not simple as @CupraJJ pointed out. Your own driving style and road conditions will make a massive difference.

My main recommendation is that mpg itself is not a useful thing to consider on a hybrid car, if you are going to charge it from a wall plug. If you only ever use it with petrol, 35 to 40 mpg is the number you want to lean on.

Is that correct? My though on hybrid was, that with plug in charging, you can use full EV mode, without plug in charge car is doesnt have full EV mode, and just a regular hybrid, engine and battery working together, with engine providing a lesser battery charge but still improves MPG

 

[the_lorne_ranger]

Mine is a VZ1 then. I have unheated bucket seats & no heated steering..
I do however have leather dash & door insert and the safety driving pack with all features.

If your 16miles each away, you'll easily get even higher than the quoted MPG as youll end up with Max MPG both ways (as you'll never use the petrol engine).
I would once a week or every other week use the petrol engine to keep it running and healthy.

Why the Hybrid and not just a full EV? If your not going to use the engine maybe worth thinking about

Although I only use 16 miles a day for work, I live in the north of scotland, so any big events, music gigs, or big football matches, usually involve a 250-300 mile round trip which I do maybe every 2 months or so.

 

[LetsForment]

Is that correct? My though on hybrid was, that with plug in charging, you can use full EV mode, without plug in charge car is doesnt have full EV mode, and just a regular hybrid, engine and battery working together, with engine providing a lesser battery charge but still improves MPG

Think of it in terms of energy and not petrol. Yes, mpg is improved at the cost of electric that needs to be paid for elsewhere.

Just using brake regen isn't going to make a huge difference.

 

[the_lorne_ranger]

Think of it in terms of energy and not petrol. Yes, mpg is improved at the cost of electric that needs to be paid for elsewhere.

Just using brake regen isn't going to make a huge difference.

Yes, but my understanding was that you still got improved mpg if you weren't plugging it in to charge, the engine would charge the battery somewhat.

But, in reading about that, so when the battery is done, it's done, and then you are back to normal real world petrol MPG until you recharge.

Any idea how long the battery lasts on a long drive, working along with engine on say, a 300 miles dual carriageway?

 

[LetsForment]

Yes, but my understanding was that you still got improved mpg if you weren't plugging it in to charge, the engine would charge the battery somewhat.

But, in reading about that, so when the battery is done, it's done, and then you are back to normal real world petrol MPG until you recharge.

Any idea how long the battery lasts on a long drive, working along with engine on say, a 300 miles dual carriageway?

I do a 400 mile round trip often, and with the car in hybrid up and down the M11/M6 it will return 65mpg on a full tank of petrol and a full charge.

Just on petrol I seem to be just under 40

I dont know for sure but there is a working theory that putting in the destination into the navigation built in (ie. Not android auto ), somehow causes the car to manage the battery better(?).

What I have also learnt in the last 18000 miles of ownership is that unless you are definitely doing less than 25miles round trip, always put the car in hybrid mode. If it's under 25 just use electric only.

 

[the_lorne_ranger]

I do a 400 mile round trip often, and with the car in hybrid up and down the M11/M6 it will return 65mpg on a full tank of petrol and a full charge.

Just on petrol I seem to be just under 40

I dont know for sure but there is a working theory that putting in the destination into the navigation built in (ie. Not android auto ), somehow causes the car to manage the battery better(?).

What I have also learnt in the last 18000 miles of ownership is that unless you are definitely doing less than 25miles round trip, always put the car in hybrid mode. If it's under 25 just use electric only.

I now have no idea how Cupra get the MPG to 644 on their website

 

[dashnine]

Is there a full EV Formentor?

No, nearest thing is the Tavascan, coming soon.

I've got 60mpg overall in 2.5 years with my VZ2 245 Hybrid - but that’s just a function of how much EV running you do that counts to the overall mpg, others who don’t use the engine for months will get more. I commute 12 mile each way twice a week on EV only as a minimum.

With life in the battery it’ll do 50mpg on A/B roads, where it can regen but battery will be gone in 60/70 miles especially if you use the performance boost, but on a motorway it’ll drop to 40mpg as there’s no real chance to switch the engine off and wind resistance is the enemy. When the battery’s flat it’ll do 40mpg on A/B Road running.

 

[Mine was take already]

Folks driving Golf GTE report around 60/70 mpg 'real world' but its going to depend on use.
Phev are really for people like me who would spend 70% of their time on EV around town with the rest in hybrid mode. Over a year my overall average if ran one probably would be around 600 mpg because I'd be running in EV the majority of the time.
Most VAG EV (so I assume SEAT/Cupra are the same) will manage the battery if the sat nav is used