Just ordered Cupra Leon Estate VZ3 1.4 245 PS Hybrid - Couple of questions please!

[wibble]

Hi all I am new here & from the UK - I just factory ordered a new 1.4 VZ3 Cupra Leon Estate in the Matt Grey with Panoramic Roof & Safety and driving pack (XL) - this is my first Hybrid and I have to be honest I would have never considered a Hybrid until I test drove one of these - I'd prefer the 4WD 310 version but sold it to the Mrs on the basis of MPG haha!

I have a few questions: -

1. Do the newest Hybrid models have the On/Off and Cupra drive select buttons on the steering wheel? The YouTube video reviews I have seen have shown them with both!
2. Have I made a mistake haha? - what are peoples honest opinions about these PHEV's?
3. What home chargers are you all using? (Considering a Zappi 2)
4. What common issues are people experiencing with this model? (Anything I need to look out for?)
5. Finally - what sort of MPG are people getting in the real world (People with a heavy foot like me who run it in Hybrid/Cupra/Sport) & how far do you get on a full charge before your battery runs flat?

Thanks all & apologies for bombarding you all with questions

 

[Sarah]

I can't help with many of your questions but I'm collecting a first edition Cupra leon estate ehybrid next week. I did buy one on Friday 13th August but returned the following Tuesday as it had things that they shouldn't have let it go with. No fault of the car, more the shoddy dealer.

I'm collecting one from a different dealer next week.

The only question I can answer is your first question. The model I had did not have the buttons on the steering wheel. I think that I read somewhere that we are not getting those in this country. To get to cupra mode, you go through the infotainment screen options and the 'start' button is on the console near to the gear selector (unless the V3 models are updated, I don't know).

I can charge mine using the plug in my utility room or the plug socket in my garage so won't be having a wall box. I plugged the one I had in when I got it home (as they couldn't even be bothered charging it for me) and it charged quicker than I thought. It was at 0% when I plugged in and got to 100% in just over 5 hours.
Your last question was the one I wondered about and a chap called Ollie on here helped with that who has just bought a hatchback cupra hybrid. I've been watching youtube videos about how to set the hybrid figures up on the infotainment screen. There's also a regeneration option that I think if you set it to 'high' it puts the charge into the battery when you are slowing down etc. I noticed when I lifted off of the accelerator to slow down coming to junctions etc, it was really obvious that the car was slowing (more than you'd notice in another car) and I think that's when it's putting charge back in. I think the knack of it is to set the battery 'reserve' (not sure if that's what they call it) high enough so it keeps that for the extra power and doesn't use it all pootling around slowly in electric mode only. It keeps it so that you have the 245 bhp. That's as much as I've learned about them so far. I'm sure once we get them, we will learn more.
There are a few videos on youtube about the settings etc for the power/hybrid settings

I don't know if you will get many answers on here as there aren't many about. I looked on the 'howmanyleft' site to see how many had been registered and it was only about 100 cars so far

 

[.Griff.]

What home chargers are you all using? (Considering a Zappi 2)

I'm not as I don't see the point.

The car doesn't support rapid charging and is limited to a maximum charging rate of 3.6kW equivalent to about four hours to charge from a home/public EV charger. Alternatively, the supplied 3pin charger will charge at 2.3kW or just under 6 hours.

As A, I charge mine overnight and B, rarely charge it from empty there's no point in me paying for, and installing, a home charger. Especially as they don't qualify for the home charging grant.

how far do you get on a full charge before your battery runs flat?

In electric mode only - About 25 miles. Sounds pitiful in one sense but a lot of my journeys are between 4 and 16 miles.

Finally - what sort of MPG are people getting in the real world

Since I've owned mine (Mostly Cupra mode, sports gearbox) - Take the travel time (and therefore average speed) with a pinch of salt. When I collect the Mrs from work I'll often have to wait 15 - 30 minutes without turning the car off (no point, it's not as if the engine is running) and it counts it towards the "travel time".

 

[wibble]

Thank you both for the detailed responses! Sarah hope you have better luck with your new car! Griff - thanks for the MPG figures it's good to see some real world stats from a person with a heavy foot like myself! Just a waiting game now. Cupra Preston said December for delivery on a new factory order & Stockport told me February - poles apart it seems. Hopefully sooner rather than later!!!

 

[Ollie]

Welcome and congrats on your order! You won't regret it I don't think! It just depends on expectations. I came from a Leon Cupra 290 Lux, it doesn't have the full grunt of a 2 litre TSi like that, but it has more than enough performance for most people.
Charge and you get the benefits... See below, so far I've done 655 miles in the car and the MPG is impressive.

I use a PodPoint but purely because we already had one installed as my other half has a full electric car. As someone said above, the car only supports charging up to 3.5kW so it takes me about 3.5 hours to charge from empty to full.

The regen breaking can be adjusted, there are 3 modes. Low, auto, high. I use auto and it is normally spot on at telling you when to lift off when approaching a roundabout, junction etc and it applies the regen to bring your speed right down to help efficiency.

I love mine, am seeing the savings already in fuel, insurance, tax and love the lock. Yes it's not a 300HP full on Cupra, but honestly - my driving is 95 percent efficiency and 5 percent fun... So it's nice to have the power for when you want it.

Happy to field any questions you might have!

 

[wibble]

Went to the dealer today after reading some horror stories about how difficult this matte paint is to maintain - downgraded my order to Graphene Grey and extended my warranty!

 

[damien_s]

Hello Hybrid owners.

Im weighing up a purchase on the Cupra Estate of either the full force of the 310ps estate v hybrid and as a newbie to electrics had a couple questions:

- In real terms what would you estimate the financial saving p.a. of the hybrid are? Is it mainly tax - or are you seeing significant fuel savings?

- I need to park on the street - im looking to see if I could run domestic power without becoming a trip hazard (!) as there are limited charging stations in the vicinty. What home chargers did you go for? I think i read on another thread the cupra estate now qualifies for gov schemes?

- How in general have you found access to charging stations when out and about or on long trips - I either do local pottering off under 5 miles or longer country cross country runs (300m+)

Thanks in advance

 

[wibble]

Hello Hybrid owners.

Im weighing up a purchase on the Cupra Estate of either the full force of the 310ps estate v hybrid and as a newbie to electrics had a couple questions:

- In real terms what would you estimate the financial saving p.a. of the hybrid are? Is it mainly tax - or are you seeing significant fuel savings?

- I need to park on the street - im looking to see if I could run domestic power without becoming a trip hazard (!) as there are limited charging stations in the vicinty. What home chargers did you go for? I think i read on another thread the cupra estate now qualifies for gov schemes?

- How in general have you found access to charging stations when out and about or on long trips - I either do local pottering off under 5 miles or longer country cross country runs (300m+)

Thanks in advance

You need your own driveway home charger wise I believe - I reckon the 310 would be better for you for that reason alone.

 

[SRGTD]

You need your own driveway home charger wise I believe - I reckon the 310 would be better for you for that reason alone.

Agree - in our increasingly litigious society, street side vehicle charging by running a loose charge cable from your house to your car could be asking for trouble. Also, charging using the standard domestic home power supply via a three pin plug socket in the home won’t be a quick process.

Aside from range anxiety associated with EV’s, IMHO insufficient street side charging facilities will be one of the main barriers to EV ownership in the short-medium term for those without home charging capability when the time comes to make the switch from ICE or self charging hybrid to EV or plug in hybrid.

 

[Ollie]

Hi Damien. As much as I love my eHybrid, I have to agree that without a driveway it's just not worth it. The max charging of 3.5kW doesn't make it worth it for long trips either as you can never make use of higher charging rates such as 100/250kW etc.

I would say the 310 may be the better bet until there is a better solution, which is a few years away, for those without drive ways. (unless you can charge at work).

 

[Sarah]

If both had been available when I bought the ehybrid, I would have gone for the petrol only version but there were no petrol versions available in the ST version and I'm too impatient to wait for an order. I'm getting on fine with the hybrid though. No complaints so far

 

[darkshadow13]

Hello Hybrid owners.

Im weighing up a purchase on the Cupra Estate of either the full force of the 310ps estate v hybrid and as a newbie to electrics had a couple questions:

- In real terms what would you estimate the financial saving p.a. of the hybrid are? Is it mainly tax - or are you seeing significant fuel savings?

- I need to park on the street - im looking to see if I could run domestic power without becoming a trip hazard (!) as there are limited charging stations in the vicinty. What home chargers did you go for? I think i read on another thread the cupra estate now qualifies for gov schemes?

- How in general have you found access to charging stations when out and about or on long trips - I either do local pottering off under 5 miles or longer country cross country runs (300m+)

Thanks in advance

HI Damien, just to let you know im in the same boat, i also do not have the facility of running a charge cable over grass so home charging isn't an option for myself however the MPG is. With that said there are 1000`s of people with PHEV that do not charge their vehicle, and again this is not how a PHEV should be treat. With that said Public charging is something that i would need to do, on average it would mean you would have to charge from 0% to 100% in approx. 3.5 hrs away from home, download on your phone called ZapMap this will show all EV Public Charging near your home also there is an App called PlugShare Again shows all public (housing) that are prepared to share their EV charge Station with a set cost.

So Going back to the Question, yes i will be going to still order my PHEV, remember charging in the future wont be a struggle, and new ways would need put in place at least by 2030 so we could be seeing Lamppost charging and other facility's in the future of course this is probably longer than how you leased or bought your vehicle.

Even Range anxiety wont be an issue as you still have a 1.4T Engine that kicks in and Regenerative braking puts power back into the vehicle so its all good, i would like from the Community to post Engine MPG Figures only please if possible to have a good idea on how much it costs running the Engine alone if any can do please would be highly appreciated ,in the meantime i hopefully will be getting mine next month who knows

 

[ninja_geezer]

Question for you 245 hybrid owners .
my lad is getting one very soon ,does it have a launch control mode at all ?

 

[Stebb]

Some real figures for you.
I started a 240 mile journey at the weekend with 1% battery - we'd been visiting friends with no access to a charging point - mostly motorway driving for the first 180 miles, lets say 70mph all the way.
As passenger I was able to adjust the charging rates to watch what was happening and can get the battery up to 50% whilst driving, but the car was only managing 30mpg. Probably not the most efficient way of doing things. Anyway, reverting to more normal hybrid settings saw the mpg recover to 45mpg by the end, having used up the charge through the smaller roads near here.
My Verdict - I find the car will normally do about 50mpg if you exclude the battery assistance i.e. having it charged before you go, but it always keeps some reserve for setting off/accelerating. Main benefit is therefore local <30 mile trips if you just use electric, and for when you need the extra shove (this car is seriously good at overtaking things!).
BTW, we (UK) do now get the £350 grant from the govt to install a charge point at home. I'm looking at it as although only a little faster than the supplied cable, it will be much more convienient to use - no faffing with trailing mains leads, box outside where I need it etc. It will also beat the rush when everyone needs one.

 

[Sarah]

Question for you 245 hybrid owners .
my lad is getting one very soon ,does it have a launch control mode at all ?

I haven't noticed the option. They are nothing like a real Cupra. I hope he won't be disappointed with it.
I'm changing mine. I asked the dealer if there were any petrol estates available but she said no (with the chip issue creating a shortage) so I'm going back to a petrol or diesel other brand.
Got a really good price for it. I've washed it today in preparation for it to go next week and the reversing camera dropped out