Quote:
Originally Posted by JustChris
Caveat 4 pints of Cider and at a hotel now. 
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I'll admit it Tricky, I'm close to ordering and this is helping a lot!
These figures are outstanding, your journeys seem quite similar to mine, I was very sceptical about the MPG and range but this is very compelling.
For myself I have mellowed somewhat from several M cars, I just cannot be bothered anymore with the noise and running costs.... getting old I know.
In my X3 M40D I'm putting some stellar figures out for this size car....which speaks volumes for my current driving style. Rated 40mpg officially I think, I've just recorded 51mpg from Chester to Hull. My 11,000 mile average is 41mpg, likely amongst the highest of an M40D owner, I just don's seem to do the cars justice, or as likely, the 50mph limits and general 'cannot speed anywhere' roads set the scene now.
I've seen a deal I'm very keen on, ant tips on spec, I might go bare bones and only add the Driver Assistance Package. (I wont but it sounds good for now). Seriously though did you sort any kind of wall box at home, I'm not sure I need to. I have a garage ( car is never in it) and driveway and would just charge overnight...every night.
This would seem ideal for my journey mix in any month:-
- Driveway to any random local places within 10 miles, kids sports, shops etc - Plan is pure EV and charge up every night
- I live in North Wales and once, maybe twice a week travel 46 miles door to door to work in Trafford Park Manchester. I plan to use as much RV| mode as I can or hyrbid one way....now IF I can charge at work too ( cannot currently) that would be incredible. I am 2 minutes walk from the new mega site Williams BMW showroom....can I use their charger for free for a 1/2 day, anyone know the deal with the EV points onsite at a dealers?
- Final option is like today, long trip to a customer literally anywhere in the UK, today N Wales to Hull 155 miles. I expect I'll use hybrid mode to maximise mpg
Apologies again for the long post, just feels like a different step this time...but I'm not sure how I missed how jack of all trades this step to 330e could be, I think it covers the best of both worlds without the crazy looks of i3 and i8..de- badge and it is any G20!
Recap Questions:-
1) Anything essential on a 3303 spec? (Personal I know)?
2) Worth sorting a home wallbox, currently feel like not bothering?
3) Worth buying any charging cables?
4) Worth signing up to any charging subscription service?
5) What was the energy tariff you recommended please, was it 4p/KWH?!
Currently thinking of this for a low spec:-
https://configure.bmw.co.uk/en_GB/configid/s9s8q0n1/G20
Cheers
Chris |
Yeah, essential spec is a difficult one. The M Sport is pretty well spec'd out of the box. A long way from my first BMW, a 318i SE back in 1994 that had 6 speakers but no stereo head unit!? :-)
I really like my music so ordered the HK stereo, it's not super awesome (the Mark Levinson stereo in a Lexus ES is better) but it's better than the Sony one in my Mondeo. The Driver Assistant is brilliant, especially if you do lots of motorway miles, basically it drives itself as long as you gently hold the wheel and in stop/start traffic you don't even need to hold the wheel. Makes for relaxing journeys, especially in traffic jams. I went for the M Sport Plus pack mainly to get adaptive suspension (having tried a 320d M Sport which I found much too firm), I don't think the M Sport 330e has M Sport suspension so no idea what the standard ride is like. Definitely get a test drive before you order, guessing dealers should have 330e's available now for demo. Adaptive is still comfortable even in Sport mode. Very clever considering 19" wheels and elastic band run flat tyres. Also I like the look of the M Sport + detailing (black grill etc.) :-)
I noticed that some options are only available on the M Sport, Driver Assistant being one of them. Originally I was thinking of getting a 330e SE Pro as that is meant to be 8% BIK from next year but there was virtually no difference in the lease costs (about £10/month) and lack of DA and looks of the M Sport+ swung it...
Only other things I went for were storage pack (adds 2 x rear USB-C, a couple of 12v cigar sockets, + seat nets and, wait for it....a really cheap looking plastic "bag hook" in the boot. Wooo!) and the oak open pour wood trim as I thought the standard M Sport "fake metal" looked a bit naff. And that was my lease budget limit hit! I do miss keyless entry having had it for the last 11 years on all my cars and also wish I had a sunroof to let a bit of light in. Don't particularly miss electric seats. The manual ones adjust everywhichway. I didn't bother with the lumbar support either, I find the seats a lot firmer than my Mondeo but still comfortable on a long journey.
Definitely recommend checking out the boot before purchase. It really is quite small, mostly height-wise. Once I've sold my Mondeo we'll be left with the 330e and my wife's Golf so no longer have anything to carry large loads. Will get a roof-box for holidays/weekends away but I'm sure we'll miss the Mondeo's space at times...
On your other questions:
1. I went for a (7Kw) home charger from ChargeMaster, cost about £450 (inclusive of £500 Government grant). It works fine but the mobile app is a bit rubbish. It cuts the charge time from 5 hours down to 3.5. Annoying that the 330e only takes 3.6Kw charge!? Ended up getting a socket unit rather than tethered as I have a long run from the unit to my car. The car comes with a 3-pin charging unit. A 10m type-2 cable cost £210 (I used
https://evconnectors.com, good service, product seems high quality). You will likely need a cable when out and about, most charge points are socket only.
2. I've signed up to Ecotricity, Polar and Evchargeonline. Ecotricity is PAYG, Polar has a monthly subscription but it's free for the first 3 months (they send you an RFID key fob thing). So far I've tried Ecotricity on the motorway and it didn't work (cable wouldn't stay plugged in). The two other public points I've used have been free. One in the town where I live (still need an account with EVchargeonline to activate the charge) and one at a multi-storey in Swindon (just plug in and charge). My current hotel (Best Western) has two sockets (one 3-pin and one type 2), also free. The Holiday Inn I sometimes stay at has a Polar unit but haven't used it yet. A few friends with EV's signed up to lots of schemes when they got their cars but don't really use them. I may end up the same but so far it hasn't cost me anything...
3. The EV tariff we have is with Octopus Energy. It's 5p/kWhr for off peak (between 0:30 and 04:30). The standing charge is slightly higher than we were on (25p/day rather than 18p) but as long as you're charging it regularly it easily pays for itself. You can use the Connected Drive app to schedule the charge during this period, works perfectly. I posted a link to Octopus in a previous post, with details of their plan, including a referral offer where you get £50 credit and I would too. We've been a customer for over a year now, they've been excellent and they will fit a smart meter for free if you need it (mandatory for the EV tariff, we already had one).
Hope this helps! Just shout if you've got any other questions...