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Post by EspadaIII on Aug 16, 2023 20:27:43 GMT
So here's a strange thing.
I am organising my annual Cornwall and South Coast inspection trip of the properties owned by my overseas clients. After three years of driving I am going back to flying and renting a car when I reach Newquay.
Two days at the end of October...
Corsa or similar £165
Focus or similar £185
Polestar 2? Any guesses?
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Post by Humph on Aug 16, 2023 20:47:57 GMT
Too far for the milk float?
😉
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Aug 16, 2023 21:34:52 GMT
£150 if paid up front? I wonder how you are meant to return EV hire cars - supplied with 25% charge for example, then do you bring it back 25% charged? etc. Could make planning a drop off more interesting. But I'd hope they are handed over fully charged or that could make a quick journey a long wait at a local charger.  Talking of charging, the charging network in Manchester called Be.EV is increasing prices. For a normal charger it will be 67p/kWh and for rapid and ultra rapid 77p/kWh! Those are member prices. It's a bit more for PAYG. |
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Post by EspadaIII on Aug 17, 2023 6:40:42 GMT
Too far for the milk float? 😉 I took it last year. Planning the trip for charging was a doddle and took five minutes. Just don't fancy another long drive both ways. |
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Post by EspadaIII on Aug 17, 2023 6:45:24 GMT
The Polestar 2 will be £140 pay on the day. Ridiculously cheap for such a large car. As I know the route well and where the chargers are, I've booked it.
Supplied at 80% charge and return at the same.
Be.EV are a joke. Slow chargers at the same price as the 175kW I used last week at Abington. However there are few other options in Bury.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Aug 17, 2023 7:02:38 GMT
I think you’ll like the 2.
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Post by EspadaIII on Aug 17, 2023 8:30:10 GMT
I am sure I will. It is meant to be an excellent car.
I think there were just two reasons why I did not get one. The first was price and the second was internal space. My car will easily swallow two large suitcases, five people and other general stuff with ease and comfort. The Polestar cannot do that. However as we are about to become 'empty nesters', I can see myself getting a smaller EV in 2025 (unless I hang on to the I5 for another year).
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bpg
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Post by bpg on Aug 17, 2023 11:54:55 GMT
I was expecting the price to be either end of the spectrum. Either they were paying you too drive it or you'd have to remind them you only wanted to hire it not buy it.
Why would you pay more for a Corsa ? Good deal, I'd say.
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Post by EspadaIII on Aug 17, 2023 16:27:24 GMT
Exactly. I can see some people being scared off a rental EV, simply because they do not know where the chargers are.
It's perfect for me. It is 172 miles of easy country A-road driving to my first destination and then I work my way back to Newquay with a couple of stops on the way. There is a nice Costa with really fast chargers outside at the destination so I can have a rest and charge and get back to my Airbnb accommodation in Cornwall where there is a 7kW charger I can use for overnight. I have about 120 miles the next day so if I start off with a full battery I don't need to stress about returning the car the next morning with an 80% battery, especially as I am staying only a five minute drive from the airport.
And the beauty of the Polestar 2 is that is it built for long distance comfort, so the travelling is so much nicer than in a Corsa or similar..
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2023 9:46:48 GMT
* Extremely boring car rental story alert*
I went to Murica and rented a car and got a...drumroll...Toyota Corolla.
To say I was disappointed is an understatement, but then again I had only booked "Nissan Sentra or similar", so it was my own fault. That was on the basis of thinking a Sentra was about Mondeo sized, but it's not - it's Focus, Corolla etc sized. Gah. 4 people and luggage to get into a C-segment saloon for a trip involving about 600 miles on the roads? Uh ho, thought I. I'm gonna need a bigger car.
But my concerns were unjustifed. Even 6'2" son had enough room in the back to be comfortable (Mrs A still refuses to cede the front seat to him), and we got a full sized suitcase plus 4 carry-on sized wheelie suitcases in the boot, with enough room around them still for the odd extra like our backpacks, some groceries etc.
On the road performance was adequate also, it was a 1.8 litre petrol with a CVT gearbox, the former providing just enough power to be happily cruising fully laden at 65mph, in absolute peace as well, it's a very quiet and refined car. Economy? I'm not one for calculating outright numbers, but we did 640 miles and I spent about $70 on petrol. Not too bad. Petrol seemed to range between about $3.75-$4 for a US imperial gallon.
The whole experience reminded me what a good design saloon cars actually are - plenty of secure luggage space with no risk of the contents entering the passenger cabin in the event of heavy braking etc, and a refined, stable, civilized driving and passenger experience, even when fully laden.
Not sure I'm sold on CVTs, though. Hmm. A bit screechy and weird when high revs are called for on an incline, for example. Still prefer a good old fashioned TC auto. The other thing was the lack of manual "gear" selection was a bit of a disadvantage on a long mountain descent in Vermont - when we got to the bottom I had to stop and let the brakes recover as the smell of burning pads was becoming alarming. Would be a major consideration if I lived in a region like that, it's just not a suitable gearbox type if you have to do frequent steep and long descents.
EDIT: and I've just twigged the gearbox downhill thing was my fault. I remember there was a B mode on the gear selector, and I just looked that up and realised it's for holding low 'gears', so would have been far more suitable for the mountain descent. Sorry, little Corolla.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2023 14:23:08 GMT
A few other things I've remembered about the rental experience: The buggers really want you to rent a GPS unit, don't they? The car had a nice big screen on the dash, but the maps were missing - "Not Installed". Groan. It had Bluetooth, but no ability to screen mirror, and they had even removed the USB socket from the car so you couldn't plug a phone in and project your own nav maps either. Tight bastards.
And I've been billed now for $167 for Toll road use. Those are some expensive bloody Tolls. I only used those roads sparingly, but there we go. There is no information about how much the Toll will be before you enter, just a sign saying "You'll be billed by mail" by the roadside. So obviously Dollar have just charged it all to my credit card. Good job I'd agreed to rent their EZ PASS subscription on pick up, otherwise they'd have done me for another $10 extra for each toll charge. All mighty confusing, and It is what it is, I suppose, just bend over and cough.
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Post by EspadaIII on Sept 28, 2023 4:17:35 GMT
Hyundai i20. Perfectly pleasant so far if dull. Steering wheel too thin. Has a seven speed auto box (is it a DCT?). Four adults and some luggage last night and performed acceptably. Drivers seat lacking in support a bit.
The thing I do like about Hyundais is the dashboard is a model of clarity. Clear dials, buttons a decent size and in accessible positions.
Have it for ten days so will comment on longer term stuff at the end.
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Post by EspadaIII on Oct 1, 2023 14:37:26 GMT
Clever car! The stop-start function even works if you drop the car into Park at the traffic lights. So you don't need to keep your foot on the brake pedal. I like that.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Oct 1, 2023 17:09:20 GMT
Doesn't it have auto hold?
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Post by EspadaIII on Oct 1, 2023 17:24:08 GMT
No. Too basic for that.
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