[PhantomPhlyer700]

Hi everyone,

Former Cross Country Volvo driver XC 70,XC 90 XC60 and V60cc - looking forward to a change.

Some excellent articles and info on here.

[Geord]

Welcome to the newbies :-)... My X1 arrives next week or two I am swapping from the polar opposite an all electric Nissan Leaf to the X1 20d sport

[PhantomPhlyer700]

Thank you Geord,

I borrowed the 40w. Launch model Leaf (for a Day) which has a range of around 240 miles, and I took it on a 104 mile each way trip down the the M4 to Cardiff , and back, and just to be safe, I gave it a short 45 minute boost /top up charge at Magor Services , on the way back.

As I understand it, If you buy a Leaf, but then need a car for a longer journey, Nissan guarantee to lend you a petrol or diesel car, for up to 14 day’s, free of charge during the first 3 years .

I think that electric is the future, but it will take a few years yet for everyone to get on board, and in the meantime we can enjoy 4 cylinders of BMW?

[Geord]

Yeah the car loan is subject to them having a vehicle they can give you, also you have to give them some notice. My Leaf is the 24kw so a 104 mile one way trip is not possible. The rapid chargers give you 80% charge which at motaway speeds equals around 60 to 70 miles if your lucky. I drove it 81 miles all in one go once never above 60mph with no heat on and it just made it on a 100% charge. Right now the charging infrastructure just isn’t there and the demand for electric cars has increased.
I have had to wait in a three car line for a charger before, waited an hour and twenty mins. Longest trip was York to Cumbria and back, 5 stops and it took 4 hours longer than it would in an oil burner.
I have had my play in an electric car and it fit 95% of my driving needs, just that 5% is worth so much in terms of freedom

[PhantomPhlyer700]

I agree that sometimes it only takes that 5% to make a change?

I have had 5 cylinder Diesel engines of various bhp’s for some time now, and always with AWD ( just to help a bit in wintry conditions) and geartronic Auto boxes, but the lure of a smaller ‘petrol ‘ engine linked to very smooth 8 speed auto gearbox was the 5%+ for me , whilst being able to keep all wheel drive!


.

[Geord]

The gearbox was the main reason I went with the X1, before the Leaf I had a lot of French cars with single clutch manual automatics. The single clutch autos while good for mpg are terrible... so jerky in traffic especially when hot.. The Leaf has one gear so it’s very smooth, but the 8 speed auto in the bmw comes very close when in comfort mode and with gentle driving.

[Heathwood]

Originally Posted by PhantomPhlyer700

Thank you Geord,

I borrowed the 40w. Launch model Leaf (for a Day) which has a range of around 240 miles, and I took it on a 104 mile each way trip down the the M4 to Cardiff , and back, and just to be safe, I gave it a short 45 minute boost /top up charge at Magor Services , on the way back

I find this genuinely scary, knowing this section of the M4 quite well.

Sharing your range anxiety here.

[PhantomPhlyer700]

Yup,

Would not chance taking an ‘all electric ‘ car on a Berkshire to Cardiff run down the M4 in bad weather or on an International Day at the Principality Stadium.

The longest time so far on that 104 mile journey up the M4 was 9+ hours to get home, in the snow - We were in a Mondeo V6 Ghia X and had little trouble, but others were strewn all over the road, blocking it.

[DeeKay]

Great experiences with the range. I drive a lot of miles with work and this is just another reason why electric is nowhere in my real world book right now. Might be cool and all, if back and forth to the office is what you do every day, but in my case not really cutting it

Looking to change my F30 to a X1 - and I'm gonna stick with the diesels

[PhantomPhlyer700]

I have family in Bernstorffsgade . Copenhagen, so visit DK regularly , not so much with the car these days though.

As I understand it , the xDrive xLine 2.0 Petrol model is being discontinued at the end of May, and the order book is nearly full?

[Pganders]

Originally Posted by PhantomPhlyer700

As I understand it , the xDrive xLine 2.0 Petrol model is being discontinued at the end of May, and the order book is nearly full?

That’s seems a strange move given the current demonisation of diesel. I would have thought additional petrol options or perhaps a hybrid??

[spitpilot]

Originally Posted by PhantomPhlyer700

Yup,

Would not chance taking an ‘all electric ‘ car on a Berkshire to Cardiff run down the M4 in bad weather or on an International Day at the Principality Stadium.

The longest time so far on that 104 mile journey up the M4 was 9+ hours to get home, in the snow - We were in a Mondeo V6 Ghia X and had little trouble, but others were strewn all over the road, blocking it.

Ahh...the M4 brings back memories...from a time long ago in a galaxy far, far away...spent a month in Swindon for work in 1973...drove the M4 quite a bit on weekend getaways...don't remember all that much traffic...but I'm sure it's built up there as well as here...in my "callow youth" I used to enjoy driving across the LA Basin just to get away from the machine shop work I had during the summer....now I avoid it like the plague when we visit down there...But at least with the X1 (first auto vehicle I've owned) the traffic jams aren't as painful!

[PhantomPhlyer700]

It does indeed seem strange, but I have this on good authority - in the form of an e-Mail from a BMW dealer!

[PhantomPhlyer700]

Originally Posted by spitpilot

Ahh...the M4 brings back memories...from a time long ago in a galaxy far, far away...spent a month in Swindon for work in 1973...drove the M4 quite a bit on weekend getaways...don't remember all that much traffic...but I'm sure it's built up there as well as here...in my "callow youth" I used to enjoy driving across the LA Basin just to get away from the machine shop work I had during the summer....now I avoid it like the plague when we visit down there...But at least with the X1 (first auto vehicle I've owned) the traffic jams aren't as painful!

They say that at certain times of the day, the M4 is the busiest motorway in Europe, and I think that ‘they’ are right, especially coming out of London to the Camberley junction between 1700 and 1830 & I have seen non moving traffic jams from the Brynglas tunnels in Newport to the Severn Bridge- some 15 miles and stuck for hours!

I have family in Northridge, and just north of San Diego and also San Louis Obispo so know the West Coast roads quite well, and i get off the highways on to the ‘surface’ roads as often as possible.