Quote:
Originally Posted by NB99
My driving is perfect for a hybrid - about 85% driving in city, relatively short distances, 10-15% long driving on motorway. Can plug in easily at home. Hybrid makes a lot of sense I think.
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With that sort of driving distribution, a Plug-in Hybrid does sound to be the best option and with multiple manufacturers now making PHEV's with a decent electric range now, its an even better option.
Every manufacturer seems to have gone about the Electric/ICE drivetrain slighty differently and I imagine no-one has come up with the perfect combination that is 100% reliable for 10+ years yet.
Volvo's ERAD is a great system when working correctly and the newer unit (145bhp unit) has much better driving characteristics than the older unit but as its so new, its longevity is still an unknown.
The Hybrid drivetrains that combine the electric motor into the all-wheel-drive system (BMW & Audi/Porsche/VW for example) will likely have similar failure rates as Volvo do but will likely cost less to repair/replace as its a more integrated unit rather than a standalone driven axle like the ERAD is.
Due to the level of complexity of these Volvo PHEV's, I personally would not own one outside of/without a warranty as when things do fail, they are very expensive. However, thats a personal thing and how you choose to go is obviously your choice.
As these drivetrains have gotten more and more complex, the likelihood of these going to 10+ years of usage without a large/expensive component failing gets smaller and smaller so as a used purchase at 4-5 years, you are taking a chance with any PHEV. As I see it, most manufacturers only see PHEV's as a short stopgap between conventional ICE powered cars and the introduction of fully electric cars (as directed by governments etc) so how much money they spend on R&D to make these as reliable as possible is questionable at best but thats only my views on this.
On the plus side, I'm on my second XC60 PHEV and both have been very good with very few issues but I did switch to the newer car at only 2.5 years (and only 22K miles) so I cant really comment too much on older and higher mileage Recharge/T8 vehicles.