So, is it the way forward then? (nope)
So after the horrific experience of owning a piece of s*%t Ford Ranger (literally the worst vehicle I have ever owned in 30+ years), I thought I would dabble in the world of EV's.
Finally, Seat released an EV that didn't look like a wardrobe with posh wheels. I booked a test drive.
I went for a 77KW, V2. Quasar grey with the Typhoon copper alloys, tech pack, and the Beats audio upgrade.
The dealer was superb. Everything went smoothly, and the car arrived on time (which in 2022, wasn't a given at all).
It's not cheap. With all my added bits, we hit 40k. But for an EV, that is where you are looking for anything reasonable.
Range. Yea... as we all know. NOTHING like they state. I knew the actual outcome of this, but I can imagine quite a few people being shocked by how far short of the sales blurb these cars fall.
For starters, they recommend you only charge between 20% and 80% for daily use. Don't mention that when they sell it to you!
Otherwise it degrades the battery life.
So, your 280 miles full range is now 168 miles. Its cold? OK, knock off at least another 20%.
Gonna have the heating on? Say goodbye to another lump of battery.
So in reality, if you commute any distance (I commute 2 hours a day min), then you are charging most nights of the week.
That isn't particularly cheaper than petrol with the current energy prices.
The car is beautiful. Styling is on point and it's madly comfortable to drive. Smooth, quiet and refined.
Build quality (so far) seems good.
I have developed a morning 'startup' routine. The car just cannot remember anything, and some things are default on.
- If it's frosty, use the app to switch on the pre-heating. All depends on whether the server is working and takes about a minute to actually talk to the car. This has been VERY hit 'n' miss.
- Unplug the charger if it's been on charge. Don't forget to close the charger door! (speaking from experience).
- Clear the top centre of the windscreen with a cloth (behind the centre mirror). This is where the front camera is. If you don't clean it, you lose the front braking assistance and automatic headlights. The windscreen wipers and defrost don't reach that high up.
- Clean the reversing camera with a cloth. Although this is pretty pointless, as literally 2 minutes later it's dirty again. But it does have a washer jet, so at least that is something.
- Get in, and MAKE SURE YOU PRESS 'OK' quickly when you get in, otherwise you have to cycle the power to the infotainment screen. This is because the 'OK' option goes away fairly quickly and therefore, so does your Nav and media functions
- Now wait around 40 seconds. The touchscreen is booting and it literally useless during this period. It can take up to a minute. Otherwise you end up touching buttons that don't respond, or the screen changes as you press a function and you end up messing up the settings for a different things.
- A few menu presses get you to the lane assist. Turn that compulsory annoyance off.
- Alter the heated seat to what you actually want, and not the random setting it will pick. It is supposed to learn your usage, but it doesn't. I constantly reset the learning facility, but it doesn't seem to learn that I only like setting 1.
- Alter the steering wheel heating to what you actually want (or off). Again, it doesn't seem to learn zip.
- If there has been an app update, reset the heating level to what you want (app updates reset the temp to 22 deg).
- Check to see if the interior LED colours have been reset, or if it has remembered what you set them too. I like them set to the driving mode.
- Switch headlights to automatic (if it's a dark Winters morning).
- Put coffee in the centre console.
- Finally.... we are off.
POSITIVE
I do like:
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NEGATIVE
There are faults and issues, and I will list them here. All cars have negative points, but I feel some of these should have been addressed before its release.
This list looks huge, but it's always easy to find faults in a car. Some I must say however, are a bit stupid.
This list looks huge, but it's always easy to find faults in a car. Some I must say however, are a bit stupid.
- The Android auto interface is horrible. Made significantly worse by the next item on this list (time-outs).
I mainly use it for music and occasionally navigation.
Not being able to slide the position of a music track (you can only play or stop it) sucks. - Screen timeouts. OH MY GOD do these designers ever actually try out their ideas?
While you are operating the screen (either the car system or Android auto), it will do a 'Safety timeout' after a madly hort amount of time. Then a progress bar slowly moves across the screen making you wait.
Then it tells you to pay attention to the road.
Well if your interface wasn't so goddam terrible, I wouldn't be twatting around with your laggy scrolling trying to find what I want.
And a timeout doesn't stop me using the screen, I just end up staring at a progress bar - eyes off the road for even longer. - The phone App. God awful. Laggy with serious connection issues.
Lets you pre-heat the car and a few other features, but pretty poor for 2023.
Never tells you the correct range after charging unless you literally reboot the app or the car.
That's assuming the server isn't down for a week and it's basically not working at all.
Why the hell the phone can’t talk directly to the car I will never know.
I have actually abandoned the app for now. It's seriously useless.
UPDATE June 2023: I have disconnected the wifi and the app entirely. The APP is totally useless. - The drivers seat is the ignition key. What a stupid idea. Yes, there is a button on the steering column that allows you to activate the ignition without getting in the car, but once in the car, as soon as you get off the seat the car switches off.
The column start/stop button won't prevent the car effectively turning off the ignition when you lift your ass off the seat, so the car fully resets.
Get out to open a gate? You will have to reset the car all over again (yes, that long list at the top of the page). - Touch door handles. Don't work when it's cold. The lock function works, but you will be fumbling for the key to open the car if it’s cold (as in under 2 degrees). Also noticed that a decent rain shower stops them opening as well.
- The Amnesia. You set the infotainment system up how you like, heated seats, heated steering wheel etc. Forgets it all the second you lift your arse off the driver’s seat.
You give up wasting your time configuring anything in the end.
App updates also reset everything for some bizarre reason. - The infotainment system. Dragged over from the VW id3 and I don't really need to bash it any more as it's issues are well known.
Its awful. Too laggy and FAR too many steps to achieve basic functions.
My eyes are off the road more than if I was using a phone while driving. Bad design all over. This alone will stop me buying another Cupra if it's not changed. - Lane botherer. Lane drift detection is enabled at each start by default, so you have to navigate through a few menus to turn that off. It doesn't know what a puddle is in the winter, so when you go around them, the steering wheel 'tweaks' the steering wheel back towards the puddle.
- Frozen cameras. The front impact collision camera (which also controls the auto-dipping headlights) is in such a position that it freezes over in the winter and the demister (or wipers) cannot reach it. Unless you remember to clean it BEFORE you get in (otherwise you get the whole car reset thing when you get out again), you won't have those abilities for the first 15 minutes (or until the screen clears itself right to the very top). You will also find that most mornings if the windscreen is wet, the front collision camera and road recognition function fails. Takes 10 minutes for the camera to clear (wipers don't reach it).
- Filthy! I have never had a car that gets so dirty so quickly, especially the tailgate.
- Heated steering wheel. Holy Christ, you can brand cattle with it on setting 1. Setting 3 can actually burn through steel.
- Heated seat. Maybe it's fine for some people, but even on full level 3, my thighs are freezing. It's all at the lower back.
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Update June 2023: This is just so annoying. Literally 50% of the time you accidentally knock the drivers heating to 16 deg by accidentally touching it while adjusting the radio.
- Beats sound system upgrade. Nice sound, but not entirely sure it's worth the money. Appears to have just added a sub and rear speakers, but the sound level is pretty low (my Ford Rangers factory system was better). If you like loud music, this doesn't step up.
So as a £400 upgrade to the Beats sound system, I would possibly consider saving your money and maybe put it towards paying a ICE company to actually upgrade it professionally (although that will be way more than £400). - USB 'C' sockets. Specifically positioned so you snap off anything you plug into them. Right at the top, sticking out of a huge centre console. First job, buy yourself some 90 degree USB 'C' adapters.
- Headlights. Not so good. Full beam is pretty poor and the auto-dipping feature gets madly confused in fog (or by house lights).
Full beam basically makes the dipped beam pattern in front of the car brighter. There is no distance penetration at all. - Auto parking. Not yet managed to get it to work. Probably be user error!
- Unlabelled fuseboxes. NO! When I am at the side of the road with a torch, I don't want to have to go online to find the fusebox listing.
- Sat/Nav confusion. The heads up display occasionally displays arrows or directions that are different to the map on the infotainment screen (and therefore wrong). So you follow the HUD arrow and then it tells you that’s the wrong way.
UPDATE June 2023: The sat/Nav appears to have got worse. It has lead me astray quite a few times now so I don't use it. - Wipers are back to front for UK cars. The left wiper throws the water across your line of vision, leaving an arc of water on each swipe on the drivers side. Sounds petty, but it can be quite annoying.
- Front lower grille fills with leaves and there is absolutely no way of getting them out.
- Only two buttons for four electric windows. The touch button that switches between the front and rear windows is far too sensitive.
You accidentality operate the rear windows instead of the front half of the time.
How this is better than the standard 4 buttons I will never know.
UPDATE June 2023: OH MY GOD THIS IS ANNOYING. 50% of the time you open the rear windows instead of the front. Stupid.
- Squeaky seat belt! The seat belt socket rubs on the side of the seat and drives you mad.
Gripes not specific to the Born...
- Cost to run. Pretty sure this isn't cheaper to run than a small petrol car.
- Charging at public or garage chargers. They might say they are 150kw chargers, but you on average only ever get a third of that. It’s like internet speeds... UP TO is the keyword.
I believe it's based on what your car can accept, but I have never got anything near what they state (or your paying for!). - Queues at chargers. Sorry, the UK sucks for EV infrastructure and I don’t see that improving.
It’s not too bad now, but it can only get worse. I am lucky in that I don't really need to rely on roadside chargers.
You pull up at a charger and need to recharge for 30/40 minutes? If someone is there before you, then you are there for well over an hour (or you take a risk and go find one somewhere else). - 978 apps for different car chargers. Maddeningly stupid.
- Range. LIES LIES LIES! I would say pretty much halve what the brochure says.
- Tech and app updates. Can they really not issue a software update without breaking something else at the same time?
You know when there has been an update, because the heating resets to 22 degrees.
Oops, failure number one...
Had the first failure today. Charge flap would not open, which left me stuck with no way to charge the car.
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So what is ahead?
So I have plans. Not sure if I am actually going to bother yet. Wiring ANYTHING into a modern car is a nightmare. Just finding an ignition supply for my in-car camera took ages. To be made: New independent fusebox in the front 'where the engine used to be' space. Extra RGB interior and external LEDS (maybe that can remember the colour I set them to!) New front, fully integrated spotlights. Full exterior, GPS and Gyro controlled SFX system (oh yea).... stupid toys. Glovebox light (Thanks Seat you cheapskates) |
An update after nearly a year....
Hmm. Well, I tried EV's and I am not convinced.
OK. We all know that tech is fine until it packs up. But the constantly changing and repetitive fails are starting to grind just a bit.
So I get in this morning and do the usual routine...
So I get in this morning and do the usual routine...
- Open with the key because it's cold (touch door handles don't work)
- Press OK on the screen
- Heated seat to 1. NO amount of learning seems to make this car remember that setting.
- Set the steering wheel heater to 1. Again, it just CANNOT remember that number.
- Is the heating still set to 22 and not now warming the invisible passenger? Check and adjust.
- Check the interior led colours. Have they reset? If yes, then change back to the driving mode.
- Go to the car settings, and turn off the lane assist.
- Headlights to auto, and we are off.
THERE IS AN UPDATE AVAILABLE APPLY YES/NO?
I press no, as I know this will mess up everything. 'Warning, no data for this area'. Eh? Oh, the sat/nav doesn't have any clue where I am and Bristol apparently doesn't exist (see image right). 'Warning, no road sign data available'. I can only assume linked to the fact that the sat/nav is buggered today. 'Warning, front assist not available'. BOLLOCKS, didn't clean the 4" square bit of windscreen at the top when I got in (the front camera). |
So, pull over and get out. Clean the windscreen camera at 5.30am with the cloth I keep in the door for that purpose.
Get back in....
Accidentality press OK when the update message appears.... Time to reset everything for the third time this commute...
10 minutes later, I realise the heating has switched on the passenger side heating, even though there is nobody there.
You need to save every watt of electric in this thing.
Cycle the power to the air conditioning to fix that.
Stop at the garage to get milk and a sandwich. Get back in...
EV's the future? NOPE. Not if this is the level on inconvenience.
It might sound petty, but at 5.25am, it's just annoying. It's pretty much convinced me to go back to petrol after this EV.
Trouble is, I expect petrol cars are going down the route of these touchscreens as well.
Shame, the car is beautiful, but let down skimping on something that the car relies on heavily.
I foresee me going back to my good old Diesel pickup truck next. Sorry penquins.
Get back in....
- Press OK on the screen
- Heated seat to 1. NO amount of learning seems to make this car remember that setting.
- Set the steering wheel heater to 1. Again, it just CANNOT remember that number.
- Is the heating still set to 22 and not now warming the invisible passenger? Check and adjust.
- Check the interior led colours. Have they reset? If yes, then change back to the driving mode.
- Go to the car settings, and turn off the lane assist.
- Headlights to auto, and we are off again.
Accidentality press OK when the update message appears.... Time to reset everything for the third time this commute...
- Heated seat to 1. NO amount of learning seems to make this car remember that setting.
- Set the steering wheel heater to 1. Again, it just CANNOT remember that number.
- Is the heating still set to 22 and not now warming the invisible passenger? Check and adjust.
- Check the interior led colours. Have they reset? If yes, then change back to the driving mode.
- Go to the car settings, and turn off the lane assist.
- Headlights to auto, and we are off again.
10 minutes later, I realise the heating has switched on the passenger side heating, even though there is nobody there.
You need to save every watt of electric in this thing.
Cycle the power to the air conditioning to fix that.
Stop at the garage to get milk and a sandwich. Get back in...
- Heated seat to 1. NO amount of learning seems to make this car remember that setting.
- Set the steering wheel heater to 1. Again, it just CANNOT remember that number.
- Is the heating still set to 22 and not now warming the invisible passenger? Check and adjust.
- Check the interior led colours. Have they reset? If yes, then change back to the driving mode.
- Go to the car settings, and turn off the lane assist.
- Headlights to auto, and we are off again.
EV's the future? NOPE. Not if this is the level on inconvenience.
It might sound petty, but at 5.25am, it's just annoying. It's pretty much convinced me to go back to petrol after this EV.
Trouble is, I expect petrol cars are going down the route of these touchscreens as well.
Shame, the car is beautiful, but let down skimping on something that the car relies on heavily.
I foresee me going back to my good old Diesel pickup truck next. Sorry penquins.
The future
So onwards we go. Let's see how the future for EV's pans out in the UK. Personally, I just do not see the 2030 deadline happening in any way at all.
Nowhere near enough chargers, and the whole system is dis-jointed and temperamental.
Not to mention the appalling state of the UK's roadside chargers, which are now more expensive than petrol to use.
Short runs and commutes in a city. Fine. If you only ever have to charge at home. Fine.
I love this car, but I am not sold on EV's yet, Maybe that will change, but there is a very high chance I will go back to petrol (or diesel) when I change this again.
Time will tell.
Oh, and they depreciate quicker than you can burn cash! My decision is made, back to fossil fuel next time!