Electric cars

[Grey Fox]

PHEV are not electric cars and then ICE cars when the battery runs out. They are hybrid vehicles (both at the same time) that you have to plug every day to be recharged.

PHEVs are lies.

Jos, get a Toyota RAV4 hybrid. It is the best price point large hybrid available.

[Admiral Yi]

PHEV are not electric cars and then ICE cars when the battery runs out. They are hybrid vehicles (both at the same time) that you have to plug every day to be recharged.

PHEVs are lies.

How does the engine decide which power source to draw on at any given time?

[Grey Fox]

PHEV are not electric cars and then ICE cars when the battery runs out. They are hybrid vehicles (both at the same time) that you have to plug every day to be recharged.

PHEVs are lies.

How does the engine decide which power source to draw on at any given time?

AFAIK, it's 2 engines & the computer decides. The transmission probably does much of the work.

[Caliga]

C300... so, not an electric at all.

I figure I'll hang on to this car for five years or so and then get an electric, when there are tons more options.

...aaand it's already in the shop for an extended visit. 

Front right brake caliper cracked, and all the brake fluid leaked out.  No fluid, no brakes, no good.

Mercedes is paying for everything though, so there's that at least.

[Josquius]

PHEV are not electric cars and then ICE cars when the battery runs out. They are hybrid vehicles (both at the same time) that you have to plug every day to be recharged.

PHEVs are lies.

Jos, get a Toyota RAV4 hybrid. It is the best price point large hybrid available.

Woops. Forgot to reply here.
Looked into those and they tend to be 20k+. Fair bit above my price point.
Tempted by volkswagen golf plugin hybrids at the minute - went to a garage and viewed some cars and this Skoda rapid thing seemed Suitable (despite petrol) though  reviews all say the golf is better.

The hybrids are automatic though which is slightly off putting for me and has my gf terrified.

[Grey Fox]

Kind of impossible to have a manual electric motor.

I never owned a manual car. Too much trouble in traffic.

I didn't mention before, I got a 2023 Subaru Outback back in April. The backseat being heated was the deal maker.

[Barrister]

Kind of impossible to have a manual electric motor.

I never owned a manual car. Too much trouble in traffic.

Manuals are awesome.  Except in stop-and-go traffic.

I had a manual BMW 5-series, and a manual Nissan Sentra.  I miss manuals.

[Admiral Yi]

I never owned a manual car. Too much trouble in traffic.

Sexy though.

[DGuller]

C300... so, not an electric at all.

I figure I'll hang on to this car for five years or so and then get an electric, when there are tons more options.

...aaand it's already in the shop for an extended visit. 

Front right brake caliper cracked, and all the brake fluid leaked out.  No fluid, no brakes, no good.

Mercedes is paying for everything though, so there's that at least.

Brake fluid leaking out can be a blessing in disguise, it ensures that the other three brake calipers will remain intact.

[Tamas]

Automatic transmission can be terryifimg? 

In such a traffic heavy environment like here in England I would never go back to manual. Who the hell needs the constant double pedalling for hours being stuck on the M25? Or the M4? Or on some minor road during rush hour? Compare that with just lifting your foot off the break pedal to crawl forward when the queue does. Bliss.

Plus as others said you can either have manual transmission or a hybrid/EV. You can't have both.

[Josquius]

Kind of impossible to have a manual electric motor.

Yes. But its a trade off you never really hear mentioned around electrics.

[Tamas]

Kind of impossible to have a manual electric motor.

Yes. But its a trade off you never really hear mentioned around electrics.

Because unless you are racing, manual transmission is a cost saving disadvantage that has been turned into an "I am man enough not to need an automatic transmission" thing :p

[Josquius]

Kind of impossible to have a manual electric motor.

Yes. But its a trade off you never really hear mentioned around electrics.

Because unless you are racing, manual transmission is a cost saving disadvantage that has been turned into an "I am man enough not to need an automatic transmission" thing :p

I don't care about cars. I see no status in them. Neither I nor my GF see driving a normal car as a macho thing.  Automatics are just harder to drive as they give you less control.

[Tamas]

Please, especially if you want a hybrid, give automatics a try. I don't know maybe rent one for a couple of days? You are missing out.

Less control is true of course but only to a degree. You can control gear switches quite reliably with the gas pedal pressure - you don't have to, but e.g. you are on a high-ish rpm, you step back for a moment and you can feel it switch up etc. Every once in a while, mine does not "read the situation" properly when I am starting to  slowly accelerate from very slow speed just as I am start to go uphill and does not switch back sufficiently to get the acceleration I'd want, but bear in mind this is now a 17 years old car, and this is solved by stepping on the gas.

Otherwise it is great. Once you get used to it you can have all the control you ever want for non-race driving by your pressure on the gas pedal, and it becomes much less tiring to drive in traffic. I love it and as long as I can afford I will never go back to manual transmission.

[Threviel]

I don't like the delay in control of an automatic, it feels like my car is considering how to do what I want rather than doing what I want.

For me it's more or less don't care. Would prefer manual, but it's not important as I mostly drive on the highway.

Electric on the other hand feels like I'm in control and with the energy regeneration I can even engine brake. Like that. No need for another mechanical thing that can break which a gear box is.