That’s really impressive, but what made you want out so quickly?
I like them, but I just can’t see past the guy at the top.
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Partly that but mainly a disability that worsened over the year making it increasingly difficult to get in and out. Now have a self-charging hybrid SUV which I’m liking a lot more.
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Ah sorry to hear that 
but yeah completely understandable if it no-longer meets your needs!
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I wish I liked the EX30, but it was too much of a change/downgrade from the XC40 we had. We wanted to move to electric, but decided against it as NI isn’t the best for full electric (on top of not liking the EX30). Maybe in a few years and with a newer Volvo model?
So back to XC40 mild hybrid we went.
This is exactly where we are. We’re in an XC40 Recharge PHEV at the moment. On paper the EX30 should be great, but I’m struggling to love it, also used prices won’t be as low yet.
Polestar 2 test drive on Wednesday though, so let’s see how much I like that.
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Lovely car. I’ve been thinking about the Polestar 3 but not test driven it yet.
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Of course.. it would be so cool to have one
I’m sure you’ll enjoy the Polestar test drive. I test drove a Polestar 2 SMLR June last year.. and ended up having one delivered the next month. I love it. Lovely bit of tech in it and the range is on the better side compared to other EVs. Went from a 2L Diesel A6 so the charge costs are minimal compared to fuel lol
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I can’t commit to full EV. I test drove BYD Seal U PHEV and thought I was settled on it. However test drove the refreshed MG HS PHEV and it was amazing and definitely a happy middle ground.
Well…
You were right.
Likes:
- It felt very familiar coming from the XC40, everything’s very Volvo and apparently it’s based on the same platform.
- The driving position is great, it’s a lot higher up than you’d expect from a car of that size.
- It’s insanely quick, like wow the acceleration is unreal - and I was driving the single motor version! If anything it’s made me a lot more confident that I can just go for the cheaper single motor version instead of the AWD version.
Dislikes:
- My knee kept hitting against the centre console, but I feel like I can potentially find a more comfortable seating position.
- The suspension is a little weird. Like 95% of the time it’s really smooth, but every now and again when you go over a big bump you really felt the extra weight and the body lurch a bit. Not a dealbreaker, but means that the performance versions are even more of a no for me.
I’m sold on it, but I think I do still want to try and get into an EX30 to try that. I’ve got a few more months before I need to make a decision so I’m in no rush.
Also as a side note, I had a nosey around the Polestar 3. It’s gorgeous, but the price is too prohibitive. A younger version of myself who only cared about the monthly and didn’t care about the total amount payable would have stuck it on a PCP.
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As a 6’3 and also big guy, the knee hitting the centre was my issue initially too. You definitely get a comfy position (and for me going from manual to auto, I realised how little of an issue it is when you’re not going for the clutch anymore) so that worked out nice in the end for me.
Definitely know what you mean about the suspension though! Hit a big pothole and you can feel and hear the clunk but its fine. Another thing is ocassionally over a big pothole when regen braking in OPD mode, it does sometimes stop regen and you need to manual brake or add a bit throttle for it to then kick in again. Only seems to be a certain bit of road/pothole that does it for me though! Haven’t driven any other EVs to compare personally for other things either.
I actually had a Dual Motor Long Range loaner for a few week while mine was stuck in the port waiting for delivery and that’s a completely different beast. Ridiculous power and traction. Don’t get me wrong, the single motor is absolutely insane as well though and puts a smile on my face each time. The only thing I have to be careful of is with my heavy foot in a RWD single motor - It can be lethal in the wet if you put a bit much power down even on a straight lol. But coming from a FWD that was to be expected really with all the torque they have
Had a lovely 20k miles driving it so far the last year though and its a joy on the few long distance drives I’ve done as well so highly recommended
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We’ve just had out MG HS PHEV delivered. It was by far the best value mid-size SUV I could lease. The equivalent Tiguan is something like £10k more to buy!
It can do 75 miles on EV only so we should only need to fill up petrol three or four times year for longer journeys.
We’ve had a Hypervolt 3 Pro installed and I’m now trying to figure out which energy tariff I should be on. Agile has served me really well over the past few years. Octopus Intelligent/Go are cheap over night, but the day rate is considerably higher than Agile. Also don’t like that they’re 12 month contracts.
I’m not sure if the batter/our mileage are big enough to get the savings from Go.
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Ok so I’ve totally been sleeping on the Polestar 4. I just went back to a Polestar space and actually paid attention to it this time and I think it actually ticks all of my boxes.
It’s called the 4, but in reality it sits between the 2 and 3 both in terms of size and in terms of price. Knowing that the 3 was out of range for me, I think I initially completely ignored the 4.
I really like the fact that it’s such a small form-factor yet so spacious inside due to the fact it has no rear window. I need to try and test drive it but my head is saying go for a 2 simply because it’s ok and it’s cheaper, but my heart is saying go for the 4. I’m still about 2 and a bit months away from having to make a decision, so I’m sure I’ll change my mind again 
I also still need to get the key decision maker (my wife) in these cars at some point too.
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The 4 is a gorgeous car in real life. Huge wheels too.
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Right so I’ve managed to test drive the 4 and get my wife in both cars. She likes them both so that’s easy 
Test drive today in the 4 was great. It’s such an easy car to drive. It feels so refined and I had none of the weird suspension feelings I got from the 2. Lots of drivers checking it out too whilst sat in traffic as it’s a pretty unique looking car.
The digital rear view mirror took a little getting used to, but after a few minutes my eyes adjusted to focusing on a screen rather than a mirror. It’s an ok solution and actually you do see so much more than you would with a standard mirror. The only issue I have with it is the complete lack of depth. You’d see cars coming up real close in the camera, but have no idea how close they really are behind you.
I test drove the LRSM. It definitely didn’t feel as fast as the 2, but it was still more than quick enough. The dual motor would be an incredible vehicle to have, but I literally have no need for it.
I’m really struggling to find things I don’t like about the car. Probably the only thing is the heads up display. This is the first car I’ve ever driven with one and my eyes just couldn’t handle focusing on the display. It can be turned off though so no biggie.
I’m leaning more towards this than the 2. For an extra ~7-8k I think it’s worth it. Just hoping a few more pop up on the used market in the next few months.
Didn’t get a photo this time around so here’s one from Polestar.
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I love my Polestar 2, we have done nearly 44K miles in it in nearly 3 years, and its just a nice place to be..
I looked at the 4 and its just too wide, its a beautiful car but its another SUV…
In December our 2 goes back to the leasing company and is been replaced by a Tesla Model 3 SR, as we will save £100 a month+ on charging (no home charging) and around £100 a month on lease costs through Salary Sacrifice.. so was a spreadsheet decision, but I would have another Polestar 2 in an instant…
Mine will be on the used market in the new year probably 
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Nice, did you have the single motor or the dual motor version? It’s interesting because the older ones can be had for around 17-20k right now. Seems like a steal, the only things putting me off though are potential issues with the software, I’m hearing the older hardware was a little underpowered, and it’s a little less efficient for long runs, especially the dual motor. If I go for the 2 I think I’ll try and get a 2024 model with both the Plus and Pilot packs.
Mine is a mid 23 Long Range Single Motor and touch wood we have never had any problems with the software, we do sometimes have to reboot the infotainment system, but thats it.
The car is very efficent, we did a 1200 mile roadtrip last week, and charging cost £96 and cost us 8p a mile
I would recommend the Long Range Single Motor, it seems to be the best option.
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Rumours of per mile EV tax coming in instead of the yearly charge.
I suspect not true but saw on politics UK blue sky - won’t link as it’s from the newspaper names the same as the bright thing in the sky.
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LRDM coming December, not sure why it says November.