When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
It's pretty reasonable IMO. Nothing particularly controversial. The focus is the Prius Prime PHEV. The key point is that when it runs as an EV, it's nice - but because the battery is small, it can't run as an EV for very long. And when it can't run as an EV, a rough and underpowered engine kicks in. Hence the worst of all worlds conclusion.
In EV mode my PHEV has 176hp. In HV mode it has 302hp. It’s completely different vehicle. Much so I find myself speeding in HV mode.
It's pretty reasonable IMO. Nothing particularly controversial. The focus is the Prius Prime PHEV. The key point is that when it runs as an EV, it's nice - but because the battery is small, it can't run as an EV for very long. And when it can't run as an EV, a rough and underpowered engine kicks in. Hence the worst of all worlds conclusion.
This is really variable amongst PHEVs. I really like the PHEV powertrain that I have in the Pacifica, its great in EV mode and the engine also feels good when its on, the CVT makes the acceleration feel similar between the two. When I drove the S580e and 750e though I hated them, they felt so great in EV mode and so not great when the engines were on, it just felt "wrong"...
This is really variable amongst PHEVs. I really like the PHEV powertrain that I have in the Pacifica, its great in EV mode and the engine also feels good when its on, the CVT makes the acceleration feel similar between the two. When I drove the S580e and 750e though I hated them, they felt so great in EV mode and so not great when the engines were on, it just felt "wrong"...
agree, our daughter has a Pacifica PHEV and it’s really nice to drive in all modes. It’s a very well-implemented PHEV powertrain, everything works together and the transitions are seamless.
The criticism in the motortrend article was really about the way it works in the Prius Prime.
agree, our daughter has a Pacifica PHEV and it’s really nice to drive in all modes. It’s a very well-implemented PHEV powertrain, everything works together and the transitions are seamless.
Thirding that. The Pacifica hybrid I had as a rental for a week on a work trip last year was a delight. So much so that I actually asked specifically (but unsuccessfully) for it the next time I was there.
BYD isn't currently doing too hot either. The only wholly Chinese brand that's seen any semblance of Euro success is MG, which already had an established badge and recognition in Europe from its days as a British company.
Unpaywalled article:
MG is taking it seriously, they sell all types of vehicles - petrol, hybrid, plugin, evs. They grow 50% each year and this year will outsell many brands, probably aorund 500k in sales in EU, which is huge number.
Their vehicles are also adapted to Europe, and they have over 700 dealers.
Byd, Xpeng, Nio right now dont have anything serious and sell few hundreds of cars per month at some premium price.
Geely started pushing, and thats something that could happen - similar to MG story, with exception of Geely having already Volvo and Polestar presence, expending that with Zeekr and now also Geely brand to rival MG.
There's a huge difference between the Pacifica hybrid and the Prius, the biggest being the 3.6L V6... so either modes you have a quiet smooth drivetrain. Just wanted to point that out
There's a huge difference between the Pacifica hybrid and the Prius, the biggest being the 3.6L V6... so either modes you have a quiet smooth drivetrain. Just wanted to point that out
eeeh....the Pentastar is not exactly renowned for it's smoothness (though yes, it is marginally better than the Prius' 4-banger), and the gas-only Pacifica drivetrain--with the exact same engine--is not pleasing in any regard.
Not saying you're entirely wrong, but in this case, the PHEV part--both motor and transmission--is what makes all the difference. Less so the actual engine.
eeeh....the Pentastar is not exactly renowned for it's smoothness (though yes, it is marginally better than the Prius' 4-banger), and the gas-only Pacifica drivetrain--with the exact same engine--is not pleasing in any regard.
Not saying you're entirely wrong, but in this case, the PHEV part--both motor and transmission--is what makes all the difference. Less so the actual engine.
That's what I meant, it has to be smoother than the 2.0 L, especially when combining engine and EV drivetrain. I've never driven one, but I hear a lot of praises from owners. I would probably lease one of these over getting the Sienna Hybrid, which I have driven and am not a fan of
Now that the days are getting longer and we have more sun, my solar is starting to kick in. This is my April-May bill, which includes charging four EV's, an electric stove, AC usage, and general household electricity usage for the month:
Add another $144 for the cost of solar panels, and the total is $197.31
Looking at the history on our Electrify Home, we used 1270 kWh the last 30 days charging our cars, without solar, the cost would have been around 0.18 cents per kWh (with tax), or $228.60, which is still not bad fueling four vehicles that average about 12K miles a year.
The savings for me switching to BEV's are real. Not the reason I did so, but a very compelling reason as it cut my vehicle expenses way down
There's a huge difference between the Pacifica hybrid and the Prius, the biggest being the 3.6L V6... so either modes you have a quiet smooth drivetrain. Just wanted to point that out
Originally Posted by geko29
eeeh....the Pentastar is not exactly renowned for it's smoothness (though yes, it is marginally better than the Prius' 4-banger), and the gas-only Pacifica drivetrain--with the exact same engine--is not pleasing in any regard.
Not saying you're entirely wrong, but in this case, the PHEV part--both motor and transmission--is what makes all the difference. Less so the actual engine.
Totally agree about the Pentastar, and in ther S580e you have their great I6 which is plenty smooth, and in the 750e you have the B58 which is great...but they still don't feel right
Totally agree about the Pentastar, and in ther S580e you have their great I6 which is plenty smooth, and in the 750e you have the B58 which is great...but they still don't feel right
Do you mean when they are engine only? Could be they are tuned more for efficiency when the battery is exhausted
Do you mean when they are engine only? Could be they are tuned more for efficiency when the battery is exhausted
Steve obviously has more experience (with all three vehicles), but the impression I got from driving the Pacifica for a week is that it tries very hard to couple the engine to the wheels as little as possible. As much as it is able, it operates as a pure EV that happens to have an on-board generator. Even when the battery is "dead", it still drives on EV power most of the time, with the engine cycling on and off occasionally. When you do demand more power than the motor can provide, it pulls mechanical engine power in gradually. it doesn't "switch" from one power source to the other.
Do you mean when they are engine only? Could be they are tuned more for efficiency when the battery is exhausted
Thats right. Its just the ICE powertrain feels very different than the EV powertrain. It may be the CVT vs the regular transmission. For instance in EV power, there is no shifting, in ICE power it shifts as normal...
Originally Posted by geko29
Steve obviously has more experience (with all three vehicles), but the impression I got from driving the Pacifica for a week is that it tries very hard to couple the engine to the wheels as little as possible. As much as it is able, it operates as a pure EV that happens to have an on-board generator. Even when the battery is "dead", it still drives on EV power most of the time, with the engine cycling on and off occasionally. When you do demand more power than the motor can provide, it pulls mechanical engine power in gradually. it doesn't "switch" from one power source to the other.
Yes, very much so. Its a subtle difference when driving it when the EV battery is exhausted...
It's pretty reasonable IMO. Nothing particularly controversial. The focus is the Prius Prime PHEV. The key point is that when it runs as an EV, it's nice - but because the battery is small, it can't run as an EV for very long. And when it can't run as an EV, a rough and underpowered engine kicks in. Hence the worst of all worlds conclusion.
agreed not all phev's are the same... and there's a thread on that article.
