I live in an area that floods a lot when there’s heavy rain. My current sedan sits too low so when there’s heavy rain I am unable to go anywhere due to the flooding. The flooding issue isn’t going anywhere so I need to get an SUV to be able to go on with my daily life.
So what I need is an SUV that is:
fuel efficient (no EV, I have no way to charge one)
high enough clearance
isn’t too big, I don’t need it for space, I need it for clearance
leases relatively well (~$600 max)
So the GC 4xe seemed to check all the boxes. I went to test drive a GC 4xe (it was about a 63k MSRP, wasn’t a higher trim).
There were two things that really bothered me:
The ride quality was terrible. Really bumpy ride, you could feel every bump in the road.
The regenerative braking was rather annoying. As soon as you let your foot off the gas in really jerked back. I’ve driven hybrids where the regenerative braking was way more subtle.
So that leaves me with the following questions for those of you you who drive one:
In regards to the bumpy suspension, I asked the sales guy if it could be adjusted he said no. Is there an adaptive suspension or a better suspension at a higher trim level?
Can the regenerative braking be adjusted or turned off? Again sales guy didn’t know.
Lastly, any other SUVs anybody can recommend to look into?
I went to look at a Audi Q5e. Interior is dated, a new Q5 is launched next year so I’m going to skip that.
Lexus NX/RX don’t lease well.
Mercedes GLA sits too low. GLB might be an option. Don’t think they lease well but I haven’t looked at it more closely.
X1 is too low.
X3 is another option I might look into. Don’t love how it looks and I no longer have loyalty but might be worth exploring.
On the lower end I was considering the Venza but I haven’t looked into it enough.
The bumpy ride probably was due to improperly set tire pressure, but every 4xe model except the base has adaptive air suspension.
What you experienced with the “regen braking” was actually “max regen”, which is a on option that automatically applies the regenerative braking system for you when you lift off the accelerator. It basically presses the brake pedal for you for people that prefer the one pedal driving experience. You can turn it off and still get all the benefits of regen braking by simply pressing the brake pedal yourself. The button is the furthest left on the row of buttons above the infotainment screen. Your salesman is useless if he has that little knowledge of the products.
Buy a base model gas Wrangler or similar, and lift it.
There’s no way your gas savings from an uncharged PHEV are ever going to break even when you’re spending $43,000+ just on car payments every 6-year cycle.
It doesn’t flood that bad that I need to lift a Wrangler.
I didn’t drive the Wrangler but was told that if I don’t like the suspension on the GC I’m certainly not going to like it on a Wrangler. Also, sales guy said no side airbags on Wrangler. Kinda crazy you can but a car nowadays with no side airbags.
Well, to be fair, the 24s arent on the lots yet… so he would have to put a single iota of effort into knowledge about the upcoming products. Which if he can’t be bothered with the existing products, why bother with the future products?
As for your flooding question, base 4xe can handle 21" of water. All other trims will do 24" when the air suspension is lifted. A lot less than a wrangler will do, but if there is 2’ of water on your street, you probably have bigger issues.
GC is tall enough even without adaptive suspension for the flooding around me.
In regards to charging it:
How much charging can I get from a 20 min charging at like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s?
What are the real life MPGs if you don’t charge it a lot.
I have no way to plug it in in my parking garage so the only place it will get charged is when I go grocery shopping.
The 4xe has a ~7 kW onboard charger and about a 15 kWh usable battery capacity… so if you find a grocery store charger that can support that full charging rate, youre basicslly looking at about 2.5 kWh in 20 minutes. Thatll get you roughly 5 miles of electric range.
Without plugging in, expect mid to low 20 mpg.
Do you have any access to a regular 110v outlet in your parking garage? Doesnt need to be anything fancy to plug in to.
So when they talk about 56mpg on that car, does the car switch between electric and gas during driving to get to that number? Does that mean I will always have to have it fully charged to get good gas milage out of it?
If you’re looking for improved ride quality the solid axle Wrangler isn’t gonna fit the bill, especially with a lift. I’d suggest a Gas Grand Cherokee in the Overland or better trim if someone is looking for a non EV with ground clearance, water resistance and a smooth ride. The Trailhawk may check those boxes if you’re OK with the more aggressive tires. It has adaptive air suspension as well as part time dampening.
Then the charger you used for 110 is slower than mine. My VW was doing 5 mile per hour, BUT in your defense I noticed my Kia has a slower 110 than my VW. So it is also based on the charger The VW was a 15amp charger and the Kia is a 10 I believe
