samoht
November 26th, 2023, 02:28 PM
I've been keen to get an EV since Atsuko organised us to hire a Leaf for a day several years back, and with the McLaren handling road trips with elan and the Mercedes proving rather expensive to keep as a local runabout, the stars aligned. Even better, EV prices have crashed hard this year, one might even say they're AWESOME VALUE now.
Atsuko didn't want a Korean car (don't ask), and while the BMW i3 was tempting, it's also a bit small and only fast-charges at 50 kW.
In the galaxy of Stellantis shared-platforms, Citroen aim to distinguish their C4 by making it larger, 13cm longer in the wheelbase and wider so it's nearer Focus dimensions than the supermini 208, and more comfortable, with rally-derived hydraulic bump stops to eat up our broken tarmac, extra-comfy seats and generally more attention paid to refinement. That seemed like a great match with a smooth, silent EV drivetrain, and the size means it takes a bicycle easily. The motorway range, 120-140 miles or so at 70mph, is mediocre but enough for what I want it for, and 100 kW charging means 20 minute stops if I do take it further afield.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHfT5PbfcKAZ3YlddM2LyiPffBmBwcxSLhdowy70kiDfbn kPk5t9dFCdEM2KcVNM6ZTF-ZnXK2n17NqXKTIVVI2l2McX4RxiOzTmAutnUpyw9XxjHmiJBXR yDthevEOysSLfUWvcwG_75u5rs72_cl23VA=w1925-h1584-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHfuaXzeRxqvLp_Jbl_YIJtR1zX21MoekuVCYYhtsFk-56tqUAArCWyu6u4dEd-I9ZqKP3EvjluQ26ZSgaL2DhUVaU-w7YhyoFsP1MTDmMIZHCaPoYwAo-LKuxvHh014-0Dw6gHwXpZ8pLMoUUPULPobpA=w1780-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHcfJZAwRYXABsBGGZZ-n1BQh_jxttlVhhpzJDC5hyYkptplXQtBuIIn3-u1YRlkZcMdj3lN2oUdbuZtKRWEC_9C4I19dMKr9eFvQtZLqFk6 g9tQHCg-nbowsX6AskROlnRafK9RYgJWGT7gSvuW18K81w=w2067-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHfOuKoA87LdXN7fNNV77Nwi0mLviHDnJVe1EK3M9mKnn_ gm6y7hTI4EsL6bz0yO8iZucTgwSLRAyj355Y0IwfOLwbA9esvA tuUjaYpysZ3Sd5Ch5xwtf1IwBc_zAgqVUxfO6ga7N7Kt_uImwr JyeCajYw=w2178-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHcSAOQgYFrqRxRCNsdN0ZcDBmxB739Jg4OV-ua_sClXZk417MYP9YFBL4z0BTx0DNtKFHu24tidVWQ0CaXBmvY BK-T6txuk3sSPtAR5DFmivUcWwOZAfYtmsQHp_8tdNE7yCOOPQztf p-6uQIxGVpBQqw=w1293-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHdhskFvvYJ9zwv_efLyQvXGkocun5_xC5zQafrxxQvQdf 4aXB1WIXK-M5vKgA0a-obAgQFpDq8D_NIrwdbAKkadsHmDRned-Rni_1P_N4BExdgk0wRaLy4vH0ZxmpZ_d1gq542hKFUdqDVMqPX awU1p9g=w1916-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHdoKsRWK_-200p885-obxx_hNf5m89uG6pq3WEC-xRBcaCBZKaFB0mbiPmg4UX_DUWov30k86-kHTNr2vL3wlpI3bAW6smY1CILyFkzi6LATsTOCi4jOyDDcfc3Z I8jfPkWkzrc4BgjHjzKnUaiEQwKkQ=w1922-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHchMBrVNVRa6JRyDOf-00C7pA7-J4Kj93mCWkdku4sBlQ0pYTMtui6O_vnYYlaCKg2NRTslPKDaib QtDM14_3F01z-eWgl9RqZY7j45wwHJWFgiezziMi7Yujc4voFslOxemas_jsCuy UeoW_wKv_evmQ=w1160-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
(let me know if you can't see the photos)
Anyway, I love it! It's a really nice comfortable driving position, not feet-up like many EVs. It drives super-smoothly, and it's the first car I've had where I don't bother to avoid potholes, it just eats them up (195/60 tyres are part of this). The radar cruise works really well even down to standstill, and it's very quiet - as a car to listen to music in at 70mph it knocks the McLaren into a cocked hat. It's actually quite fun to run down a good road, with the immediate even throttle response; you have to consider the weight and the soft suspension, but that's part of the fun. As an everyday car it simplifies and de-dramatises driving in traffic, it definitely reduces stress. It has good performance at 'normal' speeds up to about 60mph; obviously with only 130hp it doesn't have the power to make big overtakes at speed that I'm used to, but I can live with that, can always take the other car out if I feel the need for speed. It's the top spec so has heated leather seats and a few other nice features.
Amusingly, the cheapest way is to charge it up a little bit at a time, rather than up to 100% in one go ;) This is because I've gone to an electricity tariff that has cheap off-peak electricity for five hours a night, but it's not worth getting a proper charger for the miles I do, so it charges at about 2.3 kW or about 12 kWh in those five hours. So by letting it charge about ~25% a night through the week, it's cheaper than leaving it turned on for ~18 hours to charge fully in one go :)
I'm now plotting to take it on a longer trip weirdly enough, just to see how the charging works out.
Atsuko didn't want a Korean car (don't ask), and while the BMW i3 was tempting, it's also a bit small and only fast-charges at 50 kW.
In the galaxy of Stellantis shared-platforms, Citroen aim to distinguish their C4 by making it larger, 13cm longer in the wheelbase and wider so it's nearer Focus dimensions than the supermini 208, and more comfortable, with rally-derived hydraulic bump stops to eat up our broken tarmac, extra-comfy seats and generally more attention paid to refinement. That seemed like a great match with a smooth, silent EV drivetrain, and the size means it takes a bicycle easily. The motorway range, 120-140 miles or so at 70mph, is mediocre but enough for what I want it for, and 100 kW charging means 20 minute stops if I do take it further afield.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHfT5PbfcKAZ3YlddM2LyiPffBmBwcxSLhdowy70kiDfbn kPk5t9dFCdEM2KcVNM6ZTF-ZnXK2n17NqXKTIVVI2l2McX4RxiOzTmAutnUpyw9XxjHmiJBXR yDthevEOysSLfUWvcwG_75u5rs72_cl23VA=w1925-h1584-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHfuaXzeRxqvLp_Jbl_YIJtR1zX21MoekuVCYYhtsFk-56tqUAArCWyu6u4dEd-I9ZqKP3EvjluQ26ZSgaL2DhUVaU-w7YhyoFsP1MTDmMIZHCaPoYwAo-LKuxvHh014-0Dw6gHwXpZ8pLMoUUPULPobpA=w1780-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHcfJZAwRYXABsBGGZZ-n1BQh_jxttlVhhpzJDC5hyYkptplXQtBuIIn3-u1YRlkZcMdj3lN2oUdbuZtKRWEC_9C4I19dMKr9eFvQtZLqFk6 g9tQHCg-nbowsX6AskROlnRafK9RYgJWGT7gSvuW18K81w=w2067-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHfOuKoA87LdXN7fNNV77Nwi0mLviHDnJVe1EK3M9mKnn_ gm6y7hTI4EsL6bz0yO8iZucTgwSLRAyj355Y0IwfOLwbA9esvA tuUjaYpysZ3Sd5Ch5xwtf1IwBc_zAgqVUxfO6ga7N7Kt_uImwr JyeCajYw=w2178-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHcSAOQgYFrqRxRCNsdN0ZcDBmxB739Jg4OV-ua_sClXZk417MYP9YFBL4z0BTx0DNtKFHu24tidVWQ0CaXBmvY BK-T6txuk3sSPtAR5DFmivUcWwOZAfYtmsQHp_8tdNE7yCOOPQztf p-6uQIxGVpBQqw=w1293-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHdhskFvvYJ9zwv_efLyQvXGkocun5_xC5zQafrxxQvQdf 4aXB1WIXK-M5vKgA0a-obAgQFpDq8D_NIrwdbAKkadsHmDRned-Rni_1P_N4BExdgk0wRaLy4vH0ZxmpZ_d1gq542hKFUdqDVMqPX awU1p9g=w1916-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHdoKsRWK_-200p885-obxx_hNf5m89uG6pq3WEC-xRBcaCBZKaFB0mbiPmg4UX_DUWov30k86-kHTNr2vL3wlpI3bAW6smY1CILyFkzi6LATsTOCi4jOyDDcfc3Z I8jfPkWkzrc4BgjHjzKnUaiEQwKkQ=w1922-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHchMBrVNVRa6JRyDOf-00C7pA7-J4Kj93mCWkdku4sBlQ0pYTMtui6O_vnYYlaCKg2NRTslPKDaib QtDM14_3F01z-eWgl9RqZY7j45wwHJWFgiezziMi7Yujc4voFslOxemas_jsCuy UeoW_wKv_evmQ=w1160-h1240-s-no?authuser=0
(let me know if you can't see the photos)
Anyway, I love it! It's a really nice comfortable driving position, not feet-up like many EVs. It drives super-smoothly, and it's the first car I've had where I don't bother to avoid potholes, it just eats them up (195/60 tyres are part of this). The radar cruise works really well even down to standstill, and it's very quiet - as a car to listen to music in at 70mph it knocks the McLaren into a cocked hat. It's actually quite fun to run down a good road, with the immediate even throttle response; you have to consider the weight and the soft suspension, but that's part of the fun. As an everyday car it simplifies and de-dramatises driving in traffic, it definitely reduces stress. It has good performance at 'normal' speeds up to about 60mph; obviously with only 130hp it doesn't have the power to make big overtakes at speed that I'm used to, but I can live with that, can always take the other car out if I feel the need for speed. It's the top spec so has heated leather seats and a few other nice features.
Amusingly, the cheapest way is to charge it up a little bit at a time, rather than up to 100% in one go ;) This is because I've gone to an electricity tariff that has cheap off-peak electricity for five hours a night, but it's not worth getting a proper charger for the miles I do, so it charges at about 2.3 kW or about 12 kWh in those five hours. So by letting it charge about ~25% a night through the week, it's cheaper than leaving it turned on for ~18 hours to charge fully in one go :)
I'm now plotting to take it on a longer trip weirdly enough, just to see how the charging works out.