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Kilowatt Half Hour Ep 118: Merc vs Lexus, and is the Polo too expensive?!

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Every week, the Electrifying.com meet online to go over all the concerns at hand. Such as the weather, what we're all having for our tea and who disposed who in last night's Love Island. Between these heavyweight subjects, we likewise speak about electrical cars. A lot. Most likely an unhealthy total up to be sincere.

And when we do discuss vehicles, we discover a lot. From market gossip to the more mundane usefulness of electric automobile ownership, it's the place where we dish the dirt on the cars and trucks we've been driving and deliver our own verdicts on the latest electrical cars and truck news. We also like to have an excellent make fun of the daftest little bits of anti-electric news that we've seen in journalism.

We can't assure that you'll discover much. You probably will not. But if you elegant thirty minutes of idle chat and gossip about the world of electrical automobiles, we're here for you. If you like it/ dislike it/ think it's too long or too short, let us understand.

Chapters are below so you can jump directly to the subject you're most thinking about:.
00:00 Intro.
01:08 What We've Been Driving Today.
01:40 Lepas L8 First Drive & Chery's Brand name Confusion.
05:49 Lexus ES Evaluation– Price, Range & Competitors.
13:30 Upcoming Reviews: Audi A2, Mercedes GLA & More.
17:03 Denza Z Revealed– 1,600 HP Hypercar.
20:08 BYD's New Japanese Kei-Car.
22:29 Should Electronic Door Handles Be Banned?
27:23 Volkswagen ID. Polo– Prices & First Reactions.
33:50 Finest EV Lease & Utilized Automobile Offers.
35:49 Viewer Questions– Best First EV for New Drivers.
40:59 Pay-Per-Mile Road Tax Debate.
45:12 EV Efficiency Discussion & Real-World Economy.
49:30 Behind the Scenes at Electrifying.com.
52:00 Outro.

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Comments

32 responses to “Kilowatt Half Hour Ep 118: Merc vs Lexus, and is the Polo too expensive?!”

  1. @sxsquare Avatar
    @sxsquare

    Chapter markers, please!

    Reply
    1. @stephenwensley Avatar
      @stephenwensley

      A bit technically advanced for this channel (it really isn’t) 😂

      Reply
  2. @stephenwensley Avatar
    @stephenwensley

    Islington is one of the councils that won’t issue parking permits to cars over 5m, Slough is another. Council offstreet car parks is another restriction as the standard space is 4.8m and longer cars are prohibited from using the spaces, like in Wokingham.

    Reply
    1. @jamesengland7461 Avatar
      @jamesengland7461

      What a pathetic law which should be repealed.

      Reply
  3. @henronweekes2796 Avatar
    @henronweekes2796

    Thank you for another cracking podcast . My question is, when will we see a head to head between Hyundai ioniq 9 and Kia ev9?

    Reply
  4. @osm6435 Avatar
    @osm6435

    Subtitles enabled please as well as chapter markers. Ta

    Reply
  5. @stephenwensley Avatar
    @stephenwensley

    Cayenne is still a level above the iX3 etc, especially on charging. Both are 400KW but the Cayenne’s charging curve holds the power longer and the iX3 drops away rapidly. If you need to cover a European road trip distance the Cayenne will get you to the destination about 30 minutes before an iX3, and an hour before a Tesla model Y, GLC, EX60 etc. As most people use that 10%-70% SOC range. Try a 1000 mile head to head video and see if the Cayenne is still justified

    Reply
    1. @ThrottleBody Avatar
      @ThrottleBody

      Irrelevant comparison

      Reply
    2. @stephenwensley Avatar
      @stephenwensley

      @ThrottleBodydepends how you use the cars, most people buying cars like that are covering long distances (or the school run but they can be ignored as reprehensible) and will have deadlines to arrive by

      Reply
  6. @robsmith1a Avatar
    @robsmith1a

    I think the plethora of new brands is becoming like going into a supermarket and finding 15 brands of cornflakes. It’s so confusing that you end up walking without buying any. I was typing this and Vicki just said the same thing

    Reply
  7. @davidvestey6014 Avatar
    @davidvestey6014

    Still waiting for dry weather and temperatures over 20 degrees in NW Scotland!

    Reply
  8. @roblenane6206 Avatar
    @roblenane6206

    I really want to support European OEM but the polo/raval pricing just kills it for me. Ive had 2 renaults from brand new recently and sold both early due to reliability 1 ice and 2 hybrid. So im in a quandry balancing value as i want to switch to EV next. Maybe an inster or ev2 and give the koreans a chance… any thoughts from any early purchasers?

    Reply
  9. @richardpiper4828 Avatar
    @richardpiper4828

    I agree that the £30+k pricing of the high spec ID.Polo’s looks a tad high but in VW’s defence it is not too bad if you make a comparison with its closest competitor, the Renault 5. The Polo is a more practical as a 4/5 seater and interior wise closer to a Golf than a traditional supermini. The standard equipment levels are also a bit higher than for the R5. Who wouldn’t want the standard no cost Python Yellow metallic paint? I guess that VW think that they can get away with pricing their products at a more premium level and they have got a healthy order book. If they hope to qualify for the full £3750 ECG in the future, which I believe could be possible when the VW battery plant is manufacturing the whole pack, why would VW not price to give them a good margin after the Govt has thrown their customers some more dosh. In any event because VW residuals will probably be good the finance rates will still be attractive. I am really tempted by the Launch Editions as they include some really desirable options. The price is really only expensive compared with Chinese EVs and let’s be honest wouldn’t you rather have a ID.Polo (or R5) than a 4.7m Lepas L8?

    Reply
    1. @JjaysYoutube Avatar
      @JjaysYoutube

      As an R5 owner I have to agree, I paid £32,000 on day of launch, the ID Polo is more practical and seems to have nicer materials inside too with just as good tech (maybe a little better) don’t get me wrong I LOVE my R5 but yea I think when you look at the ID polo competition they are priced pretty close or cheaper than some.

      Reply
  10. @kelvinelsworthy1603 Avatar
    @kelvinelsworthy1603

    Yes 100% we do seem to over complicate things why??.

    Reply
  11. @gowron492 Avatar
    @gowron492

    Hi guys, this has to be the greatest podcast, not just for EV related content. Talking electronic door handles, the electronic door handles on my A6 are a pain in posterior. Opening the door from outside, after touching the capacitive pad, you have to pull the door open quickly otherwise you have to try again as you don’t get enough time from the release mechanism. From the inside, the door handle has 2 stages, first stage is the electronic bit and the next step is the mechanical bit but even if you use the mechanical bit, you have to open the door quickly otherwise it stops on the catch and you have to try again. Very annoying. And yes, don’t get me started on the useless door camera mirrors which give you no detail, no depth of perception and the screens sit in the wrong place. Carl,

    Reply
  12. @georgebarlow3724 Avatar
    @georgebarlow3724

    What do you mean Vicki, “the vw id.polo is comparibly priced with the renault r5” Top of the range R5 roland garros £27695, top of the range id.polo style £31500 ish. That’s a £4k difference!

    Reply
    1. @MigV40 Avatar
      @MigV40

      You’re taking into account the £3,750 grant on the Renault. They are very similarly priced with no grants applied.

      Reply
    2. @georgebarlow3724 Avatar
      @georgebarlow3724

      ​@MigV40yes the Renault qualifies for the full grant, but the polo is still getting £1500 of, and a customer walking into a showroom is still paying £4000 more.

      Reply
    3. @MigV40 Avatar
      @MigV40

      @georgebarlow3724 not £4,000; it’s around £2,300. The polo is around £30k after taking its £1,500 grant into account.

      Reply
    4. @georgebarlow3724 Avatar
      @georgebarlow3724

      ​@MigV40just configured the launch edition style with the option of £1500 grant. Price is £31495

      Reply
    5. @georgebarlow3724 Avatar
      @georgebarlow3724

      Just configured R5 Roland Garros special edition. £26945. Difference £4550

      Reply
  13. @Jorgen926 Avatar
    @Jorgen926

    Thanks for mentioning the e-mail I sent to you 😊. Regarding the new Mercedes GLA it is only slightly cheaper than the new GLB. Maybe it is only in Denmark. But I think it could be difficult to sell the Mercedes GLA with the small difference in price to the GLB

    Reply
    1. @MigV40 Avatar
      @MigV40

      The Smart #5 is a much better car than both of those, and you get a higher-quality interior with a lot more standard equipment. And it’s a lot cheaper.

      Reply
  14. @taloire43 Avatar
    @taloire43

    Tom, you can clean your car using a bucket of soapy water. I did yesterday and have not been sent to the Tower.

    Reply
  15. @JjaysYoutube Avatar
    @JjaysYoutube

    I think the ID polo is priced well, the cheaper model is bang in the middle of similar cars of range, but will have better materials etc and the larger battery is the same price as cars like mine R5 etch comfort Icon trim (that cost £32000 on launch) and it offer much more range and better materials inside, is larger more practical (especially in the back) and has similar if not more advanced tech. I am really looking forward to the ID Polo GTI.

    Reply
  16. @emmaoneill579 Avatar
    @emmaoneill579

    Looking for my first ev and something small I currently have a toyota aygo 2015 model which was bought from new and the only car I have ever owned, I would now like something that cannot be overtaken by passing butterflies! Done a test drive in the Honda Super N but it was a bit grim for suspension felt very crashy on UK roads. Other car I’ve looked at is the hyundai inster but is this car still relevant or being surpassed by other brands? (car would be on salary sacrifice scheme UK). Also trying to look at something with reasonable range as I don’t have access to home charging.

    Reply
    1. @MigV40 Avatar
      @MigV40

      The Inster is a brilliant car and super practical! You should definitely also look at the KIA EV2, as it’s also quite compact but has a long range of around 280 miles. The Renault 5 is awesome, but if you want practicality, then the Renault 4 is a better option. We have an R4 Iconic and love it! Something that’s a similar size to your Aygo would be the BYD Dolphin Surf. Its range is around 200 miles, and it’s one of the cheapest EVs available, but comes with an amazing amount of kit and has a 5-star EuroNCAP crash rating, which is surprising, as basically all the other cars I mentioned have 4 stars.

      Reply
  17. @MigV40 Avatar
    @MigV40

    We have a Smart #1 with the pop-out door handles, and I think smart did them quite well since you can touch the handle and they’ll pop out, but you can still push the front of the handle and pull the rear if they break, and the actual mechanism thing is mechanical rather than electric like a Tesla, so you can also still stick the physical key in and get in if the 12v battery dies. But my Kia e-Niro and our Renault 4 are just simpler and a regular handle is just easier to use.

    Reply
  18. @PB-fj5lh Avatar
    @PB-fj5lh

    Love Toms old ‘ICE’ 😅 dial phone. Those were the days. Does it still work? 🥰

    Reply
  19. @WagnerGimenes Avatar
    @WagnerGimenes

    Great chat. Thanks. “Welcome to the Kilowatt 2xHalf Hour” 😇😇😇😇😇😇 Love the influence I’m having in your podcast 😂😂😂😂😂😂

    Reply
  20. @yudhabagaskara98 Avatar
    @yudhabagaskara98

    VW ID Polo price is much closer to bigger counterparts like Mk3 Leaf and MG4

    Reply

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