Post by Big Blue on Mar 30, 2022 11:48:46 GMT
Well, six months has passed and I've actually done what might be classed as a reasonable journey (to Warrington from home, so 435 miles) so I might as well see if this hybrid stuff is all its cracked up to be. I'll start by saying I can't be arsed to offer more pictures: you've seen them already and having done a grand total of 1680 miles as I type this she's no dirtier or damaged than new.
Firstly let's do the engine, drivetrain stuff as that's the main difference between Eva and the Gorilla. Fuel economy astounds after the Gorilla, with a small 46 litre tank still capable of 400 miles on a run, something the Gorilla needed a 70 litre tank for. Currently averaging 34.4mpg, bearing in mind most of my driving is local stop start. On the long runs it's showing 44mpg and the long run refills are giving 39.12mpg, which includes some pootling as well as the motorway stuff. Most of you are scoffing at such poor economy but compared to its predecessor this is approaching double the miles per gallon. The economy is helped by charging at home / the club and my spreadsheet-of-dullness shows pure petrol economy is 23.57mpg, still better than the Gorilla and reflective of a 2-litre turbo dragging a 5 series touring plus a load of batteries around. The long run tankfuls still managed 33.5mpg of petrol-only which is not bad either (I'm not the lightest footed person). My assumption is that a 540i would be better on average but I'd not have the joys of infinite mpg on the short runs.
So to performance: Eva's not underpowered at all and at motorway speeds I was surprised to see it was using battery-only power to maintain speed when I lifted off - the e-mileage indicator lights up blue to show you this. The switch between power sources is imperceptible and if you have any form of media on it’s not audible at all - which is good because the engine note is not pleasant as far as I'm concerned. If you turn on the electric generation function (so the engine makes electricity) you have a distinctly tractor like sound track and as this is allied to plummeting mpg I just ignore that function in the main.
I've not really had cause to step off the line in a hurry but it does do that electric-motor-instant torque thing so feels fast to 30mph. It's very fast once moving and dials up new speeds on the motorway with no issues. It also passed the M40 Princes Risborough test v 250d Merc thing (the one that looks like a barrage balloon) and showed a suitable clean set of heels. But as we'll see now, that's not the essence of Eva's usability.
Inside is exceptionally quiet and where the road surface is good (M6 Toll road) it's akin to being in the library at motorway speeds - I'll not say what they are on the toll road but appear to be much different to the rest of the UK..... When we then consider that inside is a fabulous place to be the overall persona of Eva is very calming, probably not at all similar to whatever madness the original Eva Braun instilled in her lover! So there is no need to hoon around and setting the cruise control and adjusting the massage function and seat cooling is more likely to keep you away from being the kind of guy that is driving the A13 on a Friday night live-streaming on TikTok before crashing and it catching fire (if you saw it you know what I'm talking about). Its a cruising car as opposed to a push-it-to-the edge-of-the-tyres car.
The media / iDrive / touch screen / addressable buttons interface is quite simply excellent: the very correct mix of technology and tactility. Hey BMW, the voice control function, also works well - far better than my very unsuccessful attempts to get Alexa to work in the car! I've set it all up, it works on the driveway then refuses to on the move, telling me I need to set it up. Alexa has recently fucked up some of my lights at home, making me re-assign them, so she's on thin ice!
Let me annoy many of you with those dash clocks: the majority of the content is utterly redundant most of the time as HUD tells you what you need to know. The shape is immaterial to me as the right one isn’t even a rev counter most of the time, with it telling you how much power you are using and how much recovery charging is going on. This is meaningless bollocks as the car is going to do what it needs to do whether it shows me on the dash or not. It is a rev counter in Sport mode, when the hybrid bit is turned off and e-power is for increasing power available only, but again: meaningless in an 8 speed auto that simply won't allow you to over rev it. The fuel gauge and electricity gauge are easy to see and the Speedo is easy to read as it makes the speed you are doing clear on the dial and in numbers next to it. The Bit in the middle could be more adjustable as it's the nav, directions or blank with a side section of journey data, fuel use, g-force (
), power and torque delivery ( 
) or media output. Basically it's a screen and they need to fill it with info - the issue that we need to address is what do we actually need the dash to tell us in cars that have all manner of control systems that prevent us needing to know things that we used to have to keep an eye on when we were in Morris Minors.
As a built item there are lots of high quality bits and the wheels are superb - they both look great and are easy to clean as I can put my (XL) hand in and clean the inside of the rim. You can feel the cheaper bits (lower bumpers) but the cabin has no shortcomings, even that cubby to the right of the steering wheel is now lined, which I recall wasn't when the G30 was first sold.
So, do I miss the Gorilla? Not at all - certainly not at filling up time. Even after the thrill of being new has passed and a mundane trip to Warrington has been travelled Eva remains the queen. An utterly lovely place to be. And I've not seen another red one on the road.
Firstly let's do the engine, drivetrain stuff as that's the main difference between Eva and the Gorilla. Fuel economy astounds after the Gorilla, with a small 46 litre tank still capable of 400 miles on a run, something the Gorilla needed a 70 litre tank for. Currently averaging 34.4mpg, bearing in mind most of my driving is local stop start. On the long runs it's showing 44mpg and the long run refills are giving 39.12mpg, which includes some pootling as well as the motorway stuff. Most of you are scoffing at such poor economy but compared to its predecessor this is approaching double the miles per gallon. The economy is helped by charging at home / the club and my spreadsheet-of-dullness shows pure petrol economy is 23.57mpg, still better than the Gorilla and reflective of a 2-litre turbo dragging a 5 series touring plus a load of batteries around. The long run tankfuls still managed 33.5mpg of petrol-only which is not bad either (I'm not the lightest footed person). My assumption is that a 540i would be better on average but I'd not have the joys of infinite mpg on the short runs.
So to performance: Eva's not underpowered at all and at motorway speeds I was surprised to see it was using battery-only power to maintain speed when I lifted off - the e-mileage indicator lights up blue to show you this. The switch between power sources is imperceptible and if you have any form of media on it’s not audible at all - which is good because the engine note is not pleasant as far as I'm concerned. If you turn on the electric generation function (so the engine makes electricity) you have a distinctly tractor like sound track and as this is allied to plummeting mpg I just ignore that function in the main.
I've not really had cause to step off the line in a hurry but it does do that electric-motor-instant torque thing so feels fast to 30mph. It's very fast once moving and dials up new speeds on the motorway with no issues. It also passed the M40 Princes Risborough test v 250d Merc thing (the one that looks like a barrage balloon) and showed a suitable clean set of heels. But as we'll see now, that's not the essence of Eva's usability.
Inside is exceptionally quiet and where the road surface is good (M6 Toll road) it's akin to being in the library at motorway speeds - I'll not say what they are on the toll road but appear to be much different to the rest of the UK..... When we then consider that inside is a fabulous place to be the overall persona of Eva is very calming, probably not at all similar to whatever madness the original Eva Braun instilled in her lover! So there is no need to hoon around and setting the cruise control and adjusting the massage function and seat cooling is more likely to keep you away from being the kind of guy that is driving the A13 on a Friday night live-streaming on TikTok before crashing and it catching fire (if you saw it you know what I'm talking about). Its a cruising car as opposed to a push-it-to-the edge-of-the-tyres car.
The media / iDrive / touch screen / addressable buttons interface is quite simply excellent: the very correct mix of technology and tactility. Hey BMW, the voice control function, also works well - far better than my very unsuccessful attempts to get Alexa to work in the car! I've set it all up, it works on the driveway then refuses to on the move, telling me I need to set it up. Alexa has recently fucked up some of my lights at home, making me re-assign them, so she's on thin ice!
Let me annoy many of you with those dash clocks: the majority of the content is utterly redundant most of the time as HUD tells you what you need to know. The shape is immaterial to me as the right one isn’t even a rev counter most of the time, with it telling you how much power you are using and how much recovery charging is going on. This is meaningless bollocks as the car is going to do what it needs to do whether it shows me on the dash or not. It is a rev counter in Sport mode, when the hybrid bit is turned off and e-power is for increasing power available only, but again: meaningless in an 8 speed auto that simply won't allow you to over rev it. The fuel gauge and electricity gauge are easy to see and the Speedo is easy to read as it makes the speed you are doing clear on the dial and in numbers next to it. The Bit in the middle could be more adjustable as it's the nav, directions or blank with a side section of journey data, fuel use, g-force (
), power and torque delivery ( 
) or media output. Basically it's a screen and they need to fill it with info - the issue that we need to address is what do we actually need the dash to tell us in cars that have all manner of control systems that prevent us needing to know things that we used to have to keep an eye on when we were in Morris Minors. As a built item there are lots of high quality bits and the wheels are superb - they both look great and are easy to clean as I can put my (XL) hand in and clean the inside of the rim. You can feel the cheaper bits (lower bumpers) but the cabin has no shortcomings, even that cubby to the right of the steering wheel is now lined, which I recall wasn't when the G30 was first sold.
So, do I miss the Gorilla? Not at all - certainly not at filling up time. Even after the thrill of being new has passed and a mundane trip to Warrington has been travelled Eva remains the queen. An utterly lovely place to be. And I've not seen another red one on the road.
