What is the best Plug-in Hybrid SUV?

[Jonathan S.]

I was looking into this previously for my wife -- compact sedan, not SUV, but still some commonalities.
A few important criteria:

• EV range, an obvious criterion, but as you will soon see from your research, some PHEV have just enough range for short grocery trips, and not much else.
• ICE-only mpg, not so obvious a criterion as it is often deemphasized in the EPA ratings that reflect some sort of weighted average with arbitrarily assigned weights.
• ICE-only range, also not so obvious, but sometimes the gas tank is smaller to make room for the battery.
• ICE-only hp, when I was briefly looking into the Audi A7 PHEV, I was dismayed to realize that on any interstate state trip I would almost immediately run out of battery and would then be running on the same turbo four as in my VW Arteon … which by no means was a horrible fate, but still, for paying 2x the price … and my road trip mpg would be worse than with a regular all-ICE A7 … and my road trip range would also be worse!
• ICE-only AWD, an especially obscure criterion, but for some PHEV models (Toyota/Lexus IIRC, maybe others), once the battery runs out, you’re in FWD. The current Volvo models have a special forced-AWD mode that essentially uses the ICE to run the rear axle by recharging the battery, which is horribly inefficient, but at least supplies AWD if you really need it. BMW keeps it simple by running the ICE and EV motor through the same transmission.
• ICE<>EV hand-off, this can become wonderfully complicated, both how the car decides and how you can override its choices. Also, for systems where the ICE powers the front axle and the EV the rear axle, handling intricacies can also be complicated – IIRC, the SG review of the S60 had some interesting feedback on this.

Overall though, I thought that the Volvo S60 PHEV would be perfect for me wife (although ended up buying a BMW i4 M50 instead), so quoting this excerpt favorably for emphasis:

IMO, nothing beats the PHEV selection from Volvo. They have some of the longest ranges available in all electric. They also give you a true plug-in hybrid, so that you can truly maximize the battery rather than a mild hybrid. Also, once the battery is depleted, the net MPG you will get on gasoline in the Volvo is class best in most cases. [...]

Sponsored

 

[snstevens]

I was looking into this previously for my wife -- compact sedan, not SUV, but still some commonalities.
A few important criteria:

• EV range, an obvious criterion, but as you will soon see from your research, some PHEV have just enough range for short grocery trips, and not much else.
• ICE-only mpg, not so obvious a criterion as it is often deemphasized in the EPA ratings that reflect some sort of weighted average with arbitrarily assigned weights.
• ICE-only range, also not so obvious, but sometimes the gas tank is smaller to make room for the battery.
• ICE-only hp, when I was briefly looking into the Audi A7 PHEV, I was dismayed to realize that on any interstate state trip I would almost immediately run out of battery and would then be running on the same turbo four as in my VW Arteon … which by no means was a horrible fate, but still, for paying 2x the price … and my road trip mpg would be worse than with a regular all-ICE A7 … and my road trip range would also be worse!
• ICE-only AWD, an especially obscure criterion, but for some PHEV models (Toyota/Lexus IIRC, maybe others), once the battery runs out, you’re in FWD. The current Volvo models have a special forced-AWD mode that essentially uses the ICE to run the rear axle by recharging the battery, which is horribly inefficient, but at least supplies AWD if you really need it. BMW keeps it simple by running the ICE and EV motor through the same transmission.
• ICE<>EV hand-off, this can become wonderfully complicated, both how the car decides and how you can override its choices. Also, for systems where the ICE powers the front axle and the EV the rear axle, handling intricacies can also be complicated – IIRC, the SG review of the S60 had some interesting feedback on this.

Overall though, I thought that the Volvo S60 PHEV would be perfect for me wife (although ended up buying a BMW i4 M50 instead), so quoting this excerpt favorably for emphasis:

@Jonathan S. - If I recall correctly you had one hell of a spreadsheet to evaluate your purchase of the Taycan CT. Did you happen to put one together for the SUV purchase that deals with the factors above?

I'm particularly interested in AWD question, and the range for long-distance travel. I'd like the vehicle to offer AWD all the time, and simultaneous have enough combined range that I'm not stopping too frequently on long trips.

 

[Jonathan S.]

Who, me, a spreadsheet for a car purchase? [insert relevant emoji here]

In all seriousness, the PHEV offerings were so slim that I never came up with a tightly focused spreadsheet.

Although if you don’t want to fuss with the Volvo give-me-AWD-now! button, then definitely a system like BMW that feeds both ICE and EV through a traditional transmission.
For combined range, pay close attention to the numbers for each model year (don’t rely on reviews that might repeat #s from prior years!), since some of these have changed significantly.

Otherwise, all of the following is entirely irrelevant, but perhaps entertaining:

• When I was thinking in 2022 of replacing my 2019 VW Arteon (essentially VW’s equivalent of the A7, so a slightly elongated version of the European Passat, with a hatch, and some slightly higher-end features), one obvious candidate was the A7. (Although I ultimately ended up being attracted to some aspects of the A6 Allroad instead.)
• The A7 PHEV looked enticing, but worse overall mpg, worse range, worse engine (compared to A7 ICE), potentially worse reliability (given the more complex drivetrain) … only advantage was all-EV driving on shorter trips about town (which I rare do), a trivial portion of EV driving on medium trips, and an insignificant portion of EV driving on long trips. This might have been more of a compliance car for European markets. (I remember reading a U.K. review that mentioned something how it qualified for some sort of tax benefit or other gov’t incentive despite its meager environmental credentials in reality.)
• January 2023, started thinking of a car that would wean my wife off her beloved Subaru Impreza. (And I do love Subaru as a company for what it is, and ditto for the Impreza specifically.) Both because she takes so many short trips where a PHEV or BEV would be perfect, and because after becoming accustomed to cars with more driver engagement, driving her Impreza occasionally had become highly unpleasant for me.
• Learning about PHEV AWD systems was a big surprise for me! IIRC, one early Polestar model that was marketed as AWD could be FWD, RWD, or AWD depending on the battery charge and various factors (other than wheel slippage). The SG video on the S60 (IIRC) PHEV was also interesting for how the ICE front axle and the EV rear axle were far better integrated for handling than on a prior iteration, although still not ideal.
• I narrowed down potentially suitable PHEV compact sedans and SUVs. (My wife doesn’t like anything larger.) Whether she would like a compact SUV was too much of unknown. (She didn’t like the comparatively cavernous nature of a Forester service loaner, or even just checking out a VW Alltrack on a dealer lot, but she felt comfortable driving a rental Mazda CX-5 during a family vacation and a Model Y during a family test drive – well, the size of the Model Y, not all the weird Tesla aspects!)
• I therefore narrowed down the selection to the PHEV compact sedans from BMW and Volvo, even though their drivetrains are entirely different. The former is of course never available for a test drive, although I tried to get her to test drive a regular 3 series, with no success. The latter actually was on the lot of a local dealer that we often pass by, but I wasn’t having any success in convincing her to drive it.
• So I figured, why not really go for it, and get a BEV that she would probably like, and I would definitely like. The i4 sounded perfect, even though the power of the M50 was excessive by our standards.
• I test drove it briefly (without telling her!), set up a spreadsheet to optimize my allocation wait list decisions (contacted something like a dozen dealers!), placed deposits with four dealers (without telling her!), and took delivery after three months of placing my deposits (while other would-be M50 owners were still waiting more like thirteen months, so the strategizing definitely worked!).
• She was EXTREMELY mad when I returned from a ~50-mile bike that was actually not a 50-mile loop but instead a ~50-mile point-to-point ride followed by a ~50-mile drive with “her” car (which I tested for the first ~3,000 miles to ensure it was ok). Especially since doing anything remotely like this is extremely unlike me. But she likes the car now!

 

[f1eng]

My wife's Lexus RX Hybrid is coming off warranty and we're in the market for a new vehicle for her. We love to hike in the Cascades where HVDC charging infrastructure is either weak or non-existent (even for a Tesla). I have also been waiting to hear from Porsche that they will move to NACS, and perhaps even partner with Tesla, but no joy at this point. As the title suggests, I'm leaning toward a plug-in hybrid at this point (but open also to creative alternatives).

So I'm turning to the Forum for some advice. Assuming cost is not an issue (sort of), what vehicle would you recommend? If I get a wide range of suggestions, I'll put a poll in place, but right now I want to leave it open-ended.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

From a straightforward engineering pov the Toyota/Lexus hybrid system is a clever patented system which makes the installation much simpler and lighter than others so if I was going to buy a plug in hybrid SUV it would be the Lexus or Toyota.
OTOH I haven't driven either because I am not in the market for a SUV.

 

[Explorer]

I am Europe based, thus not sure if below is applicable for USA.

VW Touareg phev - great Tech, build quality and ride. Of course still a VW if sensitive to branding v Pcars…
V6 petrol and app 90km on electricity.


MB GLE, just got the diesel-PHEV delivered. Never had a MB before but this one beats my BMW experiences by far. Only the diesel engine should have been a v6/i6 and not an i4..
Tech, insulation, ride quality, build quality is just great.
100km on electricity plus another 800km on diesel just fantastic!
Can even charge up to 60kw.. the battery is full in no time.

good luck!

 

[Jonathan S.]

Perhaps I’m misunderstanding how some of these PHEV AWD systems work…but on some equivalent forums, I found a consensus (albeit amidst lots of confusion!) that certain systems reverted to two-wheel drive depending on the battery status.

 

[Jonathan S.]

And apologies I’m advance if I’m getting that wrong. My impression was that PHEV models are more prevalent in the UK so perhaps that explains any mistake I’m making from reading US forums on some PHEV models. But my takeaway was that some PHEV AWD systems are not capable of providing, say, a 50/50 axle distribution for, say, an hour of continuous driving.

 

[Persuader]

Went through the same for my wife a while ago. Problem is that she loves her current 2018 Range Rover Sport Diesel.
Contrary to many peoples experiences of bad reliability we have never had a problem with the 5 Range Rover products we have owned. So we have on order a 2024 Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE P460e Hybrid.

 

[McgR]

Perhaps I’m misunderstanding how some of these PHEV AWD systems work…but on some equivalent forums, I found a consensus (albeit amidst lots of confusion!) that certain systems reverted to two-wheel drive depending on the battery status.

I have heard the same about the xc90 t8. No awd with empty battery. For your second post. No PHEV is made to drive full power electric and fuel for and hour. The battery will be depleted and driving will be less powerful. And for the xc90 it would mean driving 2 WD. In practice however this doesn’t happen with larger batteries. You only need the electric boost when accelerating.

For the x5: it is less powerful with an empty HV battery. I had a 40e first. Smaller battery and 2 L 4 cyl engine. Without battery it wasn’t fun to drive. The 45e had a much lager battery and was also smarter. In sport setting it would charge the battery really fast on the engine. It was also fun to drive.

 

[DirtyPop]

We too are in the market for a new Hybrid for my wife. We live in the Bay Area and she will be commuting 3-4 days a week to work. We have solar on the house and she can charge for free at work, hence leaning to a full EV. She doesn’t want to spend Porsche money so have been looking at the Ioniq 5 / Lexus RX / Genesis EV60 route. The GV60 was actually really nice. Does anyone have any other suggestions or thoughts on those cars? Gonna go drive the Polestar 2 this week. Thanks in advance.

 

[hitmonlee]

We too are in the market for a new Hybrid for my wife. We live in the Bay Area and she will be commuting 3-4 days a week to work. We have solar on the house and she can charge for free at work, hence leaning to a full EV. She doesn’t want to spend Porsche money so have been looking at the Ioniq 5 / Lexus RX / Genesis EV60 route. The GV60 was actually really nice. Does anyone have any other suggestions or thoughts on those cars? Gonna go drive the Polestar 2 this week. Thanks in advance.

If you're ok with the exterior, you can get a really good MB EQE SUV deal these days.

 

[Jonathan S.]

[...] hence leaning to a full EV. She doesn’t want to spend Porsche money so have been looking at the Ioniq 5 / Lexus RX / Genesis EV60 route. [...]

I looked into the Korean triplets during the EV search for my wife. Except for the typically overstated range (exact opposite of Taycan!), all three of them sound great.
Of the three, I looked most seriously at the GV60, since it's more of a compact car-like crossover than the other two, so I thought my wife might prefer it.
(The Ioniq 5 is more of a compact SUV, and the Kia EV6 is more of a sort-of station wagon.)

Building a GV60 is the exact opposite of the Taycan.
IIRC, the upper trim barely adds anything.
(Supposedly the suspension is more sophisticated, but my research at the time yielded a consensus of shrugged shoulders at discerning any differences.)
Within the base trim, all the goodies you can think of are either standard or come with a relatively low-cost additional package.
(BTW, the Ioniq 5 interior is really nifty, especially the sliding central console -- hard to believe how I remember feeling sorry for anyone who bought a Hyundai upon their initial introduction back when I was in college!)

The one major downside is that some Genesis dealers are not standalone setups but rather within a Hyundai dealership, which is typically competing with its sibling Kia dealership for bad reputations.
However, when we test drove a G70 back in 2019 at a Genesis dealer that was part of a Hyundai dealer, and also inquired about a G70 test drive at another location, we were treated wonderfully well.

As for a full EV (/BEV) from Lexus, Toyota, or Subaru (which essentially shares its EV platform with its part-owner Toyota), I have yet to come across any compelling reason to buy any of them.

 

[kempez]

So we have a late 2021 XC90 T8. Would I recommend it? A tough question but overall yes I would. Further info and reasons.

Pro's:

• Interior - The interior is excellent. Thoughtful and stylish and (if not in the black leather my wife insists on choosing with every car), very attractive. The screen and system is a bit out of date now but the newer models have an updated version. Screen is still a bit outdated even then, though IMO.
• Ride - The ride quality is absolutely superb. We specifically didn't opt for the 'Ultimate' spec and so ours doesn't have air, and as I wanted large tyres and smaller wheels to stop curbing (and boy was I correct in that), as my wife has a tendency to drive very close to kerbs and we often go down roads that need a bit more rubber for protection from scraped wheels. The air suspension is even better but again imo the larger tyres offset some of that and it rides brilliantly.
• Space. It's huge. Vast. It's designed for maximum interior space and it shows. There are also clever storage touches everywhere in the car.
• Rear Seats (6-7) - The rear seats are able to seat a full sized adult in comfort for long journeys. Not many can but the XC90 can and they're really comfortable imo, unless you're 6'8" or something and even then it would work for a short journey.
• Power - especially with the battery charged, it's a very quick car, considering how absolutely huge it is. Surprised a lot of people! Power mode in particular is very swift.
• Design - I think it looks great. Not in a show-off-y way but in an elegant and subtle styling way. It suits us.
• Noise - it's very quite for a car with such a large cabin.
• Extra's/Packs - The winter pack with heated front screen/steering wheel etc is great and good value.
• Relaxing - it's just incredibly relaxing to drive any distance at all in it.
• Grip on-road - for a massive car it has a large amount of grip on the Conti eco-contact tyres it has on it.
• Mild off-road - it takes it all in it's stride and it incredibly sure-footed.

Con's

• EV-only range - Ours is a 2021 model and doesn't have much EV-only range. 25-30 miles on a very good and warm day in 'Pure' (EV-only). 20ish in hybrid. Newer models list 40 miles or so which is better but nowhere near class-leading. It will stretch the power out if you set a destination and manage itself, but I've found it never automatically charges it's own battery. Which brings me onto...
• Software and EV management - compared to our Porsche's and especially Tesla, it really is nowhere near up to what it should be. The app is slow, clunky and takes an age to get up to date information (like SOC). The battery doesn't charge itself or hold unless you ask it to, which I feel is something it should definitely do. I also feel PHEV's should have options to set a destination and tell the car it will also need to go back home so that it can keep battery for the times when you are around town/local and charge when you are flowing on a motorway/A-road or whatever. Not good. I don't know if the newer models are any better, but I don't think they're better enough.
• Engine noise - the engine sound is very unrefined. I think a more refined petrol V6 would have been a better engine to put in this. Mind, the VW EA888 is a much more refined sounding engine and that is a 2.0, 4-pot!
• In-car Entertainment - it's OK but could be better. Ours is wired Carplay that only fills half the portrait screen, so this definitely could be better
• No fast charging - OK this is true for all PHEV's I think, but a bit of an faster charge capability would be much appreciated as it would make top-ups much more convenient!
• Numb steering - yes it's a Volvo, yes it's an SUV, yes it feels like it's floating on a small cloud and yes I miss my Taycan immensely if I drive the Volvo for any extended drive!
• Modes - are a pain to set and it requires 3 actions to change.

Overall it's an absolutely excellent car. We get 50.4 MPG over 15,000 miles as a total average and on weeks when we're only local, we've gone for over a month on electricity alone. We absolutely love the car and the space in it is used 3-4 times a week and the extra seats at least 3-4 times a month. The ride quality alone is so relaxing. It also gives you this cocooning type of feeling of absolute safety and that's great when you've the whole family and a boot stuffed full of luggage.

It does reserve energy to use in the event you want to use it in all-wheel mode, or the car feels it needs all 4 wheels to avoid slip. I think most of the time it is only 2 wheel drive though. You can force it into all-wheel mode via the screen with a few taps. The higher range cars have a mode button (but huge wheels!).

It's a great car overall and we will consider a new one when we need to replace it. But we're also considering a Tesla Model Y as well as other BEV options as these are just starting to make a lot more sense for us and our use-case. We really do love it (especially my wife), and it's got a personality and is a bit of a part of the family, unlike our previous cars which were a bit dull and lifeless (Passat estates).

Hope this helped!

 

[Jonathan S.]

re PHEV DCFC, the new Mercedes GLE 450e has that. Otherwise, not a PHEV feature except for a few relatively obscure models.

 

[ejcintr]

My wife decided on a 2024 Volvo xc60 recharge... ~41 miles on electric range- She just put in gas after two months of ownership- she really only uses electric unless driving long distances. The car will still have full AWD even with battery depletion. She loves it... she was moving from a lexus hybrid... she also liked the Lexus NX PHEV .. she liked both but ultimately decided on a Volvo (I think she just wanted to drive a different car after 10 years in a lexus)... xc60 so far has been fine - note that its max charge rate is 3.6kW so it will take about 3.5-4 hours to charge. The google software works pretty well though if you read the volvo forums early versions were buggy.. recent updates added the apple maps (when on a guided route) to the dashboard replacing the google map... also youtube (when parked).... all in all a good choice for her.

Sponsored