Goodbye Gen 2 ......

[GreenJuice]

Saying goodbye to my trusty Gen 2 tomorrow.

Probably the most interesting and intellectually rewarding car I have ever owned, partly due to the wealth of experience and interest shared by co-owners on this and other websites like Pruischat and CleanMPG.

A motoring enthusiast since my teens, I’m now in my 50s. I’ve always tried to drive with some finesse. In my younger days it was dancing on the pedals to get that perfect balance of speed, revs & gears to match the road conditions, quickly & with safety. As the years passed, that interest in speed waned.

This car awakened a new interest in me, driving to optimise MPG. Supported by a Scangauge, this car opened a whole world of new possibilities. Amazingly, I found how much more difficult and challenging it is to attempt the different hypermiling techniques (pulse and glide, warp stealth & superhighway mode) without other road users and my passengers being aware. Needing much focus, judgement and high levels of anticipation, in my opinion, this type of driving beats the skill level needed for ‘driving-safely-at-speed’ hands down!

The only sadness I have is never achieving the full set of 100mpg bars that I know is possible on the Gen 2. This was the closest I ever got:

Monitoring mileage performance through the years clearly shows a seasonal variation as well as a year-on-year improvement, I think confirming the findings of others that it does get better over time:

So now I’ll start a new adventure with a Gen 3:

One thing I’ve noticed so far that I’ll miss - only one set of Radio presets for FM radio on Gen 3. The Gen 2 had 3 pages.

Thing’s I won’t miss:

1. Beeping in reverse – now set to a single beep in my Gen 3. Made it previously impossible to even think about using intelligent park assist, possibly (minimally) more likely to try it now!

2. Rattles and creaks – I suspect these might emerge in the Gen 3 before long!

New early niggles with the Gen 3:

1. Slightly distracting passenger airbag light (why not just a sticker like other cars?)

2. Automatic lights – seems more sensitive to light conditions than I and most (but not all) other drivers. I’m happy with the concept of what it’s for – I guess I’ll just have to get used to being amongst the first few on the road to have my lights on when it starts getting dark!

Otherwise, I’m loving it. My first impressions are that Normal mode gives a similar feel to Gen 2 in terms of hypermiling techniques. Eco mode makes it MUCH easier – all that pedal finesse I had to develop, no longer needed!

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Glad you're enjoying your new ride. What total mileage did you achieve in the gen2?

Which car do you prefer after driving the two?

[Chris Dance]

I changed from a Gen 2 to Gen 3 last March. I thought the Gen 2 was the best car I had ever owned and I have had a few makes in my time. I prefer our current gen 3 though. Had a rattle on receiving the car but found the back seat not fully locked back. On smooth roads ours runs great; only minor rattles on rough road surfaces. I never have used the Auto Park. Tried to set it up once and it took too long and I got jittery and touched the steering wheel. Agree about the air bag light but I have got used to it now. I use ECO mode all round town. We find the car very comfortable having done several long journeys and it is so easy to drive. Get around 65 MPG on motorway journeys.I think the steering seems more positive on the Gen 3 than the Gen 2. The beep in reverse does not worry me very much. Being an oldie I have only done under 3,000 miles to date. Happy motoring GreenJuice. Passengers I have carried think it is great. Lots of folk ask me where I charge it????

[GreenJuice]

Glad you're enjoying your new ride. What total mileage did you achieve in the gen2?

Which car do you prefer after driving the two?

Only around 15k, so the car is probably only just run-in now!

Like Chris, I'm preferring the Gen 3 even at this early stage. It feels a little more solidly built.

[Chris Dance]

Hi GreenJuice. I P/X our gen2 with only 15,000 miles on it and it was immaculate. Getting a private sale was fraught. Our Gen 2 sold for £2,000 more than I got for it within a week at the local dealers. Such is life!!

[timberwolf]

Your best Gen 2 consumption screenshot looks brilliant from my point of view.

I don't get anywhere close to that when I am trying, and when I'm not trying, a quick burst of acceleration up one of the hilly section of the M27 puts my mpg into free fall.

[altocumulus]

I've recently changed a gen 2 to a gen 3 - and most things are positive; though I expected a better MPG than I'm getting !

The gen 2 gave averages of 55mpg in winter, 62 in Summer; with its best at 84mpg over a stretch of road from Leeds to the M6, within hours of being new - whilst I'm struggling to better and average of 62 with the Gen 3 with 3000 miles on the clock.

I really don't get a great deal of extra info from the eco bar - I much prefer the MPG indicator and would like to see that in the HUD with the MPH....

[dwilson]

Hi GreenJuice. I P/X our gen2 with only 15,000 miles on it and it was immaculate. Getting a private sale was fraught. Our Gen 2 sold for £2,000 more than I got for it within a week at the local dealers. Such is life!!

My Gen 2 is also for sale at the dealers for £13k compared with the £11k I got!

David

[Flaninacupboard]

Lots of folk ask me where I charge it????

I charge mine at home :)

Had to do a trip to birmingham and back the other week and was suprised and pleased to get 75mpg even though i wasn't using my plugin kit. Rolled up to 38k so far, always finding new ways to get better MPG, latest is a an automated coolant temperature spoofer to let me stay in 30mph EV mode a little longer.

I'd like to get some seat time in a gen2 to see how they compare!

[johalareewi]

I've recently changed a gen 2 to a gen 3 - and most things are positive; though I expected a better MPG than I'm getting !

The gen 2 gave averages of 55mpg in winter, 62 in Summer; with its best at 84mpg over a stretch of road from Leeds to the M6, within hours of being new - whilst I'm struggling to better and average of 62 with the Gen 3 with 3000 miles on the clock.

Give it time. The gen3 seems to need a few miles to run in.