A appalling driving car, I hope Volvo's hybrids are better!

Post by **June** » 05 Sep 2017, 13:53

We are preparing for a hurricane here in Florida and the gas stations are lined up so I offered to drive a friend's car to fill it. It is a newer Toyota Preus. I have not driven a non Volvo in a good ten plus years except my friends Tesla when she first got it. The Tesla was fast and comparable to my S80.

I can't imagine Volvo will make a hybrid car that is that horrible to drive. Luckily the station is only a mile away. The only traffic light I encountered was red, when it turned green I pushed the pedal normally and then realized I had only moved a few feet when it turned yellow. Gas just is not that expensive or rare to justify such a unsafe driving car. (No WIPPS, petal must be floored to accelerate like a normal car not trying, and extremely bad blind spots impossible to see without camera when reversing). No power, no power, no power!

Greeley can't possibly want Volvo to build such poor driving cars when everything goes electric and hybrid. I assumed the pure electric would be at least as good as Tesla or Fiskar that might be a mispell, but my retired ball player friend has one and it feels as fast as the Tesla from the passenger seat. Fiskar is clearly a car to say I have one of those like a Bentley. ( I like both especially the Bentley Continental ) I'll stick with Volvo though...

I guess I feel slightly worried now about the future of cars. I will be a bit more understanding of all the Japanese appliances that are so annoying blocking traffic up on the expressway as they probably don't go much faster! GRRR rant over, June

Post by **mrbrian200** » 05 Sep 2017, 15:32

Prius is awful. Its design strikes me as a holdover from the days when US automakers (at the behest board members who held large stakes in oil companies and vice versa) were actively blocking electric/hybrid development and trying to discourage the few which did make it to market from catching on: Namely poor performing ugly small uncomfortable cars. Tesla is putting a stop to that mentality, and Volvo-Geely is jumping on board. No the hybrid/electric Volvos will be nothing like that awful Prius. You sat in and seemed to like the Tesla which reminded you of an S80. That's the bigger hint of what the electric Volvos are likely to be like.

Looks to me like stripped down base models which might be more like a Prius or Taurus based on CMA/SPA are most likely to be sold under the Lynk badge, not Volvo.

http://blog.caranddriver.com/volvos-gee ... o-the-u-s/

Post by **June** » 05 Sep 2017, 17:02

I had never driven a hybrid before and it freaked me out thinking that is how they drive because no Volvo customer would buy that period. There was a time all my friends pretty much drove Volvos especially the hardtop convertible C70 and XC90. These days Tesla is popular around here as well as Bentley Continental and various Mercedes. I know four people with Tesla cars now and my close friend let me drive hers when she bought it and it is smooth and fast as well as quiet. That is what I want in the S/V 90 body to make it comparable to my S80 T6.

I was ready to buy but I just am not thrilled with drive e. Beyond the annoying engine starting and stopping is it is noisy with a clunky transmission that shifts before the car can get through a intersection and the forced all wheel drive with T6. I almost ordered a T5 FWD earlier this year and my dealership talked me out of it and they were right I wouldn't really like the T5 but really dislike all wheel drive which is why I still drive a 2004 car. The 2007 had no T6, but the V8 only came all wheel drive. The full electric will take care of all those issues for me. After the electric announcement by Volvo I have been so excited with the idea of a new car then I drove that Preus today and it really upset me.

If Volvo makes the new electric cars drive like Tesla, then once again Volvo will sell me a car and likely every couple of years. I will always keep my S80, after all these years why not. I still love the way it drives. June

Post by **mrbrian200** » 11 Sep 2017, 00:04

None of the current line of Volvos, gas, diesel, or hybrid, are considered horribly underpowered or lacking in style/looks/function like the Prius. Volvo knows their market. Luxury vehicle baseline performance must be 'respectable performers' or better. At the low end they will need to roughly match a base Tesla model 3's performance, or ~250hp/320 lb-ft torque which is somewhat comparable to a Volvo P2 high pressure turbo-5. And get better from there as the price increases. Otherwise everyone will laugh at them and order Teslas instead. I'm sure they are well aware of this and have no plans to disappoint you June

Post by **abscate** » 14 Sep 2017, 05:28

Just don't try an order one in a standard transmission...and note to delivering dealer, make sure the seats are clean

Post by **June** » 14 Sep 2017, 07:06

abscate wrote: ↑14 Sep 2017, 05:28 Just don't try an order one in a standard transmission...and note to delivering dealer, make sure the seats are clean

Abscate that won't be a problem as I never ordered a standard, just got one. It was fun to drive once I got good at it. I assume electric cars don't have transmissions like combustion engines do? Do you know? June

Post by **mrbrian200** » 14 Sep 2017, 07:52

No transmissions on EVs. Direct drive.

93Regina · Post by **93Regina** » 14 Sep 2017, 23:37

June wrote: ↑14 Sep 2017, 07:06 I assume electric cars don't have transmissions like combustion engines do? Do you know?

Hybrids use a CVT "transmission."

20 Best Cars That Still Offer a Manual Transmission

Post by **jimmy57** » 15 Sep 2017, 06:50

I have been driving an XC90 T8 for 2500 miles. You do not know which powerplant is moving the car without looking at the power monitor display. The switch between electric and gasoline is not felt unless you go high throttle on a hill and then it feels like a smooth automatic transmission shift. The engine is so quiet that you can only hear the engine if you have radio off and then it is never loud. Hybrids come in many versions. Volvo's system on the T8 uses the normal 8 speed auto trans as it has a rear electric motor and the front drive gasoline powertrain as two different, no mechanical connection, systems. The gasoline engine has a flywheel that is a motor armture with the motor windings mounted inside to back of engine block. This starts engine with ZERO noise, the engine just instantly is running. That starter motor is also the alternator once engine starts and can be used as hybrid battery charger if you select that mode. The T8s are plug-in hybrids so they are charging the battery with household power for less than a dollar for a charge where burning the fuel to charge battery could be 4 or more dollars depending on gasoline pricing. I used the T8 without charging for two weeks and I was getting 21.5 mpg on my mixed 75 mph with stop lights and lots of stop n go commute. I then plugged it in faithfully at work and home and the average is still climbing (I did not clear the trip computer festure) and it is climbing still but is at 26.2 MPG. I am usually driving with the pack that leads away from lights, this is not egg between foot and accel pedal driving for max MPG. WHen I was not plugging in it would get enough charge from braking to never run gasoline engine at stops. Then the Gasoline engine may not run for more than 200 yards as I drive away from stop depending on how long I sat and how fast I was going before stop. The hydraulic brakes are used only when you depress brke pedal to the point the electric charge retard is exceeded and then it always has to use hydraulics from walking speed to 0 mph. Hybird drive on a Volvo is a fix for brake dust on wheels it seems as they are very clean in spite of it not being washed for 1400 miles at one stretch.

Post by **mrbrian200** » 18 Oct 2017, 17:56

June wrote: ↑05 Sep 2017, 17:02 If Volvo makes the new electric cars drive like Tesla, then once again Volvo will sell me a car and likely every couple of years. I will always keep my S80, after all these years why not. I still love the way it drives. June

Images, Polestar 1:
https://www.google.com/search?q=polesta ... 97&bih=462

Does that put you at ease in regard to Volvo's plans for their EVs June?
It sure does for me. Looks like 2-door morph between the S90 and a P2 S60.
Oh my is that ever so pretty, especially the black one. Show me some dark metallic colors like Barents Blue or Ruby Red please!