CES EV summary article
 

Edited pdf version of analyst report attached - for those with an interest in these things ;) Fairly brief, and covers all the main makers, including VW/Audi...

Well I now have. Had a decent test drive today.
It felt just like driving a normal front-wheel-drive car, though maybe a little quieter than the S8 some of the time. No Quattro option on these.

Went a fair few miles on various roads and the petrol engine only kicked in a few yards from getting back to the dealership as I'd run the battery flat. :tuttut:

Perfectly acceptable performance, even overtaking was brisk enough using kickdown. Runs out of acceleration at exactly 83mph (allegedly :rolleyes: ).

The plug-in battery top-up would work well for us at home and many of our shorter journeys would be very cheap, especially as the S8 does the long- haul trips.

No option for memory seats though which is a bit of a pain :-( , so went off to look at Volvo V40's which look a bit weird but actually can do everything we want.
Heated windscreens, electric memory seats and adaptive cruise are all options. Even 4WD on some models though no hybrids.

Continuing this thread, we went for a test drive yesterday in a Mercedes A-class.
Not sure what possessed me to do that, but we were let loose unsupervised for about an hour and both drove it. It was a range-topping AMG-style model, but was nonetheless dire. :Confused:

Afterwards, as we got back into the S8, SWMBO smiled and said "this car always smells and feels nice, reminds me of holidays in Scotland..." +++
(that's where most of our longer S8 journeys have ended up, and she was combining the PF and FL into one - both equally "leathered up" though the PF had some extra alcantara on the seats)

I've just handed back my S-Class hire car. Equally as dire as your A class experience - I may not think that Audi are perfect at the moment, but Mercedes seem to be significantly inferior. So glad to have my own car back again.

Try an i3 with range extender - it's what I consider the best option for urban runabout from that ilk. Slightly leftfield styling and a used one can be had for less than £20k

Just watch that it has the range extender if you intend to drive longer distances and not be worried about range anxiety.

Friend has bought one to replace a Honda CRV as urban runabout and loves it - he's doing some fairly serious miles in it too.

Friend of mine has an i3. Originally he had the pure electric one but BMW swapped it for a range-extender one when it didn't get anywhere near the predicted range.

Just to be clear, we're not really looking for hybrid/electric or a local/urban runabout so it doesn't suit in many ways. A standard A3 or A4 would be more like it, but we tried the e-Tron out of intrigue/interest.

The choices are narrowing down. Bear with me and don't mock (OK, I can take it if you do).
The serious contenders seem to be:
Volvo V40 Cross-country T5 (4WD) 250bhp petrol auto with lots of toys.
Jaguar XE Prestige (200bhp) or Portfolio (240bhp) RWD petrol auto with lots of toys.

I prefer the Jaguar because it's nicer inside and you can get S8-level toys (at a price) if you want them.
SWMBO prefers the Vulva because it's slightly shorter (easier to park?) and has a better "safety" image.

Both are 2.0L turbo engines. At corresponding specification/performance prices/tax/etc. are very similar. Anyone know much about either?

Just had a curve ball thrown in, and I'm not sure I can cope with this one. :Confused:

BMW 2-series Active Tourer. Seems to tick most of the boxes on paper, even has 4WD and hybrid options. Had a quick look round one this morning, not bad really (unlike the cramped 1-series).
Seems to be a better choice (for us) than the Audi A3 range and definitely nicer than Mercedes A-class. But would it count as heresy? :tuttut:

The A3 is the nicest of the A Class/1 Series IMHO, in the interest of fairness I've not spent much time behind the wheel of the A Class. Forget the e-tron, try a 1.4T 150PS Cylinder On Demand A3 along with the Merc and Bimmer.

I do really like the XE, though, most JLR products actually. +++

If it was just my choice it would be a Jaguar XE or failing that an S3.

But I already have an S8 to potter around in that SWMBO dislikes driving, so she has a big input on this as she'll be driving it as much as me, often on her own.

I've not yet driven a 2-series, but I assume as it's front-wheel drive, it will have the predictable handling SWMBO is used to on the Focus. Or similar.

On the basis of what we've seen so far it's looking like she favours the BMW slightly over the Volvo V40. Not sure I care either way, maybe a slight Volvo preference, but the BMW maybe has more room in the back/boot as it's a bit taller? :Confused:

Haven't driven the BMW yet, only the Volvo (and Jaguar and A3).