Interesting to read a review from a self-confessed petrolhead. I used to be heavily into cars. After spending rather too much money on some decent vehicles over the years, having a family changed things quite quickly. Cars became far less interesting, particularly with the taxation on higher-powered vehicles making the whole 'hobby' much less appealing. About 18 months ago it was time to replace the family car. We all liked the look of an EV, that was genuinely the deciding factor. We weren't looking for an EV specifically, we simply liked the car. We sat in it, took it for a 30-minute test drive, and bought it because it appealed to us - I didn't care for EV's at the time, I was completely indifferent - the charing solution installed at our house was just another facet of convenience of EV's - one which IMO is one of the best features of an EV - not having to go to a Petrol Station everyweek - not even having to think about it !!!... What genuinely surprised me was the performance. Even a fairly ordinary family SUV was noticeably quicker than some of the "fast-ish" ICE cars I'd previously owned, cars that had been marketed as sporty. The instant torque is addictive. The one downside I've noticed is the weight. You can really feel it in faster corners. At motorway speeds, particularly around 120 km/h over the Khlong bridges or on the long, sweeping bends of the expressway, the car seems to float and move around on its suspension over minor undulations in the road. It's not dangerous, but it is slightly unsettling. I never noticed the same sensation in my previous ICE SUV, despite it being a similar size. That weighed around 1,700 kg, whereas the EV tips the scales at about 2,130 kg. An extra 430 kg is significant, and you can feel it. Whether that's simply the laws of physics, the suspension tuning, or an inferior chassis, I'm not sure, but it's certainly the only characteristic that has stood out to me. I like the tech, but realistically very little of it is unique to EVs. The same tech is available on modern ICE cars too. The safety technology in particular, adaptive radar cruise control, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane assist, head-up displays, 360-degree cameras and similar driver assistance systems, have been around for years. My previous ICE SUV, despite being around eight years older, already had all of those features. For me, the real difference is the drivetrain rather than the technology. The instant torque, smoothness and refinement are what stand out. The infotainment and safety features are largely a reflection of buying a newer vehicle, regardless of whether it's powered by petrol, diesel or electricity.
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