Vauxhall Ampera review
It feels like a clever idea and you don't have the problem of running out of power, but the extra weight makes it a bit sluggish.
In fact, Vauxhall reckons that the petrol engine (taken from a Corsa) will be little used and freely admits that lugging this extra engine about creates inefficiencies. For a start, it pushes up the weight to 1,732kg, which is one reason why a 149bhp car can only manage 60mph in nine seconds. It’s a bit like lugging a picnic lunch with you everywhere in case your work canteen is unexpectedly shut that day.
However, Vauxhall says that servicing bills will be down by 15 to 20 per cent because you’ll use the petrol engine less, thereby reducing costs further. The four hours it’ll take to recharge from empty from a standard UK plug costs between 40p and £1.70 depending on electricity tariff, and the Ampera will also be exempt from annual VED tax. With big tax discounts for company car drivers too, the Ampera goes some distance to offset the largish cost of buying it, which will be £28,995 when it goes on sale at the beginning of 2012. That includes a government grant of £5,000, but even then it still costs the same as a well-specced BMW 320d.
The Ampera doesn’t quite have that same expertly conceived executive ambience as the BMW, but the well-built interior certainly wouldn’t put you off. The dashboard is dominated by two screens that give you detailed information on the electric flow and consumption, including a mesmerising rolling green ball that rises or falls depending on the efficiency of your driving.
Uniquely for a car in this price range, the polished plastic centre console is touch sensitive, meaning you just press symbols on the dash itself. This won’t appeal to everyone, but it doesn’t seem gimmicky and all helps create that welcome feeling that you’re piloting a car from the future.
Driving it is suitably serene, with very little noise filtering through and a nice pliant ride. The low-down weight of the batteries ensures it doesn’t get too wallowy in the corners, but understandably it doesn’t feel like a GTI version could ever be created from it. Indeed, the displays actively encourage a more economical driving style; but, unlike with pure battery cars, the penalty of inefficiency isn’t a silent roll to a halt, but instead the noise of a petrol engine coming to your rescue.