An extra 9 BHP, just like that ....

[Richard_C]

In April I took delivery of a C4 Hybrid 136 bhp, I'm just back from France where I noticed them being advertised as 145 bhp. So soon, I thought, wonder what they have changed. Maybe I should have waited.

The answer is - nothing. Stellantis used to quote the petrol engione output only, other manufacturers quoted petrol+electric combined at maximum output so thats what Stellantis do now. So I had a 145 bhp car all along

Not that it matters, when I was a teenager all these statistics seemed important - oh look, the Ford is 63 bhp and the Marina 58 - but we all know that its puff and nonsense and real life drivability is what counts. But it did take me back to my company provided Mk 3 Granada 2.9. At the time the oil change inteval was 6000 miles, company car competitiors like Audi were 10,000. Ford changed to 10,000. I asked a friend who was a development engineer on the V6 engine. "What engineering changes did you have to make?" "Just the words in the handbook ....."


*first new car for aeons because I normally buy second hand recent and keep for several years, but the deal on a new one was just too good.

[CitroJim]

Reminds me of lies, dammed lies and statistics Richard

Oh yes, did we ever obsess over the claimed BHP (and other) figures when we were younger - happy days... These days I don't really know what BHP any of my cars are supposed to produce...

So often back then, BHP was measured using a perfect 'blueprinted' engine driving absolutely no auxiliaries so whatever power it developed bore no resemblance to real-world at all...

[myglaren]

My Civic allegedly had more equestrian power than the preceding C5 but it didn't seem like it.
The following Mazda 6s, one petrol and this one diesel, had more still, the current diesel most of all and although it is lively enough it isn't much better than the C5.

[mickthemaverick]

That reminds me of when I had my Rover SD1 2300. Unfortunately I blew up the engine on the M1 southbound near J23 one Friday night on the way home from ICI Wilton. I was rescued by Brittania in those days and they took the car to an Engine Transplant Centre near Heathrow who offered 24 hour transplants. They asked me if I'd like them to upgrade the engine to 2600 as they had one in stock and could complete it for me by Sunday lunchtime. I agreed as I needed to return to ICI on Sunday evening ready for an early meeting on the Monday. The job was done, I collected it and drove straight up to Wilton with an impressive boost to enjoy. It was one lunchtime some weeks later when I was sitting in a pub garden looking into the car park that I realised it was still badged as a 2300. That afternoon I went to a local scrappy and found a 2600 badge which I promptly replaced when I got home. Back down the pub that evening a mate who had heard my lunchtime musing said " That's a quick way of getting more horsepower!"

[Hell Razor5543]

Well VW have come up with a nasty surprise for owners of a couple of models of the ID3. The car has the potential for 228bhp. However, by default it will run at 204bhp. If you want the full power you have to pay a subscription (£16.50 per month, £165 annually or £649 for the lifetime of the car (this remains with the car if it is sold on)).

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/volkswage ... bscription

[mickthemaverick]

Yet another example of how the powers that be are trying to monetize everything, because every bit of expenditure will mean a bit more profit for them!! I would love to have the option to choose to live the way we used to and were reminded of during our recent visit to Beamish!!

[Richard_C]

So often back then, BHP was measured using a perfect 'blueprinted' engine driving absolutely no auxiliaries so whatever power it developed bore no resemblance to real-world at all...

Back in the 1970's Ford and GM played games in the USA, running engines on dynos with water, fan, generators etc. all provided externally and measuring output seconds before they self destructed. Rolls Royce countered with sales brochures which on the BHP line said "Adequate". When the Bentley Turbo was introduced that was changed to "Adequate, plus 50%".

Based only on my 4 months of experience, the C4 seems to use its battery power when its advantageous to run on battery alone at slow speeds, in traffic and so on and rarely deploys it for acceleration when the petrol engine is running. On short urban trips it tells me its running on battery alone 30-40% of the time. In very hot weather that drops to maybe 8% on a similar trip suggesting the engine has to run to make the aircon keep the insides cool. If I put the auto mode selector into "sport" , which I have done a few times just to see, not only does it alter the gearbox change up/down points but it seems to throw some electric into the mix when you accelerate hard.

There are lots of marketing games to be played with listing BHP on hybrids, and different manufacturers seem to implement the technology in different ways. Citroen quote 136 petrol, 145 combined. The MG3 hybrid quotes 102 petrol, 194 combined, the Toyota Yaris Cross hybrid 90 petrol, 130 combined. The MG and the Toyota have battery capacities 3 times that if the Citroen and the battery is an expensive bit. Published performance figures are pretty irrelevant but the Citroen says 130 max, 8.0 to 60. The MG 106 and 8, the Toyota 109 and 12. That shows how different manufacturers use similar technology to acheive very different outcomes - good for customer choice but I wonder how many people take the trouble to look at it all.

Nice to have an extra 9 bhp thanks to the marketimg department though - makes me feel young again (or not).

[Richard_C]

Well VW have come up with a nasty surprise for owners of a couple of models of the ID3. The car has the potential for 228bhp. However, by default it will run at 204bhp. If you want the full power you have to pay a subscription (£16.50 per month, £165 annually or £649 for the lifetime of the car (this remains with the car if it is sold on)).

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/volkswage ... bscription

Citroen want £90 a year after year 1 for Connect Plus, keeping the maps up to date etc. I use google maps anyway and the phone app is brilliant at telling me where I parked yestarday - but not today - so thought I could just not subscribe. Thinking about it though, all post 2024 cars now have to 'nag' you in various ways if you exceed the speed limit, the car has to know the speed limit from mapping so maybe I will have to subscribe or be increasingly under/over nagged for eternity.

Side note to TomTom (who do the mapping for Citroen) - Manchester Road into Bradford centre isn't, and never has been, a 96 mph limit

[PaulC5]

Our Octavia beeps if you are 4 mph above what it thinks is the speed limit based on the sat nav or road signs it sees. It often thinks there is a 20 mph limit in 30 mph ones so its maps which I think are up to date are not accurate.