Recently had my Volvo in the shop. Gave me the XC90 Recharge for a loaner car, what Volvo calls the PHEV cars. Let me preface this by saying I truly don't like the biggest cars. The CX9\XC90\\Highlander and cars of that size. Just too big for me. I don't need or want anything that large.
As soon as they dropped off the XC90...the bus as my wife and I called it...I thought "Man, I am going to hate this".
I get inside...there's that "big feeling"...though...not quite as big 'feeling' as it looks from the outside.
Then I drove it...those of you hoping a PHEV Mazda will be fast? Yea...let me just drop the XC's numbers here:
T8 Twin Engine (gas + electric)
455 hp. 523 lb-ft
58 MPG Avg
0-60: 4.5
WOW...this bus was the absolute most fun bus thing I've ever driven. Astonishingly quick. The quickness took this big looking bus and made it feel like a tiny little CUV the way you are able to just toss it around. And using -0- gas on my 6 mile commute was actually a fun little game. There's a little meter in the dash that shows when you are on battery or on gas.
Even in pure gas mode, this thing was so damn quick.
Point: I welcome a Mazda CX5 PHEV IF they can do it even 80% as well as Volvo has done it. And hopefully that's why they waited, to do it right.
Truly believe we should be making and buying more PHEV's for now, in the US, and less EV's. And I didn't think that...before I drove Volvo's PHEV.
No...I don't regret getting my S60 with the straight ICE T6 and the paltry 22MPG city and just over 30 highway (cannot even imagine this car with that same 455hp) ...but my next car will either be a S60 Recharge.... or a Mazda PHEV.