Question reg. 7-seater SUV's (hybrid or PHEV)

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Question reg. 7-seater SUV's (hybrid or PHEV)

1 | 2 | 3

1112 posts

Uber Geek

#3295878 11-Oct-2024 10:51

Rmani:
You'd need to be carrying 6 midgets to class as a 7 seater

Same goes for Outlander PHEV as well. The 3rd row is pretty much unusable even for kids.

Wow, wasn’t aware of that. The Mazda CX8 is OK with the back seats. Less space but perfectly acceptable.

RUKI

1402 posts

Uber Geek

#3296312 11-Oct-2024 23:20

FYI Sienta was referred to as "perfect for school runs" to me by few moms, Sienta (petrol version of it) with last row removed (became 5-seated) and special lift installed is used for people with disabilities in Japan and in NZ. OP did mention carrying stuff - for that purpose sliding doors on both sides are perfect for loading/unloading goods in confined spaces ... Otherwise if bigger space needed - plenty of VANs, e.g. Nissan Serena e-Power, Serena S-hybrid. Toyota Estima Hybrid...

Toyota / Lexus Hybrid and EV Battery Expert Battery Test & Repair

Batman

Mad Scientist
29769 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3296331 12-Oct-2024 08:45

Rmani:
You'd need to be carrying 6 midgets to class as a 7 seater

Same goes for Outlander PHEV as well. The 3rd row is pretty much unusable even for kids.

Won't fit midgets either. Only fits people with no legs.

riztricted

61 posts

Master Geek

#3297735 15-Oct-2024 16:40

Fyi CRV RS hybrid only comes 5 seater.
7 seat options are all 1.5l vtec turbo no hybrid option.

Scott3

3972 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3297816 15-Oct-2024 18:40

danepak:

Due a company car upgrade soon.

My knowledge around cars are limited.

Currently I have a Mazda CX8 (Diesel) which is a 7-seater and I've asked for the new car also to be a 7-seater.
I'm driving approx 20k per year.

The company I work for wants the car to be a hybrid or PHEV and the budget is sort of a step up from a RAV4 (or as the CFO said - a nicer RAV4, which leads me to think the budget is around $55-$60k).

The Mazda CX8 I got back in 2021 was around $57k I believe, but I'm hoping that the savings by using a hybrid or PHEV vs a Diesel will be able to convince the CFO to push the price up to what I can see that 7-seater hybrids cost.

From what I can see, the choice is really between these ones (all obviously entry-level models):

Honda CR-V S - $67,000
Hyundai Santa Fe - $66,990
Kia Sorento HEV Light 2WD - $64,990
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV XLS 4WD - $68,990

Is that sort of correct reg. choices and budget?

I don't do any off-road driving by the way, so not sure why I would need a 4WD.

I'd love to hear any inputs/recommendations.

I’ll be having the car for 42 months.

---------------

I see that the Honda is actually only a 5-seater (if I want a hybrid car), so that one can be removed from the list.

Hyundai Santa Fe - $66,990
Kia Sorento HEV Light 2WD - $64,990
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV XLS 4WD - $68,990
Toyota Highlander GXL Hybrid - $68,490

Is a PHEV cheaper to run than a Hybrid?

------------------

danepak: If I drive approx 20k per year in a Diesel car (current car is a Mazda CX8), what’s the approx savings over 42 months by moving to a hybrid?

As a general rule, you shouldn't assume that a 7 seat SUV can fit adults in the third row. I'm 183cm and it is only the biggest SUV's that fit me in the third row (Kia EV9 etc).

Can't comment on your current CX-8, but in many of the medium 7 seat SUV's, the third row is strictly kids only, and occupies pretty much the entire boot.

---------------------------------------

Given you don't need the 4wd that often comes bundled with larger SUV's in NZ, you could well be better off with van / people mover.

Staria is a fit 8 adults + luggage kind of van and is currently on special at $64k (diesel only)

Carnaval is largish people mover. Also fits 8. Just did 910km in one around the south island with 6 adults (+ enough luggage to fill the boot of my lexus RX400h SUV). Starts from $63k for diesel, hybrid is $82k.

--------------------------------------

Rav4 tops out at $61k driveaway, so all of the above are more expensive than this.

--------------------------------------

In the SUV space, I would look at the highlander hybrid first. Toyota's (non plug in) hybrid system is regarded as one of the best in the business, and the price difference vs the Korean options will be got back when it comes time to sell (also note the non Toyota prices include ORC, which can be close to $1000 extra on some other brands).

--------------------------

In terms of running costs, Its reasonably small fry vs the capital cost, but yeah, they hybrids are coming in a bit cheaper than the Diesel's. Maintenance will be cheaper too.

For the PHEV it is highly dependent on what fraction of your running is done on electricity:

Scott3

3972 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3297817 15-Oct-2024 18:43

RUKI: Most economical will be Toyota Sienta hybrid. 7-seater wth sliding doors on both sides.

A lot of companies insist on leasing brand new stuff, which likely rules out all the sweet JDM options.

danepak

1112 posts

Uber Geek

#3297927 15-Oct-2024 23:41

Scott3:
danepak:

Due a company car upgrade soon.

My knowledge around cars are limited.

Currently I have a Mazda CX8 (Diesel) which is a 7-seater and I've asked for the new car also to be a 7-seater.
I'm driving approx 20k per year.

The company I work for wants the car to be a hybrid or PHEV and the budget is sort of a step up from a RAV4 (or as the CFO said - a nicer RAV4, which leads me to think the budget is around $55-$60k).

The Mazda CX8 I got back in 2021 was around $57k I believe, but I'm hoping that the savings by using a hybrid or PHEV vs a Diesel will be able to convince the CFO to push the price up to what I can see that 7-seater hybrids cost.

From what I can see, the choice is really between these ones (all obviously entry-level models):

Honda CR-V S - $67,000
Hyundai Santa Fe - $66,990
Kia Sorento HEV Light 2WD - $64,990
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV XLS 4WD - $68,990

Is that sort of correct reg. choices and budget?

I don't do any off-road driving by the way, so not sure why I would need a 4WD.

I'd love to hear any inputs/recommendations.

I’ll be having the car for 42 months.

---------------

I see that the Honda is actually only a 5-seater (if I want a hybrid car), so that one can be removed from the list.

Hyundai Santa Fe - $66,990
Kia Sorento HEV Light 2WD - $64,990
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV XLS 4WD - $68,990
Toyota Highlander GXL Hybrid - $68,490

Is a PHEV cheaper to run than a Hybrid?

------------------

danepak: If I drive approx 20k per year in a Diesel car (current car is a Mazda CX8), what’s the approx savings over 42 months by moving to a hybrid?

As a general rule, you shouldn't assume that a 7 seat SUV can fit adults in the third row. I'm 183cm and it is only the biggest SUV's that fit me in the third row (Kia EV9 etc).

Can't comment on your current CX-8, but in many of the medium 7 seat SUV's, the third row is strictly kids only, and occupies pretty much the entire boot.

---------------------------------------

Given you don't need the 4wd that often comes bundled with larger SUV's in NZ, you could well be better off with van / people mover.

Staria is a fit 8 adults + luggage kind of van and is currently on special at $64k (diesel only)

Carnaval is largish people mover. Also fits 8. Just did 910km in one around the south island with 6 adults (+ enough luggage to fill the boot of my lexus RX400h SUV). Starts from $63k for diesel, hybrid is $82k.

--------------------------------------

Rav4 tops out at $61k driveaway, so all of the above are more expensive than this.

--------------------------------------

In the SUV space, I would look at the highlander hybrid first. Toyota's (non plug in) hybrid system is regarded as one of the best in the business, and the price difference vs the Korean options will be got back when it comes time to sell (also note the non Toyota prices include ORC, which can be close to $1000 extra on some other brands).

--------------------------

In terms of running costs, Its reasonably small fry vs the capital cost, but yeah, they hybrids are coming in a bit cheaper than the Diesel's. Maintenance will be cheaper too.

For the PHEV it is highly dependent on what fraction of your running is done on electricity:

Wow! Very informative!

I’ll have a proper read over this extremely useful information.
Also, fine if it only fits kids in the backseat. A large people mover won’t work, as my wife refuses to drive it (too hard to park she thinks). Also, the parking lot at my job is rather tight.
Finally, petrol or diesel (non hybrid) are not a possibility anymore at my job.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29769 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3297934 16-Oct-2024 07:48

danepak:

Wow! Very informative!

I’ll have a proper read over this extremely useful information.
Also, fine if it only fits kids in the backseat. A large people mover won’t work, as my wife refuses to drive it (too hard to park she thinks). Also, the parking lot at my job is rather tight.
Finally, petrol or diesel (non hybrid) are not a possibility anymore at my job.

for your budget check out a Santa Fe or Sorento hybrid

Scott3

3972 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3297980 16-Oct-2024 10:20

Given the Honda Odyssey is listed as sold out, there are no medium people movers available new in NZ any more to my knowledge.

Also, given you are fine with a tight third row, SUV's are the cheapest route to a hybrid 7 seater.

So SUV's it is. (note the likes of a highlander hybrid is only 265mm shorter than the carnival ).

Means you have a fairly short list of options.

Hybrid (Sorrento vs Highlander)

PHEV (Outlander)

Sadly pure EV is likely off the cards due to the cost of the EV9 (the cheapest 7 seat pure EV). Oddly the base RWD EV9 is priced $16k higher than the mid spec AWD, but I suspect that dealers would sell the base RWD for around $80k, which is quite a step up from the likes of a base outlander.

On PHEV, if this makes sense comes down to how much Electric running you can do. i.e. if most of your running is short laps (i.e. commuting) with ~70km between charges, it is a great deal. If most of your running is driving the length of the country it is not such a great deal. Note due to government policy changes, there is likely a lot of PHEV's in stock, so you may be able to cut an attractive deal on one vs a non plug in hybrid.

On Hybrid, the Sorrento (having a base 2wd version) is cheaper, but the Toyota will (being a Toyota hybrid and AWD), will have better resale.

Big question is will the budget stretch to these options.

danepak

1112 posts

Uber Geek

#3298016 16-Oct-2024 11:59

Batman:
danepak:

Wow! Very informative!

I’ll have a proper read over this extremely useful information.
Also, fine if it only fits kids in the backseat. A large people mover won’t work, as my wife refuses to drive it (too hard to park she thinks). Also, the parking lot at my job is rather tight.
Finally, petrol or diesel (non hybrid) are not a possibility anymore at my job.

for your budget check out a Santa Fe or Sorento hybrid

Yep, but the new Santa Fe is $10k more expensive so looks like it’s the Sorento.
Just found out that the car lease isn’t up until August 2025, so new models may arrive prior to this.

danepak

1112 posts

Uber Geek

#3298017 16-Oct-2024 12:02

Scott3:
Given the Honda Odyssey is listed as sold out, there are no medium people movers available new in NZ any more to my knowledge.

Also, given you are fine with a tight third row, SUV's are the cheapest route to a hybrid 7 seater.

So SUV's it is. (note the likes of a highlander hybrid is only 265mm shorter than the carnival ).

Means you have a fairly short list of options.

Hybrid (Sorrento vs Highlander)

PHEV (Outlander)

Sadly pure EV is likely off the cards due to the cost of the EV9 (the cheapest 7 seat pure EV). Oddly the base RWD EV9 is priced $16k higher than the mid spec AWD, but I suspect that dealers would sell the base RWD for around $80k, which is quite a step up from the likes of a base outlander.

On PHEV, if this makes sense comes down to how much Electric running you can do. i.e. if most of your running is short laps (i.e. commuting) with ~70km between charges, it is a great deal. If most of your running is driving the length of the country it is not such a great deal. Note due to government policy changes, there is likely a lot of PHEV's in stock, so you may be able to cut an attractive deal on one vs a non plug in hybrid.

On Hybrid, the Sorrento (having a base 2wd version) is cheaper, but the Toyota will (being a Toyota hybrid and AWD), will have better resale.

Big question is will the budget stretch to these options.

Do you know if dealers generally are willing to go below the listed price on the websites or are the prices set in stone?
E.g. if a Sorento is $64,999 but my budget is $61,000, would they be able to move on this (please note we’re using Leaseplan).

Batman

Mad Scientist
29769 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3298036 16-Oct-2024 12:32

danepak:
Yep, but the new Santa Fe is $10k more expensive so looks like it’s the Sorento.
Just found out that the car lease isn’t up until August 2025, so new models may arrive prior to this.

I see. Then I'd go Toyota Highlander - i think they are all hybrids, so the cheap one might sneak into the budget.

I still maintain that any human with legs are not going to fit in the 3rd row but then again YMMV.

alasta

6706 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#3298067 16-Oct-2024 13:25

danepak:

Do you know if dealers generally are willing to go below the listed price on the websites or are the prices set in stone?
E.g. if a Sorento is $64,999 but my budget is $61,000, would they be able to move on this (please note we’re using Leaseplan).

Yes, but the extent to which they will negotiate varies between marques.

Toyota and Honda have upfront pricing and do not discount. Hyundai have large margins and will generally do very sharp pricing for fleet deals, but have room for generous discounts for private buyers if you ask nicely at the right time.

All of the other manufacturers tend to fall across that spectrum in between.

Scott3

3972 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3298074 16-Oct-2024 13:41

danepak:

Do you know if dealers generally are willing to go below the listed price on the websites or are the prices set in stone?
E.g. if a Sorento is $64,999 but my budget is $61,000, would they be able to move on this (please note we’re using Leaseplan).

Depends on brand.

For Toyota, Honda, Tesla, there is no negotiation to be had at all. (Tesla has always been that way, and toyota NZ made a big song and dance about it a few years back then they moved to "Toyota Driveaway prices", cutting prices and getting rid of negotiation.) - should note some of those brands do bulk fleet deals, and most will discount ex demo cars etc.

Mazda is known to be quite negotiable. Family member got ~10% off a CX-5 by phoning around a few dealers early in the pandemic.

Ford is know to have special deals for farmlands card holders.

Not sure how this all works with leaseplan. I assume LeasePlan buy cars at a bulk fleet discount. But there is a chance a budget your employer gives you is the retail price, and they have already assumed they will get some discount along the way.

As a general rule, hotter selling cars are less likely to get discounts. At the moment this is non plug in hybrids. Plug in cars are harder to sell at the moment, so dealers may be more willing to discount them.

danepak

1112 posts

Uber Geek

#3363176 12-Apr-2025 14:11

Ended up getting the Kia Sorento HEV Light 2WD.

Was approx $50 per month over my lease budget, but I was allowed it after all.

1 | 2 | 3