Posts from ‘Plug-in Hybrids’
The all-electric 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 is not available with AM radio.
By Jim Flammang
At this point it’s fairly clear that electric vehicles are the future, but the road to get there is full of hurdles big and small. One of the smaller challenges, at least for a good number of traditional consumers, is this: Electric cars have a problem with AM radio. Why? Because the electric motors that power their drive wheels, propelling the vehicle, also tend to generate electromagnetic interference with AM broadcast reception.
Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast
Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride with friends, you’ve come to the right place. Join the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive as they break down everything that’s going on in the auto world. New-car reviews, shopping tips, driving green, electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests. This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast.
Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast
Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride with friends, you’ve come to the right place. Join the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive as they break down everything that’s going on in the auto world. New-car reviews, shopping tips, driving green, electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests. This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast.
2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4xe Sahara
Jeep has a complicated and fascinating history going back about 80 years, to the battlefields of World War II. Civilian Jeeps, or CJs, were available almost immediately after WWII hostilities ceased, and today’s Wrangler can trace its lineage directly back to that first CJ-2A. Now, for 2021, Wrangler enters a new era with the addition of a plug-in-hybrid variant: the 4xe.
Quick Spin: 2021 Volvo XC60 Recharge
Volvo XC60 Recharge T8 Inscription in Denim Blue Metallic (a $645 option)
2021 Volvo XC60 Recharge T8 Inscription
Class: Premium Compact Crossover
Miles Driven: 362
Fuel Used: 10.0 gallons
Quick Spin: 2021 BMW 330e
2021 BMW 330e Sedan in Alpine White
2021 BMW 330e Sedan
Class: Premium Compact Car
Miles driven: 157
Fuel used: 4.2 gallons
2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Limited
As if the Chrysler Pacifica wasn’t good enough with a conventional powertrain, through 2020 it had the distinction of being the only minivan on the market with the availability of gas/electric hybrid power. That bragging point disappears with the arrival of the ’21 Toyota Sienna, but the Pacifica has done a few things that secure its place as a Consumer Guide “Best Buy” in the class.
2021 Mini Cooper SE Countryman ALL4 PHEV in White Silver Metallic
2021 Mini Cooper SE Countryman ALL4 PHEV
Class: Subcompact Crossover
Miles driven: 187
Fuel used: 5.5 gallons
2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE in Magnetic Gray Metallic
2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE
Class: Compact Crossover
Miles driven: 167
Fuel used: 2.0 gallons
2019 Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE P400e in Firenze Red (a $710 option)
2019 Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE P400e
Class: Premium Midsize Crossover
Miles driven: 375
Fuel used: 13.6 gallons
