Mazda 3, Minor Hybrid query

PunkRoquefort

I am considering a Mazda 3, either brand new or low mileage.

These cars are Minor Hybrid, with a battery which conserves a small amount of energy.

Am I correct in saying that this is totally different than Hybrid, meaning that the Mazda 3 will not have the risk of a very pricey battery change/replacement, as a Hybrid or EV would have if the battery dies?


Also, is there a major difference in performance/the drive, between the 16" alloy wheel option and the 18"?

Thank you.

CKhalvashi

I can't comment on this specific system or model, but there was a very recent post on EVs that shows after about 6000 cycles still have around half the battery life left. My own experience with an EV was that at 250k miles, it should be ok for a majority of people a majority of the time. This seems to be echoed throughout the community (I've recently upgraded my Ioniq to an ID4, I wouldn't have disposed of the Ioniq to a relative if I didn't think it would stand the test of time).

In general though, a 16in wheel will ride softer than 18in. I don't actually like the large wheels with most new models for this exact reason.

WellKnownSid

Mild hybrid batteries are supposed to retain 80% capacity over 50,000 cycles.  No idea what kind of usage that represents - 50-100k miles at a guess.  Replacements are in the £hundreds.

Anecdotally most strong hybrids seem to cover >100k miles without an issue.  Replacement batteries are in the £1-2k range but there are always salvage and cell replacement options at a fraction of that.  Expect more specialists to offer this when you need it.

EVs depending on chemistry will comfortably last 1,000 (NMC) to 5,000 (LFP) cycles.  In practical terms that might be 200k to 1 million+ miles so the economic life of the car.  After that most can be recycled into other less demanding uses.

How does the car drive?  My strong hybrid Dacia can see most boy racers off at the lights, our EV drives even better than that, especially long distance.  I'm always raving about how well our two cars drive, everyone we know who has a mild hybrid never mentions it - I get the feeling they're nothing special.

Definitely get the 18" alloys if you love a noisy ride and playing the avoid-the-potholes game...

Alanp

Mild hybrids only assist the engine under loads and cruising, they do not drive the engine at all, the batteries are small, usually located under the passenger seat, they are charged under braking and whilst lifting off the accelerator, 

Iceweasel

I have a BMW 330d Mild-Hybrid.
A great improvement over my last BMW which was identical in specification apart from the extra 48volt battery.
I'm getting just over 60mpg on my motorway journeys and approx 45 mpg in town.
That's a 10mpg improvement.
The auto stop-start system uses the 48v battery so restarts are instant and pretty much imperceptible.
The engine switches off at every opportunity - you lift off the accelerator and the engine stops- so the car coasts on - waiting for the driver to put foot down again.
Very easy to get used to.
IMHO this set up is what we should be encouraging / adopting rather than all-electric. 

Bigwheels1111

My friend's Toyota Prius did 180,000 miles cabbing before the battery gave up, Cost £1400 for a genuine replacement. He gets 58/60 mpg.

They changed the battery type on the Prius Plus, So far his friend has done 350k on the same battery.

born_again

Mild hybrid is a big con, manufactures are going down that route as it is cheap way to reduce emissions over their sales, so they do not suffer massive fines.

Bigwheels1111

born_again said:

Mild hybrid is a big con, manufactures are going down that route as it is cheap way to reduce emissions over their sales, so they do not suffer massive fines.

Manufactures like Toyota have this down pat. They don't use turbo's like most.

Their petrol engines have not changed much in years.

Also they do not see EV'S as the way forward.

I have no idea what the next magic fuel will be but electric is just not doing it.

Price and infrastructure is not up to the job.

Iceweasel

born_again said:

Mild hybrid is a big con, manufactures are going down that route as it is cheap way to reduce emissions over their sales, so they do not suffer massive fines.

I disagree completely. More power, more mpg- what's not to like?
EV is a big con. Their batteries are not 'planet friendly' and very importantly - how do we dispose of the old EV batteries?
What kind of range do EVs have towing a caravan for example.
As for a European holiday in an EV - hassle, hassle, hassle, and much planning where and when to stop.
But - little city shopping car - perfect.

WellKnownSid

Iceweasel said:
As for a European holiday in an EV - hassle, hassle, hassle, and much planning where and when to stop.

But - little city shopping car - perfect.

Don't know what Europe is like, but when we took the little shopping car on a weekend to London recently (700 mile round trip) I didn't bother to do any planning.  All the charging stations are shown on the Google powered satnav, and the car can work out when and where to stop if you want it to plan a route.  In the end we just pulled off at the Tesla superchargers at Trentham around half way and barely had time to order a latte and a cream cake before Zoe pinged me to tell me she was ready to va va voom.

I would definitely recommend trying out the BMW EV range when you come to change.  I had to run an errand in a new 330d recently and it felt like you had to send a telegram to a chap to send some smoke signals every time you pressed the loud pedal.  Don't get me wrong, it went like the 9.45 from London Euston to Glasgow Central when it eventually got going just didn't have the same sense of urgency.

Goudy

These mild hybrids are getting better and better.
Think of the system replacing the turbo for torque.

Suzuki new Swift mild Hybrid does the same sort of mpg as the Yaris full Hybrid.

The batteries are small, they don't need to be big as they charge and discharge rapidly and repeatedly every trip, unlike an EV that requires a battery to hold a lot of power at one time.

They will limit capacity, so will never fully charge or discharge.
Toyota's hybrids only charge to 80% and will kick the engine in to recharge at 40% 

This it to protect the battery and make it last longer.
 
As mentioned the NIMH batteries for the earlier Pruis can do 180,000 to 200,000 depending on use but are very cheap these days.
Later Li-on batteries do far better but more expensive.