Shogun Sport 2.5d Battery [buying in Spain]

Shogun Sport 2.5d Battery, the best options and sourcing in Spain

When the Shogun Sport arrived back in 2020 it was early November, cold and the vehicle had been sitting in a warehouse for a week prior to three days transport from the UK to Spain. Prior to that it had been sat in a garage forecourt for a few days too so it was no surprise that the driver of the transporter had to give it a jump start before driving it off the rig.

The battery ‘looked’ new, Fuller was the brand and after a full 24 hour charge all seemed well until we began to notice that if the Shogun had been stood for 72 hours or more the turnover was laboured. Bring on the winter of 2021 and it had gotten worse with the battery going flat after 48 hours.

Symptoms

Besides from the laboured cranking due to lack of power from the battery the Shogun also displayed an odd sypmtom which was the hazard lights began to flash just before and just after the vehicle fired up, this would only last a second or two and only happened during the winter when the battery was working harder under cold tempertures – summer use, no problem.

I’ve changed many a battery in my time and know when the game is almost up for any given unit and the old Fuller battery was nearing the end, sure there are ways to bring batteries back to life but given the locations we go to a new battery is a safer bet – acompanied by a NOCO jumpstarter and you’re chances of becoming stranded due to a lack of power are reduced to almost zero.

Sourcing a Shogun Battery in Spain

There are dozens of brands and hundreds of online stores so where do you start? Be prepared that if you have a brand in mind it may not be available in Spain, I checked the Fuller battery for convenience as we already had the part number and could not find one anywhere.

The best bet is to research your batteries, Google ‘best batteries for overlanding’ or ‘premium 4×4 batteries’ and you get a plethora of information and battery brands, whittle down what is available in Spain and make your choice from there. To make life easier we’ve created a list [below] of the best/most reputable brands out there that are available from Spanish stores.

Cheap batteries are also plentiful from brands you’ve never heard of, €45 euros for a battery to fit the Shogun isn’t going to last five minutes IMO so we went for premium along with the price tag too but a battery is not something to skimp on when it comes to money.

Shogun Sport 2.5d Battery Terminals

We nearly got caught on this one! The battery terminals on the Shogun Sport are:

• POSITIVE – LEFT
• NEGATIVE – RIGHT

Many batteries are the opposite, get it wrong and your battery cables won’t reach, just something to bear in mind.

Bosch S4

Perhaps one of the first batteries you think of as Bosch are one of the top 3 manufacturers in the Industry. We’ve had two Bosch S5 batteries in our A6 Quattro, the first lasted a year and the second lasted six months, we then threw in a Varta battery which has been in there ever since for more than 4 years. We may have simply been unlucky.

Tudor Technica

Founded by Henri Tudor in 1890 this brand has been around for a while. Tudor batteries are made in four EU countries with Spain being one of them which is a huge plus for availability and guarantee follow ups [if needed]. The brand is used by BMW, Citroen, Fiat, Seat and Volkswagen to name just a few.

Varta [Blue]

German made and out of the same stable as Bosch [both brands are made by Brookfield Business Partners LP]. We’ve used Varta car batteries and have never experienced any issues however if you look at the online reviews it would appear that quite a few consumers have not been happy with their purchase.

Exide Premium

Exide premium batteries have a strong reputation and the brand is available all over Spain. In 2020 the company won bankruptcy to sell the US arm of the business but supply in the EU rmains the same. Like all brands they have different levels of performance, worth a look for a battery which boasts great reviews in general. Exide also owns the Tudor brand mentioned above.

Optima [Yellow Top]

Fitted by quite a few overlanders Optima batteries come in yellow, red and blue tops, an advanced battery that commands a high price tag, it’s also diffrerent technology. Optima were a strong contender for us until we did some digging on Youtube, you’d expect some bad reviews from customers but for us there were just too many.

Yuasa 5000 [Silver]

We’d never heard of Yuasa until we started researching, this brand has the best reviews out of all the batteries on this list, it is also good for cold starting and has a rating of 50,000 starts. The YBX5000 range is sealed and maintenance free and offers the best bang for your buck. Availalable in Spain if you look hard enough – prices vary considerably between retailers [€85 – €205 euros]

Odyssey

Very expensive but cheaper in the long run? It is said these batteries last 10+ years which is 2.5x the life of some other batteries. Odyssey offers different technology and is a premium, high performance product without doubt, glowing reviews suggest happy customers so well worth considering if your pockets are deep enough.

Why we chose the Yuasa battery for the Shogun

While the Yuasa was hard to find at a decent price we felt that out of all the batteries available it was the better choice for us. Cold starting and short journey’s don’t do batteries any good so with the winter performance touted as one of the best we made the Yuasa our top choice.

Living in a warehouse in Andalucia has it’s advantages for sure, we can keep the Shogun inside protected from the elements but at 3000ft above sea level there is little we can do about the cold. Time will tell how this battery performs but for now she’s cranking over well and performing as it should.

Full Tech Spec: YBX5334

What is your Shogun 2.5d battery? Have you had experience with Yuasa batteries? Let us know in the comments.