Test Drive

[freddotu]

If what I remember is correct (and it's often not), the RR display is a multi-function device which also contains a trip meter. Is this not so? The reason I allegedly remember this is that the original posting mentioned it as being a poorly designed item.

To the list members in general, what option(s) would you consider to be important to you? What options would you purchase the second time around that you didn't purchase this time? Be prepared to show your work on the scratch paper. Just kidding. The price sheets on the windows have so much variation as to be overwhelmingly confusing.

We've already decided that the chademo port isn't necessary, but that's for our current use. If we needed extra travel distance, we'd rent an ICE vehicle. Is this line of thought a mistake to be regretted later?

 

[Don]

Yes, the RR meter is multifunction and it contains lots of 'junk' you must toggle through to get to the display you want . . . . pretty frustrating - Probably why Joe is using it as the RR meter and getting his trip info from the GPS. I leave mine set on RR 100% of the time and never touch it when I'm driving

I'm a firm believer in being seen, especially when riding motorcycles or driving small cars. If we had a bright red, orange or yellow color to pick from, I would have chosen one of those. So, the daytime running lights were a must for me - I didn't want to drive all the time with the headlights on. If you prefer the ES package, you can buy and install the foglights/running lights for about $350.

I really liked the alloy wheels also and there is no other way to upgrade the steel wheels/plastic wheelcovers other than purchasing the alloys from Mitsubishi - They are wierd wheels to say thr least and (so far) nobody else makes alloys to fit it. There's no cost effective way to buy those and add them to an ES package . . . . the cost of the 4 across the counter would be nearly as much as the cost of the SE package upgrade

I also much preferred the higher power, 8 speaker stereo to the one offered on the ES - You can buy and install an aftermarket stereo and speakers, but when I added it all up, the SE version made better sense (monetarily anyway) than getting the ES and trying to upgrade it . . . . plus, we got a deal on an existing SE already on the dealers lot that we couldn't have got if we had insisted on an ES package

Now that we have it, I like the interior refinements better too

Anyway - To answer your question, the foglights/DRL's were a must have for me

Don

 

[BillThompsonMIEV]

Hello to you. I purchased my MIEV on 31 July 2012, so I am definitely a new owner. The RR feature is one of the display options. By pressing the button located on the instrument cluster you can also see two trip odometers, adjust brightness of the instrument cluster lights, two maintenance features ( a wrench icon and basically no practical meaning), and the odometer. I routinely keep the RR displayed. When you engage the A/C or heat, You can see the "hit" you take with either A/C or heat by observing the RR decline. In my case heat has no meaning, but A/C does. After my most recent charge, my RR with no A/C was 94, and 82 with A/C. I had windows tinted and a cargo mat installed for the rear deck. I definitely would get window tinting. I also ordered a custom made sun shield screen for the windshield through the dealer. It was cheaper through the dealer ($30) than ordering it through the manufacturer. I purchased the SE trim line, and got a discount of about $1,450 off the MSRP. Don't forget the federal tax credit. Look at your IRS Form 1040 from 2011, particularly Line 55. If the number on that line is greater than $7,500, you will get the full tax credit. If the number on Line 55 is less than $7,500, your tax credit will be the number shown on the line.

 

[freddotu]

Sadly, we qualify for the tax credit, although this is a good thing in this situation. Otherwise we'd have an even bigger hit come tax time. Another unfortunate turn is that Florida does not have any state incentives, not even for charging stations.

I agree with the being-seen aspect of road users. My velomobile is Chevy safety yellow (1974 factory color) and I pedal it with daytime running lights on flash at all times. A bright yellow Miev would be an interesting and very visible sight, I'm sure. Not worth the cost of a quality re-paint though.

As an advocate of human powered vehicles, it's difficult for me to spend much money on creature comforts or amenities such as those darn good looking wheels. I recognize that alloy wheels may be lighter than stock, though, and as such are a quantitative benefit for the vehicle overall.

The button for the multi-function display is awkward to reach and use, especially while underway. Since it's electronic, it would have been an easy matter to move the button within easy reach, but ergonomics are too often designed by engineers.

Now, the important part, how does one get the best possible deal with respect to pricing? I'll peruse the forum again for that sort of thing, and any links would be appreciated.

 

[BillThompsonMIEV]

Regarding prices. Check dealer web sites. The cars are not selling very well. See how long the cars have been sitting on a dealer's lot. The invoice price is about $30,400 for the SE trim line. Offer $30,000 and proceed from there.

 

[freddotu]

Our local dealer said they've sold four since the line appeared on the lot, one of them is "owned" by the dealer's wife. This particular salesman did not have as much information as I did and it makes me wonder how successful he is in pushing the i to prospective buyers. The lot was pretty quiet traffic-wise when we were there and it's jammed full of ICE vehicles, as well as the six i-mievs in the corner and showroom.

 

[freddotu]

I recently remembered that I had visited this same dealer and took photos of the inventory. At the time, it was two and now it's six. At that time, I also took photos of the vehicles and the price stickers on the windows. This most recent trip also included the same photo sequences. April is the date on the earlier photos and those two vehicles are still on the lot. One of them is now the test-drive and salesman-errand driver and has about a thousand miles on it, as best as I can recall.

My wife and I both prefer the silver over the other choices and the second april car is a silver one, an ES model with only one option added, the cold zone package, a very handy item for central florida!

What sort of price reduction could be expected for a vehicle collecting four months of dust on the back lot? Is there an easy place to find the dealer invoice price for the ES model?

 

[PV1]

Sorry to revive such an old post, but I was hoping to avoid two threads on the same topic, especially considering I've already contributed to this thread.

I visited another dealer yesterday and drove a silver ES. With four people in the car, up and down hills, and 65 mph highway, the car did very well. It was refreshing to drive an EV again. Range suffered on this trip as expected, going from 67 to 50 miles in a 7 mile loop. It actually dipped down to 47 miles after exiting the highway, but I regenerated 3 miles on the downhill back to the dealer. As was said elsewhere in the forum, the regen is definitely much stronger than the LEAF. I had very little friction braking involved. Probably the best part of the drive was watching two Volt drivers turn almost completely around in their seat looking at the car (which now I think the signs on the side of the car may have played a factor) as we went past them. The car I drove isn't the one I'm looking at. They have a white ES on the floor with QC, USB, parking sensors, and the cargo package. I know before I wanted silver, but after seeing the two side-by-side, the white looks better.

There are a couple of questions I have on the car:
1. On the ES without foglights, do the headlights automatically come on even with the switch off, as some sort of DRL's?
2. When you are plugged in to either Level 1 or 2, does the DC-DC converter come on and charge the 12 volt battery, and will it stay on if there is a load on the system (ie. laptop plugged into the 12 volt plug)?

Also, as far as a 2013 model, Mitsubishi is waiting for current inventory to diminish before they start a new model year. Most likely, they'll jump straight to a 2014 model year.

 

[JoeS]

PV1, glad you had a chance to take another test drive to remind yourself of the car's peppiness.

...There are a couple of questions I have on the car:
1. On the ES without foglights, do the headlights automatically come on even with the switch off, as some sort of DRL's?
2. When you are plugged in to either Level 1 or 2, does the DC-DC converter come on and charge the 12 volt battery, and will it stay on if there is a load on the system (ie. laptop plugged into the 12 volt plug)?...

1. If the stalk does not have an AUTO position then the answer is no. This is independent of whether the vehicle is equipped with daytime running lights (manual pages 3-76 and 3-77), with foglights having separate lightbulbs and their own control on the stalk (manual page 3-83).
2. With J1772 plugged in, the dc-dc converter charges the 12v battery. To activate the 12v outlet in the cabin you need to turn the key to ACC and the 12v battery will be kept at full charge as long as the J1772 is plugged in. If you unplug J1772 then you can still use the 12v outlet and have the 12v battery recharged via the dc-dc if you "start" the car and keep the key in the ON position, but all the car's systems are then active.

 

[danpatgal]

My wife and I take turns driving the i ... every time I get in, I say to my wife: "Did I tell you how much I like driving this car?". It still gives me a smile to drive it after 8 months of owning it ...

Incidentally, if you didn't hear, Pennsylvania will still offer a $3000 (down from $3500 that is almost completely used up) rebate for EVs. Also, though I'm not a big fan of leasing, it could make a lot of sense if you can get a good lease and then see what the EV market looks like two more years down the road (no pun intended).

Good luck ...

 

[Don]

My wife and I take turns driving the i ... every time I get in, I say to my wife: "Did I tell you how much I like driving this car?". It still gives me a smile to drive it after 8 months of owning it ...

Same thing here - We bought ours on May 8th and now 7500 miles later, it still makes me smile every time I get into it. It's really fun to drive and my wife and I have had that same conversation many times, which I didn't really expect - I have a couple of other really fun cars to drive which are now languishing neglected in the garage, thanks to this great little car . . . . :mrgreen:

Don

 

[JoeS]

There's a common thread here, as my wife has repeatedly told me how much she enjoys driving the iMiEV. She 'allows' me to borrow 'her' car whenever the range I need is more than my Corbin Sparrow can do comfortably, and we both have that EV grin.

 

[PV1]

Thanks for the quick replies. Glad to hear the EV effect lasts. Also glad to hear the lights stay off when wanted. If the headlights had DRL, then I probably would order the foglights. I have DRL's on the Cavalier, and the only time they're nice is in very dense fog to be able to see the driveway. I don't want the unnecessary energy load of DRL's (although minimal compared to the motor, it's still a waste in my book as I have no use for them). DC-DC is also set up just as I was hoping.

As for the home inspection, the salesman handed me a customer disclosure form explaining all the unique characteristics of an EV, and it says a home inspection is required. I don't really have a need for level 2, nor do I have adequate wall space for a unit in the garage. I know we have a dedicated 20 amp outlet, it was put in when the house was built 15 years ago. Is there a way out of the inspection?

 

[alohart]

If the headlights had DRL, then I probably would order the foglights. I have DRL's on the Cavalier, and the only time they're nice is in very dense fog to be able to see the driveway. I don't want the unnecessary energy load of DRL's (although minimal compared to the motor, it's still a waste in my book as I have no use for them).

As you probably know, the SE has standard DRL's in the bumper rather than using the headlight low beams for DRL's. In Sweden where we live most of each year, DRL's are required with the E.U. adding this requirement soon. I've grown to appreciate the additional visibility that DRL's provide, so I believe that because of my DRL's, I am slightly less likely to be hit by another driver who didn't see me.

Our U.S. Honda Insight that we shipped to Sweden had no DRL's, so I installed high-quality bright Philips LED DRL's which are very bright, consume only 4 watts, and haven't burned out prematurely like so many cheap Chinese LED's. I might replace my i-MiEV's DRL's with LED DRL's at some point, but as you stated, their electrical load is minimal.

As for the home inspection, the salesman handed me a customer disclosure form explaining all the unique characteristics of an EV, and it says a home inspection is required. I don't really have a need for level 2, nor do I have adequate wall space for a unit in the garage. I know we have a dedicated 20 amp outlet, it was put in when the house was built 15 years ago. Is there a way out of the inspection?

I bought my i-MiEV over the Internet from Sweden to the dealer in Honolulu. I told the salesperson that I would not be installing a Level 2 EVSE, so that I would not need a home inspection. That was no problem. I think you can be fairly certain that no Mitsubishi dealer will deny a sale because the customer refused a home inspection

 

[MLucas]

The home inspection was scheduled by the dealership and all I had to do when they called was to tell them 'No thank you.' and that was it. Skip it if you want.

Glad to see you are getting closer to buying the I-MiEV. You'll really enjoy the car, 7 months and still very happy with it.

 

[Don]

Our dealer didn't even schedule one - We just signed a piece of paperwork saying we understood one was required and they left it to us to schedule one if we wanted one. We didn't

Don

 

[PV1]

Thank you. I might have my friend, who runs his own solar business, come out and put in a charger, so having Best Buy come out is pointless. I'll be on the phone tomorrow with the dealer. I'll see where things go from there and keep you posted.