5 Year Ownership Review

[PV1]

Wow. I can't believe it's been nearly 5 years since purchasing the I-MiEV. Where has the time gone?

I must say that everything that I've been through with the I-MiEV, the places it's been, the other EVs I've seen and driven, and everyone I've met, living the EV life has been really good to me. I've really enjoyed all the meets, cruises, and charging adventures. Being a part of this forum has been invaluable for learning more about these cars than most dealers and techs know about them.

As most of you know, I bought a Chevy Bolt EV last July to reduce commuting miles on the I-MiEV. As nice as a car that the Bolt is, it still can't match the I-MiEV's smooth power delivery, subdued attitude, and ease of parking. I'm having trouble describing how the I-MiEV feels to drive over the Bolt and other EVs, but if I had to pick a word, that would be "humbling". The I-MiEVs simplicity makes it a no-brainer to operate, and the 50 kW motor keeps the lead-foot urge of rush-hour traffic at bay, making for a calmer and more enjoyable drive. Nothing about this car is focused on status or egocentricity, it's purely pragmatic and does what it's designed to do very well, move people and goods from point A to point B. I don't believe there is any other car out there that has such an "every-day use" focus on design.

While the Bolt is the car to have for longer trips, family outings, or a lot of highway driving, driving the I-MiEV simply makes me happy. So, as the powertrain warranty expires, I hope to watch the battery warranty expire with as much confidence and satisfaction that I have now with my jellybeans Bear and Koorz.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9q5ik85xu0sy8rl/IMG_20150726_182216.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f20707p86o7j10x/Photo%20Feb%2021%2C%207%2059%2003%20AM.jpg?dl=0

 

[Don]

Nothing about this car is focused on status or egocentricity, it's purely pragmatic and does what it's designed to do very well, move people and goods from point A to point B. I don't believe there is any other car out there that has such an "every-day use" focus on design.

That sums up my feelings very well too. We bought the first of our two on May 9th, 2012, so we'll soon be coming up on 6 years. Don't think my wife would let me trade either of them for anything else. They do what they do so well and for so little maintenance and cost I just don't think anything else could match them

Don

 

[JoeS]

Nothing about this car is focused on status or egocentricity, it's purely pragmatic and does what it's designed to do very well, move people and goods from point A to point B. I don't believe there is any other car out there that has such an "every-day use" focus on design.

That sums up my feelings very well too. We bought the first of our two on May 9th, 2012, so we'll soon be coming up on 6 years. Don't think my wife would let me trade either of them for anything else. They do what they do so well and for so little maintenance and cost I just don't think anything else could match them.

Ditto, and I would add the word 'unpretentious'. It's a great successor to my Saab which I've had for 50 years. We just crossed the six-year mark and the two i-MiEVs continue to admirably meet our daily needs. Quite frankly, I'm sometimes embarrassed when driving the Tesla , whereas I'm smugly satisfied in the i-MiEV. :lol:

 

[Lithim]

Best wishes to fellow five year ownership members.

I leased my car in February, 2013 (2012 model) and bought it two years later.
Unpretentious is a great description for this vehicle. Many people scoff at its looks and limited range. However, it has served me well as a ("fill in the blank") vehicle. After five years I have accumulated about 35000+ miles just running abound Houston.
I love the smooth acceleration at speed and it's ability to turn on a dime. It may not have "ludicrous" mode but who needs that kind of acceleration.
My major expense has been tire replacement about a year ago and windshield wipers a few times. Houston air is tough on wipers.
Although I am disappointed that Mitsubishi discontinued distributing this car in the United States, I remain hopeful that under the umbrella of the Nissan/Renault Alliance electric cars will still be produced and improved.

 

[jray3]

"Humbling" and "unpretentious" yet "smugly satisfying"! You're all correct!

We're blessed by another grandparental visit currently, so the minivan is getting more miles, but they all serve to drive home how much more we love the MiEV! If the Outlander PHEV had preserved its two rear jump seats, we'd already have one.

I'm eager to take off the squishy snow tires and see the RR rise again, but am kind of glad that our Model 3 reservation is delayed, and we may not use it at all. With all the upcoming and apparently overlapping DCFC and L2 EVSE installations from VW, WA State, and Utility efforts that are not very well coordinated, it should be easier to travel the Puget sound region in an I-MiEV than EVer before, just as many early adopters are moving on to long range EVs with little need for local charging infrastructure! With a collision-salvage battery pack in reserve and my original pack now reporting 37 Ah, this summer may be the time to swap packs, at least to confirm the condition of the salvaged pack. No sense in letting a low mileage pack sit on the shelf aging while the high mileage original pack runs out of reserve capacity. (Not that my wife would notice, as she never turtles!)

 

[sandange]

You all have pretty much described my sentiment once the initial bugs were worked out with my 2012.
Practical, unpretentious, user friendly yet technologically advanced work horse, reliable, economical, distinctly designed, Compact yet spacious, great visibility & higher seating position, easy entry and exit accessibility

My I Miev experience of almost 6 years…….
2 years with our 2012 – ( 41,600 miles - 67,000 km)
& almost 4 years with our 2014 - (92,000 miles – 148000 km)

Between them a total of 133,600 miles – 215,000 km

We’re now closing quickly to the end of our 4 year financing & any warranty coverage. I’m hoping all continues status quo until our delayed delivery of our
Model 3 reservation is finalized.

Too bad Mitsubishi didn’t follow through wit a little blue pill in the charge port of the I miev - Like the Fiat commercial showing their model evolution.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=Fiat...ome..69i57.10095j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[Lithim]

The comment, "my Model 3 reservation" has been mentioned a number of times in this posting.
I also have a model 3 reservation and wonder how many other IMIEV owners have put up deposits for that car.
Stay charged my friends.

 

[Luddite]

Thanks for the review, PV1. I have owned my car for just under a year and planning to calculate how much it's actually cost me. So far, so good.

Although I am disappointed that Mitsubishi discontinued distributing this car in the United States, I remain hopeful that under the umbrella of the Nissan/Renault Alliance electric cars will still be produced and improved.

Mitsubishi has stopped selling in the UK too unfortunately, although you can still buy it new as the peugeot ion or citroen c zero. Although you don't get B and C mode..
If the battery was twice the size, then it would get me anywhere I needed to go and could really compete with the other EVs out there.

I just love the simplicity of the car - yes it still has an ECU and CANBUS and immobiliser but you don't need to use the touchscreen to change the heating... sorry tesla
I like tesla but i would prefer a lower cost higher range EV that is as simple as the IMIEV.
I don't like screens flashing at me and beeps - I just want to get on with driving.

I like the fact the IMIEV has an actual key that you turn to start it.
I like it that it has a proper handbrake that you pull.
I like the fact that they all have chademo.
I like the fact it's rear wheel drive.
I like the fact that it costs less than a leaf!

Unfortunately we can't buy the bolt here in the UK and volts are very rare.
The BMW i3 with range extender is a tempting option but it costs so much and has so much tech that I don't need. I also would not feel as unpretentious driving it round!
Come on mitsubishi, make a long range high powered imiev and they will sell like hot cakes. All other EVs have so much tech in them!

 

[ChrisEV]

Those mirror my thoughts as well and I’ve only owned an I-MIEV a few months!

I find myself looking for an excuse to drive it somewhere!

The comment, "my Model 3 reservation" has been mentioned a number of times in this posting.
I also have a model 3 reservation and wonder how many other IMIEV owners have put up deposits for that car.
Stay charged my friends.

It’s probably going to be my next car next year or 2020. I like everything about it except the giant screen inside(I’d have to test drive it) and the fact that it’s a sedan(I prefer something like the Bolt).

 

[phb10186]

Utilitarian, simple by design, high quality, value-providing and individual. I too agree that the modern EVs are overly-laden with expensive tech, and that simplicity in this application is welcomed. Also, I cant think of a simpler car to drive.

For me, the most welcomed aspects are the size and lack of noise. Size is a huge advantage in the urban environment, the lack of noise just makes for a highly relaxed drive.

It is a shame that it will never be widely recognised at the first mass-market EV of the modern era. It's also a shame that in about 10-15 years, very few if any will be on the road - but I will have to wait and see.

 

[PV1]

It is a shame that it will never be widely recognised at the first mass-market EV of the modern era. It's also a shame that in about 10-15 years, very few if any will be on the road - but I will have to wait and see.

So true. Many don't realize that the i-MiEV accomplished a nationwide US rollout faster than the Nissan LEAF. The LEAF landed first, but the i-MiEV hit the east coast just before the LEAF did. People I talk to think it's a brand new car (in my mind, I still think of mine as new given the condition), but they are often surprised to hear that it is a 2012 model year.

With luck on my side, my pair of i-MiEVs will still be around that long. I don't plan on selling them, and with the Bolt taking the brunt of the miles now, they should last a long time. Jay, I'm looking forward to hear how the pack swap goes. I'm still betting on being able to swap out the cells after the warranty goes.

Regarding the Model 3, I was so torn between it and the Bolt. What sold me on the Bolt was driving a Model X. Tesla, to me, seems to focus more on curb appeal than on everyday practicality on most things with the exception being charging (nothing can touch Supercharging). If I had a job where wow-ing customers was a priority, no doubt I would be driving a Tesla. For everyday driving, I found that having everything on a touchscreen or steering wheel controls was a bit of a pain. Being able to reach over and adjust climate settings without looking is something I value, and the Bolt has the best UI I've found in a car yet for a touchscreen-based radio, despite needing the once-a-month reboot. The i-MiEV still wins on sound quality and bass punch of any EV I've driven once you get the door rattle in check.

Anyway, to get back on track, I'm glad to hear that everyone is still enjoying their i-MiEV after all these years, and I'm glad to see newcomers still streaming in. It seems like yesterday that I joined on and was awkwardly trying to figure out my future and if the i-MiEV would work for me. I'd say that my homework and going by gut feeling paid off. 53,000 plugged-in miles later and haven't yet run out of charge (although once nearly ran the company Volt out of gas. Hold mode to the rescue :lol: ).

 

[ChrisEV]

Regarding the Model 3, I was so torn between it and the Bolt. What sold me on the Bolt was driving a Model X. Tesla, to me, seems to focus more on curb appeal than on everyday practicality on most things with the exception being charging (nothing can touch Supercharging). If I had a job where wow-ing customers was a priority, no doubt I would be driving a Tesla. For everyday driving, I found that having everything on a touchscreen or steering wheel controls was a bit of a pain. Being able to reach over and adjust climate settings without looking is something I value, and the Bolt has the best UI I've found in a car yet for a touchscreen-based radio, despite needing the once-a-month reboot. The i-MiEV still wins on sound quality and bass punch of any EV I've driven once you get the door rattle in check.

Anyway, to get back on track, I'm glad to hear that everyone is still enjoying their i-MiEV after all these years, and I'm glad to see newcomers still streaming in. It seems like yesterday that I joined on and was awkwardly trying to figure out my future and if the i-MiEV would work for me. I'd say that my homework and going by gut feeling paid off. 53,000 plugged-in miles later and haven't yet run out of charge (although once nearly ran the company Volt out of gas. Hold mode to the rescue :lol: ).

I get quite a few comments on my i-MIEV. Just the other day the mailman said they were jealous and wish they could afford an EV. I’ve surprised people that it’s a 2012.

My next car will be a Bolt or a Model3. Still undecided but I’d like a longer range EV.

 

[phb10186]

Anyway, to get back on track, I'm glad to hear that everyone is still enjoying their i-MiEV after all these years, and I'm glad to see newcomers still streaming in.

After a period of zero used availability in the UK, I can see 5 for sale in the country (2 I's, 3 clones), and it would appear that values are holding - perhaps have even risen. 2 years ago I paid £5250 for a 3 year old car with 11K on the clock - now I would pay about £6000-£6250 looking at it - and bearing in mind that it will have 20-40K miles and be 4-5 years old, with Jan-Feb is a low demand period for buyers.

I would say this either reflects a general rise in demand for EVs, a general rise in new car prices (based on falling value of the £), or that any serviceable EV capable of the daily commute must be worth that sort of amount (also taking into account these are not that old yet).

 

[DogMan12]

"Humbling" and "unpretentious" yet "smugly satisfying"!
With a collision-salvage battery pack in reserve and my original pack now reporting 37 Ah, this summer may be the time to swap packs, at least to confirm the condition of the salvaged pack.

jray, do you know how many charge cycles on your original pack? I have 37,000 miles on the 2012, (in service June 2013) and about 1,000 charges. I see no decline in reported range at the dashboard so far. I don't have a dealer battery test recently, but I do have to get it in for the two recalls. (Airbag light is on.)

Almost 5 years and it has been flawless. Tires, wipers, that's it.

I too have a Model 3 reservation. I too have second thoughts about it.

 

[jray3]

DogMan12, my number of cycles to get down to 37 Ah would be a guesstimate (unless that feature is hidden in CanIon), but at now 84,000 miles, I’ve already seen a 76 mile RR morning during a warm week in February with the winter tires still mounted! We start most mornings cold-soaked around 40 degrees, so I’m now betting there’s at least one more summer of 81 RR mornings left on the original pack! My charging routine remains a full L2 every night, and I discharge below 2 bars at least once per week. Living dangerously, Jay

 

[DogMan12]

Thanks, jray. I charge Level 1, usually from 5 or 6 bars to 16. I only go to 2 bars and complete cycle about once very 2 months.

Your total mileage and RR is enouraging.