looking at buying a imiev

[TK222]

My grand mother recently passed away I got some money from her and with it I was thinking of buying a new imiev it's cheaper for insureance then my old 2005 pontiac wave was.

I've not seen the car or driven it for my self but the dealer is only 40kms away from me and since I only have a burgman 400 right now and it's winter I only go to work and then back home and do groceries as I need them I have to say useing a bike as my only transportation is a bad idea in the winter and more so when we get freezing rain or snow.

With what I got I can buy the car and pay the insureance for the year but some of the reviews I've read are not very good I would like to hear from people that own the car.

 

[ed5000]

It's a great car. I've had mine 6 months and I like it even more now than when I first bought it. As for the bad reviews, it's political. It's hard to believe someone would falsify a car review but it happens. About the only way to get the straight scoop on electrics is to go to a forum and ask the owners for their opinions. How long is your commute? Most of the snow country folk here like the way the i-miev handles in the snow although the heater doesn't get super warm. It still has to be better than a scooter, right?

 

[TK222]

It's a great car. I've had mine 6 months and I like it even more now than when I first bought it. As for the bad reviews, it's political. It's hard to believe someone would falsify a car review but it happens. About the only way to get the straight scoop on electrics is to go to a forum and ask the owners for their opinions. How long is your commute? Most of the snow country folk here like the way the i-miev handles in the snow although the heater doesn't get super warm. It still has to be better than a scooter, right?

I agree with you on reviews I find it's better to talk to people that own the car rather then going off reviews.

I travel about 20 kms to work one way witch in the summer I kinda like but there are some really bad drivers out there and seems to be getting worse.

 

[sandange]

Welcome to the forum TK222

Where are you located?

Smart of you to go to the forums for review reference.
There certainly are politics, echoing and misinformation involved from many " Professional" reviewers.

We traded up from a 2012 to a 2014 Miev and now have driven almost
130,000 km (81,000 miles )between the two of them.

We did have some problems with the 2012 , mostly with the inexperienced service people at
the dealership learning about Electric Vehicles but love the car and
this problem seems to have been resolved with time.

If you have realistic expectations, this is a great little car.
We drive a LOT over 33,00km ( 20,500 miles) per year.

Living up here in Quebec, Canada the only issue we did have was with the drop in Range
( dropped to 60km (37 miles) in extreme cold) in the winter
using the original electric heater in temperatures (-15C to -30C, 5F to -22F )

We are presently in a cold snap expecting a low of -34C ( -29F ) for tonight

Since we installed our diesel heater we have our range back up to around 90 km ( 56 miles) and experience a much more comfortable winter driving experience.

Good luck with your decision

 

[ed5000]

A 20 km one way commute should be no problem for you TK222. I have a 25 km commute each way and I arrive home (round trip) with my fuel gauge reading 1/2 a tank or 8 bars. That's on a fast moving freeway with hilly terain and some seat heater use in the morning. Assuming you can charge at home you should be able to make your commute both ways and use the heater too.

 

[databeestje]

I don't regret buying the i in NL, the exemption of road taxes made it the cheapest way to get to work dry and out of the wind compared to the diesel I had before. I now save about 150 euros a month over the old Peugeot 206 diesel.

It's not a bad car perse, but people(reviewers) are comparing this entry level car (because of it's price) to a comparable ICE car. So yes, a 30k euro sedan compare very favourably compared to a bare basics mini car.

Would you compare the i-Miev to something like the Hyundai Atos, a i10 or Suzuki Wagon R+ the picture becomes very different. Those are also the cheapest to drive cars on monthly basis to compare too. And a 1.0 3 cylinder isn't that sexy either. To be fair though, even those ICE cars don't come with a De Dion rear suspension, and that is not a plus for the i. A simple torsion bar would have been quite a bit more comfortable.

What you get with the i is a very easy to drive car (automatic and a nice power band) that and is surprisingly spacious inside considering it's dimensions. The Chademo quick charging is a must, we have decent DCFC network in NL (from FastNed) which makes longer travel easy. I've used one of their stations last weekend to get to the Ikea (With baby, stroller and assorted stuff) and got back with even more stuff

I use the car for the daily commute to work (because public transport is a issue where I live) for 31km each way, but I do have a charger at work I can use. Which means I can go another 80km from there which is handy for errands. You can safely make it to and back on a single charge (62km) even in the winter.