The i on the East Coast

danpatgal · Mar 12, 2012

I finally got to test drive the Mitsubishi i yesterday. A dealer in Reading, PA took delivery earlier in the week and knew I was on the list to order one. I took my wife and two kids and we took turns driving it with the sales rep.

We both liked how it drove. I really liked the different modes and feel of driving. I think someone on this forum made a comment about it feeling like you are realling driving (whereas a Leaf feels like you're just a passenger, despite the slightly zippier acceleration in the Leaf). I found it comfortable in the front, lacking legroom in the back for an adult, but quite nice on the headroom (and there'd be more legroom if I hadn't adjusted the front seat for my 6'4" frame first). I want to buy it.

It drives like a much larger vehicle (it doesn't feel small) and uses the space well while also being nimble and fun to drive. I like the simple dashboard layout and climate controls. I wish the radio had more knob controls (buttons drive me nuts because you must always confirm visually, which isn't exactly what you should be doing while you're driving).

But, the main sticking point for my wife was that the seats were not comfortable enough for her. I didn't really notice, but I guess to save weight and space, the seats are thinner and less plush than any other car I've ridden in (reminds me of the newer thin economy seats in an airplane). My son made a similar remark (not sure if Mom influenced him), so that may keep us from buying it. Has anybody else had that experience / issue with it?

Has anyone else on the East Coast had a chance to drive, or buy one yet? I'm curious to hear other reactions.

jennrod12 · Mar 12, 2012

Hi Dan,

I don't have any problems with the seats, although they probably are not as plush as most.

In my mind, I don't expect to sit in this car for more than 30-60 minutes at a time, so creature comforts (like a center armrest) are not that important.

Jenn

FiddlerJohn · Mar 12, 2012

danpatgal said:
... Has anyone else on the East Coast had a chance to drive, or buy one yet? ...

I could have truthfully said, "I bought one, but I haven't driven one."

I am the first "in the wild," customer type (not dealer/fleet) type person on the Right Coast to buy an iMiEV. I bought the demo off the floor. Actually I bought it last Friday off the car carrier, but it took two more days, until Monday afternoon to work the details. I paid a big premium for not waiting for the one I ordered, but it's great. The dealer broke all the rules to sell it to me. He did good.

. Neither the Geek Squad nor an electrician nor anyone else ever looked at my house. I don't have a garage.
. I bought the demo before it was prepped, off the truck.
. I had never test driven an iMiev. The first time I drove it was after I bought it to drive home.
. The dealer doesn't have L2 stations, only the OEM 8A EVSE.
. I think we make some mistakes in the paper work. It was a rush job.

On Friday the dealer said "Do you want to sit in it?" I said "I'd rather you just wrote it up. Where do I sign?" That's pretty much what happened.

Today, I spend ALL DAY at the dealer. Now (11:00 PM) I am at work while my iMiEV is outside CHARGING! WOW that feels good. NO MORE GAS. I can't get over how good that feels. I'm going to say it again, "NO MORE GAS."

Seats:
The seats are different. The head rest in the front really tilts forward a lot. The LEAF seats are nicer. These are okay. If I disliked them, I would buy junk yard seats and install them, but these are fine.

I'm a lucky guy.

JoeS · Mar 13, 2012

FiddlerJohn, congratulations! Looking forward to hearing about your exploits with your new car.

jennrod12 · Mar 13, 2012

Whoo-hoo!

Great job, Fiddler John!

Enjoy your new car,

Jenn

fjpod · Apr 17, 2012

I'm thinking of getting one, in NYC. It would be a perfect commuter car for me. Probably less than 20 miles per day round trip. And I would probably use it for trips into Manhattan from the burbs which might be a 50 mile round trip.

I don't consider it a highway car (neither is the Leaf, IMHO), and I don't think people should impose highway car-like standards on them. For example, I don't need GPS because I'm not gonna drive it anywhere where I don't know where I am going. Or, the range issue...if I am only driving it on average, 20 or so miles per day, why do I have to lug around batteries that could do 150 miles? Not until battery technology gets really thin and light.

Our local and national charging infrastructure (especially in the Northeast) is non-existent.

On another note, I wish the driver's door armrest were a little longer and wider and that there was a right hand one. Although the seats are thin, they seem supportive enough...again...for that 10-30 minute driving time. I'm not gonna drive it for three hours at a time.

My local dealer is firm on the MSRP, so I will wait for a while and check out some other dealers.

Oh, one more thing...when I went to my local dealer, and asked about the Miev, they made me talk to their "Miev specialist"...the guy knew squat...and he said he had taken a course about it. He kept repeating warnings that if I had a pacemaker, he wouldn't sell me one. Didn't know the charger that came with the car was 120 volt, and didn't know how I could get a 220 volt EVSE.