Insignificant News Flash - i meets Leaf

[Quixotix]

Dateline - Seattle

Yesterday I bought my new Mitsubishi i (MiEV). As I drove it home for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a Leaf pull onto the road right behind me. Is it possible that this is the first time that these two models have crossed paths in the USA under "free range"* conditions? Probably not, but I like to think it might be.

* "free range" = not on a promotional tour or preplanned meeting.

 

[highcountryrider]

Cool! Please keep us updated on the MiEV.

 

[Stoaty]

What made you decide to get the iMiev rather than the Leaf?

 

[Quixotix]

The main reason I bought an "i" instead of a Leaf was the price. I had originally put down a deposit on the Leaf, but then we bought a house and after that I decided I didn't want to spend quite so much on a new car.

Further, Leaf didn't have any significant advantages FOR ME, so I went with the less expensive vehicle. I'll expand on this below, but first there are two, admittedly small, things that I prefer with the i: 1. The i doesn't have the battery bump behind the rear seat. For me this seems to make the cargo space more usable. 2. I like things that do their job as efficiently as possible. Thus, the somewhat greater efficiency of the i appeals to me.

If you care -- Here are some of the potential advantages of the Leaf, and a short explanation of why they weren't important to me:

- Longer range - All I want an electric vehicle for is to commute to work. Since either of the cars has the range to easily do my commute, the difference wasn't important to me. I already have a personal fleet of (way too many) other vehicles. If I need to travel longer distances, I will drive a different vehicle.

- Better looking - My teenage daughter was rather disappointed that I switched from the Leaf to the i (she still has a poster of the Leaf on her bedroom wall). To her, and many others, the Leaf is much more stylish. While I can understand why some people don't like the looks of the i, I am strongly a form-follows-function type of person. Thus, I find the i attractive - it "wastes" a minimum of space (and money) on cosmetic items.

- Better IT systems - I'm a bit of a Luddite (if I can still claim this after just buying an electric car). I don't even normally carry my cell phone, thus I don't think I would use many of the features in the Leaf.

- Safer - The Leaf likely is a little safer than the i. But the i is undoubtedly safer than the 10 year old car I am replacing. The safety advantage of the Leaf is going to be mainly due to it's larger size/weight. Thus, there are most likely even larger cars that are safer then the Leaf. Everyone must balance the safety of the vehicle they drive with the other features they want in a vehicle. The Mitsubishi i is a good balance for me.

In short, if the Leaf and the Mitsubishi i had the same price, I think the Leaf would be better for most people. But, for me, it would be a very close call, but I probably still would have bought the i.

 

[CWO4Mann]

The main reason I bought an "i" instead of a Leaf was the price. I had originally put down a deposit on the Leaf, but then we bought a house and after that I decided I didn't want to spend quite so much on a new car.

Further, Leaf didn't have any significant advantages FOR ME, so I went with the less expensive vehicle. I'll expand on this below, but first there are two, admittedly small, things that I prefer with the i: 1. The i doesn't have the battery bump behind the rear seat. For me this seems to make the cargo space more usable. 2. I like things that do their job as efficiently as possible. Thus, the somewhat greater efficiency of the i appeals to me.

If you care -- Here are some of the potential advantages of the Leaf, and a short explanation of why they weren't important to me:

- Longer range - All I want an electric vehicle for is to commute to work. Since either of the cars has the range to easily do my commute, the difference wasn't important to me. I already have a personal fleet of (way too many) other vehicles. If I need to travel longer distances, I will drive a different vehicle.

- Better looking - My teenage daughter was rather disappointed that I switched from the Leaf to the i (she still has a poster of the Leaf on her bedroom wall). To her, and many others, the Leaf is much more stylish. While I can understand why some people don't like the looks of the i, I am strongly a form-follows-function type of person. Thus, I find the i attractive - it "wastes" a minimum of space (and money) on cosmetic items.

- Better IT systems - I'm a bit of a Luddite (if I can still claim this after just buying an electric car). I don't even normally carry my cell phone, thus I don't think I would use many of the features in the Leaf.

- Safer - The Leaf likely is a little safer than the i. But the i is undoubtedly safer than the 10 year old car I am replacing. The safety advantage of the Leaf is going to be mainly due to it's larger size/weight. Thus, there are most likely even larger cars that are safer then the Leaf. Everyone must balance the safety of the vehicle they drive with the other features they want in a vehicle. The Mitsubishi i is a good balance for me.

In short, if the Leaf and the Mitsubishi i had the same price, I think the Leaf would be better for most people. But, for me, it would be a very close call, but I probably still would have bought the i.

Thanks for the interesting raison d'etre of your purchase. Like I've said on a variety of subjects, "what ever floats your boat".

Cheers,

Dave

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

congrats on your purchase, we will be expecting updates at the various milestones ;~). I've eyed the i quite a few times, I think it looks like a great car for the niche it holds and the CHAdeMO is about to show it's muscle around here... Feb 15th, ribbon cutting day for the green highway! Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[GRA]

The main reason I bought an "i" instead of a Leaf was the price. I had originally put down a deposit on the Leaf, but then we bought a house and after that I decided I didn't want to spend quite so much on a new car.

Further, Leaf didn't have any significant advantages FOR ME, so I went with the less expensive vehicle. I'll expand on this below, but first there are two, admittedly small, things that I prefer with the i: 1. The i doesn't have the battery bump behind the rear seat. For me this seems to make the cargo space more usable. 2. I like things that do their job as efficiently as possible. Thus, the somewhat greater efficiency of the i appeals to me.

If you care -- Here are some of the potential advantages of the Leaf, and a short explanation of why they weren't important to me:

- Longer range - All I want an electric vehicle for is to commute to work. Since either of the cars has the range to easily do my commute, the difference wasn't important to me. I already have a personal fleet of (way too many) other vehicles. If I need to travel longer distances, I will drive a different vehicle.

- Better looking - My teenage daughter was rather disappointed that I switched from the Leaf to the i (she still has a poster of the Leaf on her bedroom wall). To her, and many others, the Leaf is much more stylish. While I can understand why some people don't like the looks of the i, I am strongly a form-follows-function type of person. Thus, I find the i attractive - it "wastes" a minimum of space (and money) on cosmetic items.

- Better IT systems - I'm a bit of a Luddite (if I can still claim this after just buying an electric car). I don't even normally carry my cell phone, thus I don't think I would use many of the features in the Leaf.

- Safer - The Leaf likely is a little safer than the i. But the i is undoubtedly safer than the 10 year old car I am replacing. The safety advantage of the Leaf is going to be mainly due to it's larger size/weight. Thus, there are most likely even larger cars that are safer then the Leaf. Everyone must balance the safety of the vehicle they drive with the other features they want in a vehicle. The Mitsubishi i is a good balance for me.

In short, if the Leaf and the Mitsubishi i had the same price, I think the Leaf would be better for most people. But, for me, it would be a very close call, but I probably still would have bought the i.

Thanks for the explanation. Being another 'form follows function' type, the only BEV that currently has any chance of even partially meeting my range/price needs is the Coda. I don't care what a car looks like when I'm inside it, I only care how well it works, and the reviews from people who've tested them seem to be quite positive. But they have to offer a lease, because I doubt there are that many people willing to take a $40k chance on a car built in China for a small startup, until they've established a decent reputation for reliability and the company looks like it will survive. A $10k Yugo, it isn't.

 

[Quixotix]

... Like I've said on a variety of subjects, "what ever floats your boat".

Cheers,

Dave

No Dave, you must be thinking of one of my other cars :lol:

Yes, this picture is really of me "driving" my Amphicar. Did I mention I am have this affliction of wanting to have a car for every occasion.

 

[CWO4Mann]

... Like I've said on a variety of subjects, "what ever floats your boat".

Cheers,

Dave

No Dave, you must be thinking of one of my other cars :lol:

Yes, this picture is really of me "driving" my Amphicar. Did I mention I am have this affliction of wanting to have a car for every occasion.

Now THAT is a classic!!!

Cheers,

Dave

 

[highcountryrider]

I feel better now about owning 2 cars, a truck, and a motorcycle.

 

[ebill3]

And, don't you just love that second regen position in the i? I forget what it is called, but it really puts the brakes on.

Bill

 

[Ready2plugin]

The more the EVs in the world the better. Congrats on your new car!!

 

[edatoakrun]

... While I can understand why some people don't like the looks of the i, I am strongly a form-follows-function type of person. Thus, I find the i attractive - it "wastes" a minimum of space (and money) on cosmetic items...

I tend to agree with you here, and actually think that in 10 years, we may find the i to be much more "contemporary" looking than the LEAF, whose designers seem to have been overly influenced by ICEV conventions.

That said, I think both are likely to be very successful cars, and for me, other advantages of the LEAF, including longer range, a dealer nearby, and earlier availability, were critical. 7 months later, with 5k miles on the LEAF odometer, I have no regrets.

Where's the best forum for us go to, to watch the i's progress?

 

[trentr]

how much of a diff in price bet LEAF and i in your case? how is the i in the freeway?

 

[Quixotix]

And, don't you just love that second regen position in the i? I forget what it is called, but it really puts the brakes on.

Bill

Yes, I do like that. I should have mentioned that. Really though, it has 3 regen settings. The fairly conventional looking "shift" lever has three driving positions - "D", "ECO", and "B". The the D setting has modest regeneration when you don't have a foot on the pedals, probably about what the Leaf has. In ECO the regen is considerably more. In B (for Brake) the regen is increased a bit more.

Where's the best forum for us go to, to watch the i's progress?

I haven't found a good one yet. Mitsubishi (unlike what Nissan did), has done a very poor job of promoting their new electric car. Thus I think there just aren't enough people interested in their car to form a good community. Also, with so little information coming out of Mitsubishi, there isn't much to talk about.

How bad is it you ask? Lets compare the early test drive tour the two companies did. Nissan had a setup that covered what - maybe 5 acres of parking lot? At least here in the Seattle area people crowded in - probably thousands of them drove the car around the block.

The first "i" car here that one could test drive was a European-spec one. I only discovered it was in town because the local dealer put a small ad in the newspaper. Even when Mitsubishi took the first US-spec cars on tour, there was almost no publicity. I went to the stadium where the cars were to be shown, but I couldn't find where they were setup. I drove all the way around the stadium 3 times - no signs! I asked the staff at the stadium, they hadn't heard of them. My daughter searched their web site on her smart phone - no useful information. We finally gave up and started home. Just by luck, the entrance ramp to the freeway allowed me to glimpse where they were hiding their 3 cars and one truck in a back parking lot. In the approximately 1 hour that I was there, no one else showed up to look at the cars.

One more example: Last Tuesday afternoon the dealer called me to say my car was in. I was pleasantly surprised, I hadn't received any indication it was on its way. Well, this isn't quite true. If I had checked my email earlier in the day, I would have seen the email Mitsubishi sent that morning which said:

" Right now your Mitsubishi i is onboard a special car-carrying vessel, heading east across the Pacific Ocean. You're about to become one of the first people in the United States to own the year's most anticipated all-electric vehicle."

It must have been one fast ship! They're right on top of things. :roll:

OK, I can hear you now asking "Why didn't you drop them and just get the Leaf?" That's a good question ....

 

[Quixotix]

how much of a diff in price bet LEAF and i in your case? how is the i in the freeway?

I bought the base model "i" car with no options. If I had gotten a Leaf, I would have done the same. The price of my car was 27,990 plus an $850 destination charge, totaling 28,840. I think the least expensive Leaf was listed at 32,780. It looks like the Leaf has the same destination charge, but I'm not sure about this. So, I think the difference in price would have been $4790.

Note that both of these prices are before the $7500 tax credit. Also, both manufacturers have raised there MSRP. You can check the web for the current MSRP's.

On the freeway? It tracks fine and I didn't have any problem keeping up with traffic (but traffic wasn't moving over 60 mph). I like it fine, but I admit I may not be a good judge of this. Note that I learned to drive in a 1963 VW bus. I think it had 36 HP and the aerodynamics of a brick. Thus I find 66 Hp in a small car to be plenty. If you like horsepower, you may be disappointed. Also, any small car will tend ride a little rougher on choppy pavement than a larger car. But, the i is much smoother than my wife's Mini Cooper.

 

[adric22]

I bought the base model "i" car with no options. If I had gotten a Leaf, I would have done the same. The price of my car was 27,990 plus an $850 destination charge, totaling 28,840. I think the least expensive Leaf was listed at 32,780. It looks like the Leaf has the same destination charge, but I'm not sure about this. So, I think the difference in price would have been $4790.

The Leaf is about $4,000 more than the "i" but I think the Leaf is so much better than the "i" that even if the price gap were $10,000 I'd still have gone for the Leaf.

Now.. Don't get me wrong. I have been in the market for an electric car since I was old enough to drive (lets see... that was 1992 I believe) so if the Leaf did not exist, I would have gotten a Volt. However, if the Leaf and the Volt did not exist, I would have bought an "I" as I cannot afford a Tesla. Oddly enough, I think I'd prefer the "i" over a Coda.

So, while I see a market for the car, I think that, compared to the Leaf, the "i" is probably going to sell about like the Honda Insight sells compared to the Toyota Prius.

I might also mention something. In the original post you said you thought the Leaf and "i" had met for the first time. While that may be true, I did have a weird experience. I have been driving my Leaf for nearly a year. But a few months ago I was with my wife and we were driving her Prius and encountered one of the I-Miev test vehicles on the road.. we could have just as easily been driving the Leaf that day.

 

[Quixotix]

.. but I think the Leaf is so much better than the "i" that even if the price gap were $10,000 I'd still have gone for the Leaf.

So lets hear it. What features make you like the Leaf that much better?

 

[evnow]

I bought the base model "i" car with no options. If I had gotten a Leaf, I would have done the same. The price of my car was 27,990 plus an $850 destination charge, totaling 28,840. I think the least expensive Leaf was listed at 32,780. It looks like the Leaf has the same destination charge, but I'm not sure about this. So, I think the difference in price would have been $4790.

The Leaf price was for MY11. Now it is $35,200 + Destination.

So, how long did it from booking the car to getting it ?

 

[edatoakrun]

Does Mitsubishi have any plans to install (any more- I know about the one at SOCAL HQ) DC chargers, at their dealers or elsewhere?

And if so, will they let us use them?