I took the Coda for a test drive today

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hd172

Active member
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
34
Location
Pleasanton, CA
Well I decided to look at the Coda. I'll start by saying it looked like something from the 90s with aftermarket wheels. It was decent on acceleration but braking was super touchy. There are no modes for Eco or drive. The car made a clunky noise from its transmission. Overall I did not like it. I would like to get a second ev with a slightly longer range but this car would not make me happy. The salesman said they will be coming out with another ev that will have better looks and a 150 mile range. Im going to try and test drive the focus but if it disappoints me I may just buy the 2013 leaf.
 
hd172 said:
Well I decided to look at the Coda. I'll start by saying it looked like something from the 90s with aftermarket wheels. It was decent on acceleration but braking was super touchy. There are no modes for Eco or drive. The car made a clunky noise from its transmission. Overall I did not like it. I would like to get a second ev with a slightly longer range but this car would not make me happy. The salesman said they will be coming out with another ev that will have better looks and a 150 mile range. Im going to try and test drive the focus but if it disappoints me I may just buy the 2013 leaf.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing. Obviously I wish any EV manufacturer the best simply because I want the market as a whole to succeed. But I just can't fathom why anyone would want this car. The leaf's looks are somewhat controversial. There are lots of people (women especially) that like the looks of the Leaf, and quite a few who think it is ugly. But I have not heard anyone compliment the Coda on its looks.
 
adric22 said:
hd172 said:
Well I decided to look at the Coda. I'll start by saying it looked like something from the 90s with aftermarket wheels. It was decent on acceleration but braking was super touchy. There are no modes for Eco or drive. The car made a clunky noise from its transmission. Overall I did not like it. I would like to get a second ev with a slightly longer range but this car would not make me happy. The salesman said they will be coming out with another ev that will have better looks and a 150 mile range. Im going to try and test drive the focus but if it disappoints me I may just buy the 2013 leaf.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing. Obviously I wish any EV manufacturer the best simply because I want the market as a whole to succeed. But I just can't fathom why anyone would want this car. The leaf's looks are somewhat controversial. There are lots of people (women especially) that like the looks of the Leaf, and quite a few who think it is ugly. But I have not heard anyone compliment the Coda on its looks.
Click to expand...
And you're unlikely to, as it's Corolla bland. But as to why anyone would fathom wanting the car, it's simple: range @ price point (there are some other advantages, like a simple 3-knob HVAC). I personally find the rationale for the 31kWh battery version marginal, but if they (ever) sell the 36kWh version for <=$40k, it makes sense for people who need the extra range, provided they're willing to take a chance on a startup using a Chinese glider.

I've made clear my feelings about the lack of an L3 in the Coda Sub-forum as well as in person and via email with Coda, but at $40k the car that I can't fathom would be the Focus EV. Yeah, it's a lot nicer inside than the Coda and probably more fun to drive, but the range difference is minimal compared to the Leaf (although the TMS, a feature which it shares with the Coda, should be beneficial maintaining cold weather range), it also lacks an L3, and the advantage of the 6.6 kW charger will only last until the 2013 Leafs arrive. Having an 'L' mode is nice, though.
 
The Focus will surprise you. It's a very well built car. I'm hoping my next car after the LEAF will be a Focus Electric. It's just coming to my market too late and priced too high for me to consider at this point, though.
 
CODA is 100% certain to fail. Were they to start selling, however unlikely that would be, Nissan, Ford and all the soon to join the market brands would meet their battery size and price point. There is enough competition in the car market, no existing brand is going to allow a beachhead for a new brand without a fight. The only real question is whether TESLA can succeed, it too is unlikely in my opinion. The German makes will build competitive products very soon and have much better dealer support, advertising budgets and reputations to out market Tesla. The luxury EV market is not going to be huge, and Infiniti is already ready to jump in there.
 
kubel said:
The Focus will surprise you.
Click to expand...

Yep, it surely did surprise me when Ford decided not to add a QC port. IMO, they dropped the ball because now it will only be a commuter. When Nissan puts their under $10K DCQCs at all of the Nissan dealers, LEAF drivers with the port will be able to drive most anywhere. And there will also be other brand QCs along the interstates/freeways.
 
SteveInSeattle said:
CODA is 100% certain to fail. Were they to start selling, however unlikely that would be, Nissan, Ford and all the soon to join the market brands would meet their battery size and price point.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure they will fail too. As for "were they to start selling", are you talking about Coda? They have started selling, AFAIK. I'm guessing you mean in quantity...
 
LEAFfan said:
kubel said:
The Focus will surprise you.
Click to expand...

Yep, it surely did surprise me when Ford decided not to add a QC port. IMO, they dropped the ball because now it will only be a commuter. When Nissan puts their under $10K DCQCs at all of the Nissan dealers, LEAF drivers with the port will be able to drive most anywhere. And there will also be other brand QCs along the interstates/freeways.
Click to expand...

The US auto industry has stated they have no interest in a dual port charging solution like Nissan is attempting to forge into a standard. CHAdeMO is dead. Any QC stations out now will require adapters or retrofitting in 2 years time. Ford will adopt QC once it's standardized into J1772 (probably not until the end of 2013, which means a 2014.5 or 2015 model year).

I'm not knocking Nissan for trying to forge a new standard and get people thinking about quick charge as a solution, but they took a big risk and lost. Going down with the CHAdeMO ship is honorable, but it's not in Fords best interest. I think they are wise to hold back production as long as possible. The longer they wait, the more tax credits they will have available for their customers to spend on cars that will, frankly, be built to a higher standard than Nissan and will be equipped with standardized ports. By 2015, it's questionable as to whether or not Nissan will have many tax credits left available for their customers to use.

My plan: I'm hoping to buy a 2015 Ford Focus Electric and drive it until its wheels fall off. The 2012 LEAF SV will just be something to hold me off until then. With no QC infrastructure in my state (and none planned in the next few years), the SL had little value to me.

But anyway, OP, if you get a chance to get behind the wheel of a FFE, I'm sure it will impress more than the LEAF. Just prepare for sticker shock.
 
SteveInSeattle said:
CODA is 100% certain to fail. Were they to start selling, however unlikely that would be, Nissan, Ford and all the soon to join the market brands would meet their battery size and price point. There is enough competition in the car market, no existing brand is going to allow a beachhead for a new brand without a fight. The only real question is whether TESLA can succeed, it too is unlikely in my opinion. The German makes will build competitive products very soon and have much better dealer support, advertising budgets and reputations to out market Tesla. The luxury EV market is not going to be huge, and Infiniti is already ready to jump in there.
Click to expand...

I think you're wrong. No other car company has shown anything close to what Tesla has.
 
coolfilmaker said:
SteveInSeattle said:
The only real question is whether TESLA can succeed, it too is unlikely in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I think you're wrong. No other car company has shown anything close to what Tesla has.
Click to expand...
I think Tesla's future isn't that certain. I think they will either go under eventually, or, if they get lucky, get bought out by someone.

Have you watched http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6022" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to see how much $ Musk was pouring into his company before it IPOed? Have you noticed that at http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/tsla/financials" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, that every year so far shows negative net income?
 
kubel said:
But anyway, OP, if you get a chance to get behind the wheel of a FFE, I'm sure it will impress more than the LEAF. Just prepare for sticker shock.
Click to expand...

also prepare for a huge battery lump in your trunk shock. Why does everyone comment on the looks of the Coda?, it looks fine to me and it gets better range than a Leaf or Focus with a temperature controlled rugged battery. I would like to hear more about the clunky transmission noise.. did it do it all the time or when you transitioned from reverse to forward?

Regarding SAE quick charger port vs Chademo.. are there any manufacturers that have even announced that they will use this port yet?.. Chademo chargers will be wearing out by the time any of those cars appear on the market. A better solution may just turn out to be a better charger built-in to the car.. able to use 240V single phase at higher power levels or even tri-phase 208V if available... that would require a third connector.
 
cwerdna said:
coolfilmaker said:
SteveInSeattle said:
The only real question is whether TESLA can succeed, it too is unlikely in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I think you're wrong. No other car company has shown anything close to what Tesla has.
Click to expand...
I think Tesla's future isn't that certain. I think they will either go under eventually, or, if they get lucky, get bought out by someone.

Have you watched http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6022" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to see how much $ Musk was pouring into his company before it IPOed? Have you noticed that at http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/tsla/financials" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, that every year so far shows negative net income?
Click to expand...

They have yet to do anything with the explicit intention of making money. I would be more worried if they were claiming to make money.
 
LEAFfan said:
Yep, it surely did surprise me when Ford decided not to add a QC port. IMO, they dropped the ball because now it will only be a commuter. When Nissan puts their under $10K DCQCs at all of the Nissan dealers, LEAF drivers with the port will be able to drive most anywhere. And there will also be other brand QCs along the interstates/freeways.
Click to expand...
I would say the ability to "drive most anywhere" is subjective. We've discussed that before. Even with QC every 25 miles, how many times will you be willing to stop every 50 miles and wait half an hour? Using that logic you could say that the Leaf can go anywhere now, as long as you don't mind waiting anywhere from 8 to 20 hours every 50 miles. By that logic the FFE already has us beat since it can at least charge twice as fast on L2.
 
Wow, it scares me when people think that QC's will allow people to crisscross the country. that is not their intention. its only to double or triple your current 60-100 mile range. It is a compromise for the 10% that need more than the Leaf's range on a regular basis and its provided (eventually) for those of us that need it for an occasional journey out of town, be it 3 times or 30 times a year.

this wont happen in a 300 mile Range Tesla, and it wont happen in a 100 mile range Leaf.

To me; QC is an essential marketing tool. This is what people require. the answers to their "what if?" questions.

I am amazed every day what people care about when purchasing a car. i mostly sell used cars and i am simply shocked at how little people care about gas mileage, etc.

all they care about is what will happen on that trip they take 3-5 times a year. they act like any little inconvenience is enough to eliminate said vehicle from consideration while ignoring the daily cost of the fuel they will need.

purchasing a car is a major decision but i have found that people's ability to prioritize is nearly non existent
 
DaveinOlyWA said:
purchasing a car is a major decision but i have found that people's ability to prioritize is nearly non existent
Click to expand...
You are so right. I remember a few years ago when I was buying a 2008 Prius. Since it was used, I wanted to take it for a test drive. The salesman spent all of his time trying to tell me about how many cup holders it had, how nice the sun visors were, the backup camera, and how cool the air conditioning was. At one point during the test drive I actually asked him if he even realized the car was a hybrid and got nearly 50 miles per gallon. I mean, you'd think anyone test driving a Prius would be interested in that sort of thing. Of course, it wasn't our first Prius and I already knew at minimum 1,000 times more information about the car both under the hood and inside the cabin than this guy did. I didn't need him along at all. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with the vehicle. But listening to him gave me great insight on what the typical buyer does and doesn't care about.

Truth be told.. I didn't care at all about any of the things he was talking about. I practically never use the A/C on any car I've owned, despite living in Texas. My commute to work is so short that by the time the A/C starts to cool the car down, I'm already at my destination. So it is easier just to roll the windows down and keep them cracked while at work so the car doesn't get so hot to begin with. I NEVER bring drinks in my car. It is like a crime in my car. Passengers aren't allowed to eat or drink in my car either. On rare occasion I'll allow bottled water. So you can imagine cup holders are not important.
 
adric22 said:
DaveinOlyWA said:
purchasing a car is a major decision but i have found that people's ability to prioritize is nearly non existent
Click to expand...
You are so right. I remember a few years ago when I was buying a 2008 Prius. Since it was used, I wanted to take it for a test drive. The salesman spent all of his time trying to tell me about how many cup holders it had, how nice the sun visors were, the backup camera, and how cool the air conditioning was. At one point during the test drive I actually asked him if he even realized the car was a hybrid and got nearly 50 miles per gallon. I mean, you'd think anyone test driving a Prius would be interested in that sort of thing. Of course, it wasn't our first Prius and I already knew at minimum 1,000 times more information about the car both under the hood and inside the cabin than this guy did. I didn't need him along at all. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with the vehicle. But listening to him gave me great insight on what the typical buyer does and doesn't care about.

Truth be told.. I didn't care at all about any of the things he was talking about. I practically never use the A/C on any car I've owned, despite living in Texas. My commute to work is so short that by the time the A/C starts to cool the car down, I'm already at my destination. So it is easier just to roll the windows down and keep them cracked while at work so the car doesn't get so hot to begin with. I NEVER bring drinks in my car. It is like a crime in my car. Passengers aren't allowed to eat or drink in my car either. On rare occasion I'll allow bottled water. So you can imagine cup holders are not important.
Click to expand...

ya, i was first in WA to get the 2010 Prius and after watching the salesman spend 5 minutes fumbling around, i showed him the "easy" way (his way was kind of a joke) to pair up my Phone with the bluetooth.

but its all good. i didnt really listen to anything he had to say. it was a pre order so his trying to sell me on the features was comical. finally i told him "if i write a check, how soon can i be out of here?"
 
DaveinOlyWA said:
I am amazed every day what people care about when purchasing a car. i mostly sell used cars and i am simply shocked at how little people care about gas mileage, etc.

all they care about is what will happen on that trip they take 3-5 times a year. they act like any little inconvenience is enough to eliminate said vehicle from consideration while ignoring the daily cost of the fuel they will need.
Click to expand...
It's a good observation, but it doesn't limit to car purchases people here are making. Another good example would be house purchases, and exactly the reason for our housing crisis. I have a few single friends buying 2500 sq/ft homes, while my family of 3 is perfectly fine in 1400 sq/ft condo... Their car choices are easy to guess as well.
 
LEAFfan said:
kubel said:
The Focus will surprise you.
Click to expand...

Yep, it surely did surprise me when Ford decided not to add a QC port. IMO, they dropped the ball because now it will only be a commuter. When Nissan puts their under $10K DCQCs at all of the Nissan dealers, LEAF drivers with the port will be able to drive most anywhere. And there will also be other brand QCs along the interstates/freeways.
Click to expand...

Have you talked to your local dealers and asked them if they plan to actually install a QC station at the dealership?

I have talked to the 3 Nissan dealers in my area and NONE have any plans to do so. All 3 said it was too costly.

KJD
 
DaveinOlyWA said:
I am amazed every day what people care about when purchasing a car. i mostly sell used cars and i am simply shocked at how little people care about gas mileage, etc.

all they care about is what will happen on that trip they take 3-5 times a year. they act like any little inconvenience is enough to eliminate said vehicle from consideration while ignoring the daily cost of the fuel they will need.

purchasing a car is a major decision but i have found that people's ability to prioritize is nearly non existent
Click to expand...
It depends on the person, but I'm not too surprised. A few months ago, I had a phone conversation w/one of my friends in the Sacramento area not long after gas prices passed $4/gal in CA. He recently bought a Honda Odyssey, also has a Honda Pilot. I believe they (the family) still has a older V6 Accord. I asked him if he noticed gas prices are a lot higher now. Shockingly (?), he said no.

My area has an INSANE # of monstrosity class (full-sized SUVs and beyond, w/a smattering of Ford Excursions and Hummer H2s) running around, almost always being driven solo or w/minimal cargo and passengers (like a single small child or two). It's clear they don't care about mileage, fuel costs, dependence on foreign oil or GHG emissions.

I hope at least some folks like DrRocket (http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=148471" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) have come to the realization that EVs, at least based on "fueling" costs (esp. in areas where electricity isn't so cheap), will be a tough sell in the US for quite some time. It's great that we're almost all EV advocates and enthusiasts, but there are only so many of us right now...
 

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