What EV would you consider?

RevRico said:

 

On topic though, what kind of expense would one be staring at if they considered a cheap leaf in this day and age?

Clearly time has had its chance to work them over, but if 50-60 miles of range could be realistic, it might solve my need for a cheap new(to me) different car that happens to plug in. 

I was wondering this too. The Leaf is one of the few EVs that fits the price range I mentioned, but would a $6500 Leaf be close to worn out or still have many years of reliable operation left?

Mercedes-Benz and BMW just announced their new concept EVs, with production allegedly to begin in 2025.  I like them since they look like regular cars, instead of SUVs or weird econoboxes.  However, 1) whether or not the production versions will be anywhere close is anyone's guess, and 2) they're going to be out of my price range anyway.

Appleseed said:

It wouldn't be a car.

 

I've ridden those a couple times and really like them. I'm even more a fan of the S2 Del Mar. I like everything but the price. 

MadScientistMatt said:

I was wondering this too. The Leaf is one of the few EVs that fits the price range I mentioned, but would a $6500 Leaf be close to worn out or still have many years of reliable operation left?

They usually don't have a ton of miles, and EV batteries seem to be holding up better than expected.

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Please...at least a long time out. It's honestly embarrassing.

I would consider an EV minivan. The VW one looks really appealing, but it's been teased for so many years it's starting to feel like vaporware. Something bigger, the size of a normal minivan, that can tow a light racecar to the track would be perfect. 

I'm also interested in a simple affordable EV motorcycle for my short 8 mile commute. Just too far and roads too fast for an E-ebike or regular bike. Maybe something I could take to some trails.

Tom Suddard said:

That's a pretty serious accusation, and one I have to refute. But the fact I have to argue about this at midnight is providing some clarity to the question all of us on staff have been pondering for some time--when is the time right to ban somebody who's killing the party? 

If you don't want to outright ban, technological solutions that make it so I can opt-out from individual users would be nice.  Or maybe an in-between where someone gets demoted such that their posts start out downvoted/hidden.  I was glad to be able to scroll past downvoted nonsense early in this thread.

This forum needs some coding love.  I'm tempted to spend some time writing a browser extension that lets you hide posts by username.  And search within a thread... 

I'd like to buy an EV, but I too feel like the market doesn't offer what I want and would like something in the hot hatch territory.  Honestly, the Model 3 is close enough from a powertrain / size / body style standpoint, but I have some major gripes with it that make it a no-go for me.  My Mom leased a Model 3 for 3 years and I spent several hours behind the wheel which was enough to keep me from buying one.

(1) The touchscreen controls and display are a major nope for me.  I hated everything about trying to adjust the climate control, the audio, etc from a center-mounted tablet.  It's that way because Tesla is cheap, not because it's a good design, and the car costs too much for that kind cheapery.

(2) The lack of android auto / carplay.  I can't see buying a new car without android auto, and Tesla's navigation is crap compared to Google maps.  Not to mention the inability to easily control phone-sourced audio from the touchscreen.  Insane that I have to pick a podcast from my actual phone.

(3) The weight.  There may be no getting over this until we realize that lithium ion batteries are a bad way to do electric cars.  The car handles amazingly well for its weight, but there's no getting around the fact that the car is really heavy and it shows it in the corners.

(4) I don't trust tech bros to build cars.  As someone in the tech industry, I don't think the tech company mindset is well-suited to automobile manufacturing.  A lot of this has been alleviated by the fact that on the basics, Tesla's record is pretty decent so far.  Unfortunately, the self-driving nonsense is going to (a) continue to kill people, and (b) possibly delay actually life-saving quality self-driving tech by doing it badly first.  I don't want to support Tesla in their poorly managed and poorly executed self-driving efforts, and buying a Tesla supports them.

I feel like Tesla is actually single-handedly responsible for us being all-in on battery-powered EVs, and I think it's the wrong move.  I'm more bullish on hydrogen-ish solutions long-term and I worry that we'd be further along in solving the energy density issues if we weren't so distracted with lithium ion batteries. That said, I think Tesla's proven that the wrong technology (batteries) can be made to work and I'm not opposed to owning one while still hoping for better.

If I can't manage to buy a GR Corolla for MSRP next year, maybe a promising EV will show up instead...

That A290 looks cool (ignoring whatever insanity is going on in the interior for the moment), but AWD and a usable backseat are a must for me for this purchase...

Berck said:

Tom Suddard said:

That's a pretty serious accusation, and one I have to refute. But the fact I have to argue about this at midnight is providing some clarity to the question all of us on staff have been pondering for some time--when is the time right to ban somebody who's killing the party? 

If you don't want to outright ban, technological solutions that make it so I can opt-out from individual users would be nice.  Or maybe an in-between where someone gets demoted such that their posts start out downvoted/hidden.  I was glad to be able to scroll past downvoted nonsense early in this thread.

This forum needs some coding love.  I'm tempted to spend some time writing a browser extension that lets you hide posts by username.  And search within a thread... 

Please do one for Safari on iOS! The mute option would SOLVE a lot of the complaints. 

In reply to frenchyd :

My longest "commute" is 35 miles round trip, home, high school, ortho, home. I also still have the civic, I just want the excursion gone. 

I know what I want, I know what my needs are, I don't need someone else telling me falsely why I'm wrong. 

I'd almost be willing to sign up for grm+ for an ignore button. 

For hot hatches, the 200hp, 266 lb ft Bolt is one. You guys really need to drive one and see. Instant throttle response in a GTI sized package. With an aftermarket to boot:

I picked one up in 2020 for $25k (no government incentives) That's about the same as a MINI Cooper S or GTI for price.

After the battery recall I was able to trade it in on a '23 EUV with equity, so I'm actually only paying $17,500 for the new one.

The '22-23 interiors are quit a bit more normal, but they still have separate HVAC buttons and switches, which I like. I really dont' know what someone could say is wrong with them ergonomically:

The Bolt is fun to drive, inexpensive to buy and own (for a new car), and practical. Out of the hundred plus cars I've owned in 45 years of driving, this is the best daily driver I've had. And it's our default road trip car. It's also a lot more popular than GM thought it would be. It was supposed to be stopping production and discontinued this month. But demand has been high enough that they increased production, extended the production run through December, AND announced it'll be back on the Ultium platform, slotting in below the Equinox's price point.

maschinenbau said:

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Please...at least a long time out. It's honestly embarrassing.

I vote for an outright ban. The constant blathering has really diminished the value of the forum. I try to ignore the posts by skipping over them, but the threads devolve into the same arguments every time and end up ruined. 

F150 XL, extended cab, 8' bed, long range. I would buy one a year for the next 3 years. The fuel and maintenance savings would almost pay for them. 

For personal use, I probably won't get one any time soon. I don't drive enough for the fuel costs to offset the vehicle price. I enjoy the sounds and feels of ICE engines. I also do a lot of towing in the 300-mile+ range. EVs aren't quite there yet. I hauled my excavator back from the mountains yesterday. That's 322 miles towing about 4000 pounds. That would have required a stop or two to charge in an EV where the Touareg will make it on under a tank of fuel while getting 20 mpg. 

We don't quite have 1,000 miles on our 2023 Ioniq 6 but I really like it to so far. No sporting pretensions but a fantastic commuter for my wife. I just had PPF installed on the front end so we're ready for some road trips!

OHSCrifle said:

Berck said:

Tom Suddard said:

That's a pretty serious accusation, and one I have to refute. But the fact I have to argue about this at midnight is providing some clarity to the question all of us on staff have been pondering for some time--when is the time right to ban somebody who's killing the party? 

If you don't want to outright ban, technological solutions that make it so I can opt-out from individual users would be nice.  Or maybe an in-between where someone gets demoted such that their posts start out downvoted/hidden.  I was glad to be able to scroll past downvoted nonsense early in this thread.

This forum needs some coding love.  I'm tempted to spend some time writing a browser extension that lets you hide posts by username.  And search within a thread... 

Please do one for Safari on iOS! The mute option would SOLVE a lot of the complaints. 

In this case, I think the reverse of a mute/hide posts from a particular user. In a thread that becomes dominated by  [undesired user] the flow and context is lost without that user's posts.

Rather, a tool that makes a whole thread invisible to [undesired user], so it isn't drawn down an inevitable path.

Toyman! said:

For personal use, I probably won't get one any time soon. I don't drive enough for the fuel costs to offset the vehicle price. I enjoy the sounds and feels of ICE engines.

The sound and feel of the VERY typical 1.5T or 2.0T is not going to be missed in family and commuter vehicles. Sorry, but a CR-V or Jetta or the like are not sonorous vehicles. When getting out of my Bolt and into my MINI Cooper JCW, even though the MINI"s 1.6 is a "sporty" 4 cyl, it feels crude and rough. You have to wait around for power to build and make sure it's in the right gear. Yeah, I love the sound of an Aston V12 or an Alfa. But most daily driver type vehicles (including the Touareg) just don't sound all that good.

In reply to Chris_V :

IDK, I kind of like that diesel growl and rattle of the Touareg. Setting the cruise with 4,000-5,000 pounds on the hitch and running 300+ miles at 75 mph nonstop is kind of nice too. 

If I get tired of the diesel, I can always drag out the Bentley with the 6.75L turbocharged v8. It's as smooth as any electric motor ever was and the 500 lb-ft of torque is nice. It does drink fuel like crazy though. 

The Mustang with the aftermarket exhaust and the engine screaming at 6k is pretty cool too. It's not super fast but it is fun to drive. As a plus, it will knock down 30mpg for hours on end. 

I even like the rumble of the pedestrian 5.3 LS in the Suburban. After almost 400k miles, it just keeps working. 

As for the turbo 4 bangers, I wouldn't know, they aren't an engine that appeals to me so I don't own any of them. 

The EVs will really shine as fleet trucks though. Low maintenance, inexpensive fuel, and the absolute best place for an appliance. If they will go 300k like everyone says they will, they will be perfect. I just need Ford or Chevy to build one. 

Toyman! said:

In reply to Chris_V :

As for the turbo 4 bangers, I wouldn't know, they aren't an engine that appeals to me so I don't own any of them. 

But that's what's in the majority of modern cars/crossovers. It's just not going to be missed by most people.

My favorite EV is the A/FX Magna-Traction, followed closely by the Aurora T-jet.  It's true that neither car can match the speed and reliability of the Tyco Magnum 440-X2, but the A/FX / Aurora driving experience is superior.  Plus fishing the little commutator brushes out of the bottom of the chassis, cleaning them up, and reinstalling them is character-building.

In reply to Chris_V :

You are probably correct about that. 

In reply to Chris_V :

If my friends are any indication, the Bolt is a pretty great vehicle. Part of the reason could be that they are all greenies, and may not have previously driven such a torquey car. Power corrupts! That said, one of the guys here was saying that they weren't much at the autocross course, which is a bit surprising, because although they're tall, the center of mass should be quite low.

A Bolt is tempting because it should be the perfect urban car, which is where I do 90 percent of my driving.  Grab the Ridgeline or the Mercedes for loads/distances.