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      08-31-2019, 02:25 PM   #1
jmg
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Test drove a Kona Electric the other day in search of a possible replacement for my outgoing i3.

MSRP was competitive at $47k for the fully loaded "ultimate" package. Leather seats, HUD, Cool vented seats, moonroof, adaptive cruise and lane assist etc.

Overall first impression was very very good. Hyundai has really stepped up to the plate with seemingly high quality vehicles with nice styling and pleasing interiors. I loved the bright blue and silver interior of the Kona. The switches and interface were all high quality, nothing felt cheap. Range was a superior ~250+ miles and the car had plenty of torque typical for an all electric. However I do honestly believe that all electric cars should be RWD. All that torque led to front wheel spin when punching it. FWD is just the wrong setup. The i3 feels more connected to the road.

Trunk space was good, no real frunk to speak of since the electric engine was up there. Overall the i3 is a better handling car with better weight distribution and more traction to the driven wheels where it is needed.

Dealer wanted $5k over sticker on 45% rv compared to 60-61% on i3's.

Horrible.

Really good car, dealers fucking it up with bad leases and obnoxious markups. Stop being greedy and let the buyers buy the cars so people actually see them on the road.
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      08-31-2019, 03:02 PM   #2
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Go drive the Kia Niro EV. They allegedly both use the same exact drive train, but the Niro has a completely different go-pedal map that is less hoonigan than the Kona per an online magazine review.

My DW wanted the Kona, and I rode along on a test-drive with her. Both of us thought that the Hyundai was cramped inside by that stupid "ironing board" with switches between the front seats. My brother (who owns a gas-powered Kona) suggested that she check out the Kia, as it was getting better online reviews. She sat in a gas model (because the local dealership didn't have an EV) and placed an order on the spot without a test-drive working from the Hyundai test drive of the same drivetrain.

The Niro is slightly larger in every dimension, can seat four full-sized Americans comfortably, and feels way less cramped in the front seats than the Hyundai did.

She already has over 6K miles on the thing with her ~95 mile round-trip commute, and it is getting slightly better miles/kWh than my i3 on her mostly interstate highway commute. In guess-o-meter terms, it is claiming at least its rated range when fully charged in normal mode, and almost 300 miles in eco mode. The flappy paddle shifter thingies for the regen took her a bit to get comfortable with. I can't personally tell you how it drives from behind the wheel, because I can't pry the key fob out of her hands!

The big difference between the two is that Hyundai was claiming to offer an "unlimited/forever" warranty on the traction batteries at the time, whereas Kia has a battery warranty more in line with other manufacturers. Hyundai's pre-sale battery warranty info was so vague at the time that I strongly recommend getting the post-sale info and seeing what the real limits are before putting down a deposit on the Hyundai.....
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      08-31-2019, 03:50 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vreihen16 View Post
Go drive the Kia Niro EV. They allegedly both use the same exact drive train, but the Niro has a completely different go-pedal map that is less hoonigan than the Kona per an online magazine review.

My DW wanted the Kona, and I rode along on a test-drive with her. Both of us thought that the Hyundai was cramped inside by that stupid "ironing board" with switches between the front seats. My brother (who owns a gas-powered Kona) suggested that she check out the Kia, as it was getting better online reviews. She sat in a gas model (because the local dealership didn't have an EV) and placed an order on the spot without a test-drive working from the Hyundai test drive of the same drivetrain.

The Niro is slightly larger in every dimension, can seat four full-sized Americans comfortably, and feels way less cramped in the front seats than the Hyundai did.

She already has over 6K miles on the thing with her ~95 mile round-trip commute, and it is getting slightly better miles/kWh than my i3 on her mostly interstate highway commute. In guess-o-meter terms, it is claiming at least its rated range when fully charged in normal mode, and almost 300 miles in eco mode. The flappy paddle shifter thingies for the regen took her a bit to get comfortable with. I can't personally tell you how it drives from behind the wheel, because I can't pry the key fob out of her hands!

The big difference between the two is that Hyundai was claiming to offer an "unlimited/forever" warranty on the traction batteries at the time, whereas Kia has a battery warranty more in line with other manufacturers. Hyundai's pre-sale battery warranty info was so vague at the time that I strongly recommend getting the post-sale info and seeing what the real limits are before putting down a deposit on the Hyundai.....
What's the discount on the Kia? Residuals? I only lease EV's. The leases on the i3 make any other option financially unsound. My current i3 REx is $200/mo including tax with refused post sale rebates as the down ($4k).
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      08-31-2019, 06:48 PM   #4
vreihen16
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The local Kia dealership's manager does not keep EV's in stock by choice, and it seemed like he only did a dealer trade to get this one because it was the last week of their sales quarter and they were short a few car sales for his bonus. Not exactly the most conducive environment to negotiate a price when the car isn't on their lot, but she didn't pay over sticker and the NY State $2,000 instant rebate was properly applied to the down payment at signing (and not pocketed by the dealer in the 4-square paperwork shuffle).

Can't tell you anything about leases, because we buy cars as long-term holds and drive them into the ground. In all seriousness, half the cars in our driveway still have cassette stereos in them.....
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