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Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
in Mitsubishi
Talk about the i-MiEV here!
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  • leanrobinsonleanrobinson Member Posts: 1
    I am huge fan of cars whose make is under Mitsubishi. I just would like to know how efficient is this hybrid vehicle? What is its main features? Thank you

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  • vchiuvchiu Member Posts: 564
    I live in Paris/France/Europe and I am seriously considering an I-MIEV equivalent marketed by Peugeot as the ION. Exactly same car with different trims and the hood badge.

    Peugeot struggles to meet their sales objective and are slashing the price of the ION up to prices that make the deal worth consideration : EUR 10900 after govt rebate, that is a third of the original price...

    I have several question for which I would be greatly indebted to current I-MIEV owners to kindly offer feedback for :

    1) There are contradictory reports about the road handling manners of this models.
    Some say it is very stable and comfortable, while others say it is bouncy over road defects and not suitable for expressways. What would be your views about this ? As the passive safety of this car is not as good as other models, I wish active safety to be of good level (This is for my driving impaired wife)

    2) What is the real and realistic average range observed ? How does A/C use impact it ?

    3) any significant issue encountered so far ?

    Thank you in advance for your helpful contributions

    V
  • henrygiiihenrygiii Member Posts: 12
    This is not a hybrid. It is all electric...NO GAS ever. So first of all you need another option if you are travelling more than 50-60 miles without a charge. I have an old Honda I use when I am travelling beyond the iMiEv's range. But 90% of my travel is well within the iMiEV's 60-70 mile range. So that, my friend, is its main feature. Other than that, it's got what most cars have...music, air conditioning , plenty of room for 4 normal sized people. I am into my second thousand miles and am enjoying thoroughly driving by the gas station every day. I guess that's another of it's main features. It is not a luxury car, although you are sitting up fairly high in it(on top of the batteries) and looking down on those gas powered vehicles and hybrids...
    Hope this helps.
  • henrygiiihenrygiii Member Posts: 12
    Well I would say the ride is pretty comfortable...somewhere between a Miata and a Camry. You do feel it when you drive in pot holes and such. My understanding is that the air bags are quite safe but can't speak to that very well.
    I have driven it on the highway and it does move around a bit maybe because it's relatively light and sits up a bit higher than the cars around you. Of course the wind resistance on the highway hurts the range so I tend to stick to back roads.
    The air conditioner seems to make the range about 10% less. I don't really use air conditioning very much.
    The range seems to be in the 70 mile range. I live in a hilly area so when I leave I am going downhill and when I come back I am going uphill. So on my trip to work I "spend" about 4 miles; and when I come home(up hill) , I use about 33 miles of the battery's charge. So each day I start with a 70 mile charge and a little more than have remains when I plug it in at night. I don't charge it at work(19 miles away).
    The most significant issue so far has been driving past all of those gas stations every day and not stopping! I should save about $2,000 a year by using electricity instead of gas. That's significant!
    Hope this helps.
  • henrygiiihenrygiii Member Posts: 12
    Just got my monthly electric bill and it's up $22. My bill at the gas station is down $160. I like that math.
  • henrygiiihenrygiii Member Posts: 12
    Just passed the 2000 mile mark in my iMiEV. It's running like a champion and, to my surprise, turns a lot of heads.
    Last week I pulled into my mechanic's parking lot to show him my new wheels and before I knew it his team of mechanics was out in the parking lot checking it out and asking a barrage of questions.
    My guy took it out for what I would characterize as a high speed test run through the country. He was quite taken with the quick pick-up and responsiveness.
    After some assurance that I would buy snow tires from him and a brief discussion about his profession's job security, I was back on the road to work.
    And, since I know you are all curious, by my math with 2,000 miles now under my belt, I have spent $55 in electricity to travel as compared to what would have been at least $260 in gasoline. I am on track to cut my fuel costs by at least $1,000 per year. And, on top of that, it's fun to drive
    I'll take that all day long.
    Oh, I almost forgot--it's getting cold at night here now so I've started using my remote to pre-warm the iMiEV before I leave the house in the morning. Nice touch.
  • vchiuvchiu Member Posts: 564
    Thank you

    We came back too late. All the inventories dedicated to this clearance operation were sold. We were offered another deal at about US$20k but my wife was concerned about the limited range. We decided to drop the project because we never put such an amount of money in a car, especially a second one.
    We will probably turn to a small US$4K Renault Twingo. This is regretful because I was very attracted to having an electric car.

    I guess I will have to wait for the second hand electric car market to mature a bit because all the offers I saw were outrageously expensive
  • henrygiiihenrygiii Member Posts: 12
    Well, range issues aside, I would have a hard time myself spending US$20K for a car when I could be mobile at US$4K. Maybe I should come to France next time I am in the market.
  • vchiuvchiu Member Posts: 564
    I was comparing fresh oranges to dried apples here, because the 4K USD I am mentioning is for a very fair condition second hand Twingo. The new one would easily cost more than USD15K. As there are so many in the second hand market , it is easy to find a fairly priced one. On the contrary, a second hand MIEV just doesn't make sense...

    Edmunds managed to find a USD 5K Lexus didn't they ? This is the kind of deal i am talking about.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,148
    EV owners in the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy, what's your experience been? Please email smar@edmunds.com with your daytime contact information and a few words about your experience. Please respond by Friday, November 9, 2012.

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • henrygiiihenrygiii Member Posts: 12
    I know there are people who are wondering how the iMiEV handles in the snow. I recently had a chance to test that out-- although there was a layer of ice that we had to deal with as well.
    First, this is a rear wheel drive car and the electric motor is over the rear axle giving it weight and traction.This means it handles like back in the day before front wheel drive was dominant.
    In addition, I have consciously chosen not to switch-out the original tires with snow tires. I usually wait one season before I make this investment.
    So, with this as background, needless to say it was a tricky drive complete with, not one, but two detours. The car itself is fairly small and light so it does move around in the snow and ice a bit more than a heavier car might. But all in all the iMiEV performed well-- Some slipping and sliding which is to be expected but there was nowhere that I needed to go that the iMiEv couldn't take me.
  • henrygiiihenrygiii Member Posts: 12
    Now that the cold is here, I am learning how the battery behaves. Each night I plug my iMiEV into a regular 110 volt outlet in my garage. This is the slowest and cheapest charging option and it has been working fine for me because I only use half of my battery each day. But this is changing with the seasons.
    As it gets colder, here's what happens: 1) instead of the battery having 72 miles when fully charged, due to the cold it now may have 60 to 65 miles, 2) the charge itself takes longer, 3) use of the heater further drains the battery(more on this separately).
    I typically use half of the full charge but now I am using, maybe, 2/3 to 3/4 of the charge. So each night it has to charge a little more due to my usage, while at the same time the charging process itself is slower. So in the morning I may not have recharged the battery 100%. And there may be a cumulative affect during the course of the week. So if I am 10% short on Tuesday morning and each day my drive is identical, on Wednesday I am short 20% and so on.
    Fortunately, I don't need the full charge to get to work, and each day is different. So there is some variability that can work for me or against me. I do have other means of transportation to work so it's not the end of the world BUT this phenomenon could be a problem for some people.
    FORTUNATELY, the solution is easy-- purchase the 240v charging station. This does not make the added strain on the battery due to the cold go away but it does enable you to get that full charge overnight that you may need each day. I may decide to do this at some point myself.
  • henrygiiihenrygiii Member Posts: 12
    There are three controls for the heating/ cooling system:1)the amt of cool or heat you need 2) the fan speed and 3)the direction;i.e, floor, dash, cabin. There is a lot going on with these controls... intricacies I will probably never know.
    It's cold here now so I always leave the heat turned up to the max. Unless you actually turn the fan on, leaving it there does no harm-- Nothing happens. I also generally leave the blower direction set at the floor/cabin combo.
    And then when I need to heat the cabin, I crank the fan to max. When you turn the fan on to the max, the number of miles you have on your available mileage gauge drops by 10-12 miles immediately. Don't let that scare you because that drain is only real as long as you are using the fan. When you turn the fan back off, the available miles go back up BUT there will be a drain.
    If I leave it at the max for 5 minutes, the cabin heats up and the battery loses 2-3 miles. Then, to maintain it, I turn the fan down to three clicks from the off position. Going beyond three clicks seems to begin to drain the battery a bit more. Or I just shut it off and turn it on later if it gets cold again.
    But there is one gadget I didn't tell you about yet...there is a heater in the driver's seat. This sounds strange but it actually works on those morning's with a just bit of a chill in the air. It often is enough to make using the heater unnecessary. And I actually leave a pair of gloves in the glove box... have fun!
  • henrygiiihenrygiii Member Posts: 12
    OK. So let me tell you about MY iMiEV.
    I wanted an all electric car for my daily 36 mile commute to and from work. I did not want a gas-powered car because my feeling was that the EV technology was there; and so it was time to change the game.
    I've had my iMiEV now for 8 months and 6,000 miles and couldn't be happier.
    -The 60-70 mile range on an overnight charge fills the bill nicely...much more than the 36 miles I drive each day. This gives me some maneuvering room in the event I want to make a side trip or crank up the heat.
    -The front seat configuration works for my 5'8" frame and my passenger's 5'10" frame.
    -Listening to the XM radio & CD's is fine entertainment for my commute and quite simple to use.
    -The two rear seats are folded down pretty much all the time because that opens up a very large cargo space. In a recent move, I easily fit 18 good sized storage boxes in the back.
    -My understanding is that because the batteries are spaced-out evenly upon the chassis, they do not infringe on the large amount of space inside the cabin.
    -Fun point to know and tell: Mitsubishi has been building and marketing battery powered trucks and cars for well over 20 years; but not in the US. I think they have it pretty well figured out.
    -My iMiEv sits up pretty high as compared to other cars, which I like. And the glass gives me even greater visibility all around.
    -I commute back and forth to work along the same route I traveled in my pre-iMiEV life...on local roads. I prefer local roads to freeways and so does my iMiEV.
    -My iMiEV has a small turning radius which makes it very responsive and easy to park.
    -Zero to 45 mph in 9.1 seconds. Pretty quick I must say. And that's in ECO mode.
    -Speaking of ECO mode, my iMiEV has three choices depending upon the situation: ECO mode for normal driving. I'm there 98% of the time. Brake mode when you are driving downhill- it recharges the battery for you. Drive mode when you need quicker acceleration- like the on-ramp on the freeway.
    Happy electric motoring!
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    edited March 2013
    thanks for that review of your new Mitsubishi i-MiEV. I've been following this rig's development for about 3 years and your review is invaluable because it gives an honest, real-world look at the new Japanese all-electric. This is the most useful kind of new car review, really.

    Sounds like the i-MiEV is a reliable, smart rig from the world's finest automaker, Mitsubishi. Their cars are long-lasting, good-looking and include a 10-year, 100,000 mile Powertrain Warranty.

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • henrygiiihenrygiii Member Posts: 12
    Greetings all. MY iMiEV just passed the 10,000 mile mark and is running like the champion it is. We are getting close to our one-year anniversary together and have gotten to know each other very well.
    I figure I've saved almost 350 gallons of gas and about $1,250. At the same time, my monthly electricity costs are about $25 higher. I think you can do the rest of the math.
    I'm figuring hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of trips and all without the dreaded range anxiety...never had a tow.
    Imagine how great that is. It really is great.
    If you are like me and have a daily commute of as much as 40 miles round trip, the iMiEV may be for you. And if you have a second car gas-powered car in the family for the occasional long trip, I can't figure out why you haven't bought an electric car already.
    Be careful if you actually try one out... you're gonna buy it.
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