Comparing: 2014 Mitsubishi iMiev vs 2011 Nissan Leaf

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johnr

Active member
Joined
Jul 24, 2014
Messages
28
Location
central Cali
I hope you don't mind me comparing another vehicle - if I've broken any rules, sorry.... but since my review is favorable to the iMiev I figured maybe you wouldn't mind ;)

Having owned a 2011 Nissan Leaf for 3 years, and having had my new iMiev for 3 months now and counting, I think I'm qualified to make this comparison from my own experience. I realize that Nissan has made some improvements to the Leaf since then, so hopefully some of the problems I have experienced have gone away in their newer vehicle.

Nissan Leaf's strengths:
Longer range
Cruise control
Roomier interior, seating for five
More gauges (ie. shows driving efficiency)
Better distance-to-empty warning when running low
More cupholders

Nissan Leaf's weaknesses:
Very poor visibility. The A pillars are wide and positioned such that they block the view of the street corners at intersections, you have to peek around to see if there's a pedestrian at the corner. The rear visibility is also harmed by having a small rear window.
Push-to-start, which is ultimately a bad choice for a silent EV. You have to push the button and press the brake pedal all the way to start it, and if you get into gear too soon or fail to press the brake all the way, it enters some other mode or goes into neutral. It's too easy to press the button twice when shutting off, and leave the car on without knowing.
The car wobbles repeatedly when turning on an uneven surface. I think the suspension is not tuned quite right from the factory.
Not easy to momentarily shift to neutral to rest your feet, and regen does not activate the brake lights
The built-in GPS is great when it works right, but I have been led to the wrong places several times, and the GPS controls are disabled when the car is moving.
The climate control has a mind of its own. For instance, just pressing the fan button will also turn on the A/C or heater automatically. There is no true manual control for the climate control.
The map-reading light, when set to auto, cannot be turned off when the door is open, resulting in risk of inadvertently leaving it on
The Leaf comes with Carwings, which allows remote operation of the charging and climate control via a smartphone app - however, the system is very slow and unreliable - it typically takes at least 2 minutes to respond, and often it doesn't, and it requires good cellular service.
The software running the center console display has a poorly designed user interface.
On startup a disclaimer pops up on the center console display which you must respond to before using the center console display
You must pull a level inside the car to open the charging port
Sun visors are very small - I don't know what they were thinking, but they're almost useless.

Nissan Leaf's defects:
Braking feel is inconsistent, and has on occasion malfunctioned.
In stop-and-go traffic, the brakes become grabby.
The brake pedal sometimes makes a hard clunk when first pressed.
If you try to start the car too fast, it may go into neutral and/or lose brakes, posing a safety hazard.
In D mode, pressing the accelerator pedal to launch from a stop at more than 1/3 pressure will often cause uncontrolled acceleration - to regain control, you have to first release pressure completely.

Mitsubishi iMiev's strengths:
Premium feel - leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, dark colored interior, and nice looking center console.
Real knobs for the audio and climate controls - allows for adjustment by feel without taking your eyes off the road.
Decent size sun visors
Good visibility all around
Little pop-open storage places under the vents
Key switch to start - turning the car on or off is always easy and flawless
Rear wheel drive means no torque-steer
Lighter weight, more efficient
Under-handle door handles
Full manual operation of the climate control - you can easily run the fan at any speed without A/C or heater when desired
Readily accessible "B" mode puts maximum regen at the driver's control - the friction brakes are rarely needed
Not easy to momentarily shift to neutral to rest your feet, and regen does not activate the brake lights
The car comes with a remote control which allows remote operation of the charging and climate control, it is very responsive and reliable though somewhat bulky
Small size with the wheels at the corners gives the car an exceptionally small turning radius, very maneuverable for parking
Heated seats come standard
Built-in quick charge port comes standard

Mitsubishi iMiev's weaknesses:
Less than ideal number of cupholders, no center storage compartment, no sunglasses compartment
No dimming feature on the rearview mirror
Cheap plastic finishing on the doors (but it does make it easier to clean)
You must pull a level inside the car to open the charging port

Mitsubishi iMiev's defects:
The fuel gauge is sometimes inaccurate for a few moments after charging, but I can live with that. Otherwise, in every way the car just works as it should!

I hope this gives a prospective buyer some helpful information to consider when comparing the vehicles, and provides some insight into why I have come to the conclusion that for me the iMiev is a superior vehicle. The iMiev's strengths outnumber its weaknesses while the Leaf suffers from poor design and software glitches. This doesn't consider the fact that the iMiev comes with a small price tag, making it the clear value winner (unless you need seating for five).

Thanks for giving me a chance to share my thoughts! ;)
 
johnr said:
Mitsubishi iMiev's defects:
The fuel gauge is sometimes inaccurate for a few moments after charging, but I can live with that. Otherwise, in every way the car just works as it should!
Would you mind explaining a bit more on this? I think I know what you're talking about, but I'm curious.

I hope this gives a prospective buyer some helpful information to consider when comparing the vehicles, and provides some insight into why I have come to the conclusion that for me the iMiev is a superior vehicle. The iMiev's strengths outnumber its weaknesses while the Leaf suffers from poor design and software glitches. This doesn't consider the fact that the iMiev comes with a small price tag, making it the clear value winner (unless you need seating for five).

Thanks for giving me a chance to share my thoughts! ;)
No problem. This pro/con list is well balanced and fair to both vehicles, something we don't see too often with the i-MiEV. I was always a bit weary of the LEAF's programming: not going into gear, the AC trouble they had early on, total lack of a battery cooling system (but they do have a dashboard temperature gauge)etc. The i-MiEV seemed to (and it does) just work. I agree about the LEAF's visibility. I had a hard time judging it on the road during my test drives. The i-MiEV is even easier to drive than my old Cavalier.
 
Thanks johnr. This was very much my assessment when I bought the i-MiEV in 2011 rather than a LEAF. I think you left off the i's fold-flat seating and 50 cubic feet of cargo versus the big hump and angled seatbacks that substitute for a cargo floor in the first LEAF.

Might you be calling the fuel gauge inaccurate because you're making climate control adjustments during the first moments of driving? Estimated Range Remaining will go up or down 10 miles when you turn the hvac on and off.
 
johnr, thank you very much for your perspective comparing the two vehicles. In 2010 I had talked a very good friend of mine into putting in a reservation for a Leaf, and as an early adopter he's been very happy with his. I've driven it many times, but it's just not my cup of tea for many of the reasons you've stated.

I normally do a fair amount of my i-MiEV driving in N and find it very easy to shift in and out of that position instantly, without the time delay inherent in the Leaf's 'shifter'. The i-MiEV's regen is superior to the 2011 Leaf's (one of many reasons I bought it), but neither car decelerates sufficiently to legally require the brake lights to actuate.

The i-MiEV's handling on rough road surfaces is not its strong point but is passable and one simply gets used to regen kicking in/out when decelerating and cornering on a rough surface (and easily mitigated by disabling ASC).

You're the first person to say something nice about the Remote - yes, it does work very well with the Mitsu EVSE, but for some reason most of us had trouble adjusting ourselves to its user interface - perhaps because of its failure to operate properly with some L2 EVSEs.

The i-MiEV's RR gauge is based on a 15-mile moving average, and for some reason I am far more comfortable with this than I am with the Leaf's GOM.

The biggest negative of the i-MiEV in my opinion are the view-blocking headrests, but it's a moot point since most of our driving is with the back seats down and when driving solo I simply remove the passenger headrest. The Leaf's headrests aren't much better in that respect.

johnr, I'll be interested in your perspective in about a year. For us, after 32,000+miles, we are still very happy with our decision to buy the i-MiEV.
 
Thanks for the comparison, i have a 2012 and just checked my brake lights and they do not come on with ether b mode or eco.
I wonder if this is new for 2014 and if so i wonder if i could retrofit.
Thanks
 
I think the i MiEV's dashboard design leaves a lot to be desired.

It needs a dedicated RR gauge.
The HVAC controls are very hard to see.

Other weaknesses in the i MiEV is the different sized tires, and no heating in the rear seats (I think?).

I like the seating position in the i MiEV better than the Leaf.
 
johnr said:
Mitsubishi iMiev's strengths:
Little pop-open storage places under the vents

Mitsubishi iMiev's weaknesses:
Less than ideal number of cupholders
The little pop open 'storage places' are actually cupholders, making a total of three - One for each front seat passenger and then one for the rear passenger. This is one more than my Mazda wagon has, so we've never considered this to be a 'weakness' in our iMiEV

Don
 
Thanks for posting this comparison. I tried both the Leaf and the i-MiEV and enjoyed the i-MiEV more than the Leaf. After almost 2.5 years of driving the i-MiEV I'm still very happy with this car. I'm a truefan boy for the i-MiEV; all the negatives mentioned like the headrests and the remote don't bother me at all. Having been a victim of five rear-end collisions, I appreciate the large headrests for all my passengers and don't have a problem seeing out the back. The fob for remote HVAC, fantastic - it always works for me and I use it all the time. When I first bought my i-MiEV I didn't have a smart phone and didn't want to invest in one just to use the remote HVAC options. I have a smart phone now but again I'm an outsider and bought a Windows Phone which I really like so most of these apps only work with Android or i-Phone. Sun glass holder - there is a bin below the HVAC controls that I put my oversized fits-over sunglasses in, easy to reach for me. The cupholders as Don mentioned below the vents are genius. On hot days they keep your drinks cold with the AC on and on cold days they can keep your coffee warm with the heat, then they flip neatly out of the way when not in use. One thing our car has that other EVs don't, reclining rear seats! Can't do that with the Leaf, even with the new ones. Instrumentation, perfect - if you want more or some fancy displays get the CanIon app. I just completed my Tablet CarPuter project where I made my own Radio insert using a Nexus 7 tablet and a bunch of hardware. If you don't like the doors, you can add your own door cloths, which I just upgraded mine from the original material I used. This car is a lot like a new house, you make it into what you want it to be. It's very easy to modify many aspects of the car. I hope to keep mine on the road for many years. My only true complaint is Mitsubishi's abysmal sales job.
 
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