Autoweek review - i-MiEV and Tesla Model S

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Vike

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Jun 10, 2012
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Albuquerque, New Mexico
In an interesting juxtaposition (the theme being opposite ends of the price spectrum in today's EV market), AutoWeek's Murilee Martin drives the i-MiEV and Tesla Model S.

http://autoweek.com/article/car-reviews/electrifying-california-driving-2014-tesla-model-s-p85-and-mitsubishi-i-miev-es

The i-MiEV review is interesting, though not at all in depth. His test driving is not particularly EV-savvy (e.g., one doesn't go whipping down highways at 75 if one is concerned about range - sticking to surface streets is faster than searching for public chargers to sit at), but unlike so many early reviewers, Martin offers a balanced and appreciative take on America's most affordable EV (and no, the SmartED's "without battery" price doesn't count).

I continue to hope that if Mitsu fixes their battery supply problems and can meet demand for Outlander PHEVs, the i-MiEV might actually become available to interested buyers (without months of waiting on an order placed at a distant certified dealer, that is). I've little doubt there would BE interested buyers with minimal advertising and some more favorable mentions like this AutoWeek piece.
 
Vike, thank you for this post, and I thought the reviewer applied a nice touch by covering both BEV extremes (the i-MiEV and the Tesla). On a side note, our very own siai47 is not the only Tesla + i-MiEV owner, as one of the first i-MiEV buyers from the San Jose dealership was a Tesla Roadster owner. Best of both worlds, IMO.

Since about half of our driving is on the freeway, I've always been bemused by reviewers challenging our i-MiEV's higher-speed capabilities. This review provides a more-balanced assessment, with the writer's flourish: "Getting onto the freeway, I found that the the i-MiEV drives much more like a regular car than like a miserable hair-shirt-mobile for the environmentally guilt-ridden…it has plenty of electric-motor torque and … accelerates nicely even at highway speeds. Keeping up with California's frighteningly aggressive-yet-inattentive drivers and their way-over-the-speed-limit-while-texting-and-applying-makeup antics was easy for the i-MiEV…"
 
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