Outgrown the I3 - EV recommendations!

[nickpan]

Hi All,

My wife and I have decided we’ve outgrown our trusty I3 Rex after 4 years of service.

It’s been our favourite vehicle and we’ll be sad to see it go. However, we’re now a family of 3 and a combination of the suicide doors and smallish boot size have led us to look for our next EV.

Contenders are:

Kia e-Niro - only concerns here are build quality vs BMW and whether it will underpowered vs the I3; has anyone driven both? Feels well priced for the space and range on offer.

Audi e-tron - big price hike but more of a premium product; put off by its inefficiency and the multitude of cheap lease deals floating around ... does anyone actually want one?

Jaguar I pace - felt a little cramped in the back and there were stories of people getting 130 miles on a full tank in the depths of the winter ... have software updates helped this?

Mercedes EQC - Looks pretty, top end of our price range when looking at the various deals out there... anyone know how it’s range compares to the others?

Polestar 2 - I couldn’t not get the performance pack making it a very expensive proposition... haven’t sat in one but wondering how it compares size wise to some of the cars above?

We’ve driven all of the Tesla’s - I think they’re expensive for what they are and don’t need the fast charging network for the type of driving we do.

For reference, we currently have a sports car as a fun weekend car and a little classic hot hatch for nostalgia.

This car would be for a daily 10 mile commute and a 150 mile return trip twice a month with baby + all of the paraphernalia that accompanies her.

Cheers

Nick

[kambites]

Logically I'd say the Kia is the best overall propostion as a family car - it's cheapest, most efficient, has the best range, the longest warranty, and will probably prove the most reliable. Performance wise it's not slow (0-60 in about 7 seconds, so similar to the i3) but being FWD it can struggle a bit to put its power down pulling out of junctions in the wet. In terms of build quality I'd have no qualms about the actual engineering but the interior lacks the... bling that differentiates premium brands these days. It's not bad, but it feels a bit utilitarian.

I think there's still a fair old waiting list for the eNiro if you're thinking about a new car.

ETA: Maybe worth waiting for reviews of the ID3 to see what that's like? I can't imagine "production specification" press cars are more than a month or two off now.

Edited by kambites on Friday 26th June 12:27

[gangzoom]

Get an used iPace for £45kish, only about £10k more expensive than the Kia. Range will be fine for your needs unless your doing 90mph into a headwind at -5 degrees.

[theboss]

Unless you specifically wish to buy rather than lease, your view of the e-tron is somewhat contradictory. It’s a big price hike for a more expensive / premium product, but if you can get one of the said cheap leases then what’s not to like? Appreciate they seem to be in the past rather than present!

I have a 5 month old and consider it a very handy sized car - swallows everything baby related with ease and I often have too older kids sharing the rear bench without any complaints.

[Al's 991]

Jaguar I pace - felt a little cramped in the back and there were stories of people getting 130 miles on a full tank in the depths of the winter ... have software updates helped this?

I have had my Ipace from December 2019. I have driven from Norwich to Stansted Airport in February. Parked up for a week. Then driven home with 45 miles left. So in winter over 200 miles is achievable.
If cost isn't a problem then test drive the Ipace. I just love it, smooth, quiet, comfortable and very fast.

[nickpan]

Thanks for the advice. Does anybody know how the battery life of the iPace compares to the e Niro?

The build quality and outright pace of the non e-Niro alternatives are clearly very attractive but having owned an EV for 4 years now, range is also a key consideration for us.

Re my comment on the etron - the abundance of cheap lease deals made me worried Audi weren’t able to sell them... natural to wonder why!

[coetzeeh]

E tron is the best selling Vehicle in Norway. Must have something going for it?

[kambites]

Isn't the eTron lease deal thing just the usual German approach of setting a ridiculous list price then offering "discounts" baked into the finance to bring it into line with the market in terms of total cost of ownership? Is it actually any cheaper to lease than the iPace or the Merc?

[theboss]

kambites said:

Isn't the eTron lease deal thing just the usual German approach of setting a ridiculous list price then offering "discounts" baked into the finance to bring it into line with the market in terms of total cost of ownership? Is it actually any cheaper to lease than the iPace or the Merc?

I don’t know about the merc. I enquired in my local dealership but obviously didn’t pass their credibility test as I heard no more.

I looked at and test drove an iPace and they were going in HSE spec for £750 / month ex VAT on 15k 6+35 lease profiles.

I discounted the e-tron because they were quite a bit more.

Then the mad lease deals started in about Feb and I ended up getting a good spec e-tron 55 (not the cheaper 50) for £585 on the same profile.

If the jag had been similarly priced it would have been a toss-up - it’s much better to drive - but I prefer the form factor of the Audi (it’s like a cross between Q8 and A6 all-road).

Some people were getting the 50 e-tron at circa £400/month which seems like little more than an e-Golf or an i3. At that sort of money who cares if it’s less efficient - it’s miles more car for the money.

[gangzoom]

nickpan said:

Thanks for the advice. Does anybody know how the battery life of the iPace compares to the e Niro?

I really wouldn't worry about battery life in any of the current EVs (abused Telas aside). Is your i3 a 33kWh version? The iPace has nearly triple the amount of usable energy so a 150 mile trip will be fine. Our 75D X only has 64kWh usable and I've had one occasional in 35k of usage where it was found lacking for range.

There are some road warriors who must have crazy range but for normal UK families something lile an iPace is perfectly fine.

If you want best value a Kia/Hyundai EV cannot be beaten, however the qually/value for money of the combustion Kia Niro if fine too, but I doubt many of us aspire to own one if you could afford a XF/F-Pace.

Used iPace prices have also now stabilised, used SE specs seem to be around £50k and they come with all the toys you would want. Given even a MG SUV EV is £30k+ optioned up, used iPace prices are very attractive.

[MOBB]

I’ve got an i3s and a Tesla Model 3

Interesting you say about the Tesla not being worth the money as most of the alternatives are more expensive than a model 3 aren’t they?

Imo the Model 3 is significantly better than the i3 in every department so that would be my preference

[nickpan]

Thanks all. Think we were edging towards the Kia as the sensible option but I do really like the look of the iPace - probably the most out of the bunch.

Can anyone comment on the sound system in the iPace? V important to me.

[nickpan]

MOBB said:

I’ve got an i3s and a Tesla Model 3

Interesting you say about the Tesla not being worth the money as most of the alternatives are more expensive than a model 3 aren’t they?

Imo the Model 3 is significantly better than the i3 in every department so that would be my preference

Hard to put my finger on it. I was blown away by the Tesla’s pace and simplicity but it just seems to be missing something vs the other cars

[Evanivitch]

Kia Soul 64kWh.

Slightly bigger than your i3, you've only had one extra family member after all!

[anonymous-user]

IPace has an 825w Meridian on the HSE as standard, same as available XJ and some Land Rovers, excellent. (Though not as excellent as the 1900w, which isn't available on the IPace).

The audio quality is fantastic due to the low noise and vibration, check out the what hifi review.

[anonymous-user]

JIMMYJ4ZZ said:

IPace has an 825w Meridian on the HSE as standard, same as available XJ and some Land Rovers, excellent. (Though not as excellent as the 1900w, which isn't available on the IPace).

The audio quality is fantastic due to the low noise and vibration, check out the what hifi review.

Would agree with this. Give it a good source and it sounds very good.

I had a new Range Rover for 5 weeks (while the i-pace was being fixed under warranty) and the system in the RR sounded nowhere near as good as the i-pace, even though the hardware seemed very similar.

[anonymous-user]

Al's 991 said:

Jaguar I pace - felt a little cramped in the back and there were stories of people getting 130 miles on a full tank in the depths of the winter ... have software updates helped this?

I had this issue - basically more to do with the range estimator than actual lack of range.

I would say you get at least 200 miles from the i-pace on a full charge in winter.

[gangzoom]

nickpan said:

Thanks all. Think we were edging towards the Kia as the sensible option but I do really like the look of the iPace - probably the most out of the bunch.

Life is far too short to be sensible, the Kia is no doubt the sensible choice but lets face it if you wanted sensible you would have got a Nissan Leaf instead of a i3 back in 2016 .

A good car isn't just about numbers, reliability, or even the badge, it has to make you smile everytime you get in. The iPace is going to make you smile so much more than the Kia.

[nickpan]

gangzoom said:

Life is far too short to be sensible, the Kia is no doubt the sensible choice but lets face it if you wanted sensible you would have got a Nissan Leaf instead of a i3 back in 2016 .

A good car isn't just about numbers, reliability, or even the badge, it has to make you smile everytime you get in. The iPace is going to make you smile so much more than the Kia.

Can't argue with that! You're absolutely right.

[nickpan]

Thanks for everyone’s advice.

I think we’ve set our sights on an iPace now. Looking at pricing, it probably means the sports car will have to go, along with the i3, but I’m hoping the extra ooomph of the iPace over the Kia will more than make up for it!