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Someone stop me from going all-electric

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by lensovet, Apr 27, 2015.

  1. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    all the best!(y)
     
  2. drash

    drash Senior Member

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    No I'm not going to stop you, but I would like information. Things like:
    1. How are the Run Flat Tires? They come standard but there is a thread on mybclasselectricdrive that talks about replacing them. From the discussions they suck in general but can actually cause alignment problems because the tires get warped or are warped when installed. Weird they have these installed and a donut spare to boot.
    2. How much range are you comfortable with before recharging? This is different from total range and a lot of the owners report going much farther than EPA. But they are using the % power remaining rather than the "Guess-o-meter" (range meter).
    3. Apparently the built-in timers require a log in on a web site to activate. The web site is used with an app for your smart phone. You'll have to provide the details on how this was done.
    4. How is the ride compared to the PiP?
    5. How is the handling? Most of the owners reported a great car to bang around in and being a wider but shorter car on the same wheel base (like the CT200h) I imagine it'll have better handling.
    6. Did you take a test drive in an i3 or any other EV for comparisons?
    7. What do you consider luxury over the PiP? Seats? Driver convenience? Moonroof? Controls?

    Some of the reasons for asking is because I was really interested in this over the i3 because it is front wheel drive. I know I won't get this because the PiP is only 3 years old and paid for but I'm interested in how other cars (particularly Full EVs) fit in and I like to consider other options. I'd of course be far more interested if EVs come standard with 100+ mile real range, but doesn't matter since I'll always be a 2 car household so I'll always have a full ICE or the PiP as the second car.
     
  3. lensovet

    lensovet former BP Brigade 207

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    I bought the car last week. $10,800 below MSRP was the final price, or $36k. After government rebates, that will bring the price to $26.

    I'm not sure where you're getting that this car comes with a spare. No EV on the market comes with a spare. The B-class is no exception.
    My driving falls into two categories: all driving in a given day can be done on a single charge, or I would need to charge somewhere during the day. I have free 240v charging at work and a 120v outlet at home. For the latter scenario, I would end up charging after ~50 miles. Depending on what sort of actual range I get on these routes, I might end up charging only once as well. I do know that people have gotten 100 miles on a single charge when charging in range mode.
    Since all my charging is free or at public stations, I have never had a need for timers. But my understanding is that all the cars come with Internet-based control, including lock/unlock, charging, and climate control, and access to this service is included for free for the first 3 years of ownership.
    Much quieter, both due to better cabin insulation and due to the fact that the motor is silent.
    The wheelbase is shorter than the Prius by 0.1 inches. Overall width is shorter by 5 inches. The car is wider by 2 inches in the front and 11 in the back (??). However, the car is also taller by 2.5 inches. It's hard to evaluate something like this in a short test drive, but I did come off the freeway at speed and took a left turn pretty fast and the car definitely did not hug the ground. We'll see once I start driving on my own – my metric is how many MPH you can go above the recommended "yellow square" speeds shown on turns and ramps. On the Prius, 20 is reasonable and 25 is at the limit of maintaining traction on most roads. We will see how the B-class handles.
    I've driven the RAV4 EV and the i3. I also drove a Leaf for 6 weeks as a commuter car two years ago. The i3 is a nimbler car for sure, but has lower range, a less powerful built-in charger, and costs much, much more (at least $7k more).
    There's no moonroof. Generally, the B-class is comparable to a fully-loaded PiP Advance, which would actually cost more than what I paid. In addition to that, there's seat memory for 3 drivers and 3 passengers, the climate control is dual-zone, the wipers are automatic, the windshield is heated (would be really great for PiP given that it needs the engine to run the windshield defroster), TPMS shows you individual tire pressure readouts. As I mentioned above, the ride is much quieter. Sadly, cruise control is not adaptive, though I guess the pre-collision system would make sure you don't crash.
    If you're interested in a 100+ mile car, check out the Kia Soul EV. I didn't go for it because it ends up costing the same for a less luxurious car and its charger is just 6.6 kW, compared to 10 kW on the B-class.
     
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  4. Potorap

    Potorap Active Member

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    Congratulations and good luck. Please keep us posted on your new purchase.
     
  5. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    $26k is what I paid for my PiP in 2012. :eek: Enjoy the ride. I'll join you on the EV highway once I can snag an used Leaf for $8k.
     
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  6. Big Dude

    Big Dude Member

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    Last week I traded in my 2012 PIP (49K) on a BMW i3 Rex. The PPI was the best car I ever owned and it was hard to let go. I retired to Southern Cal and life in the desert foothills on a couple mikes of dirt roads. The weight of the front end conspired with the low ground clearance and rough roads to make driving perilous. Two expensive repairs in two months (when the underneath cowling tore off it took sensors and RCC stuff with it. The i3 is a little higher, light in front end (the whole car is light). The rex gives me modest backup and the 170 HP electric motor gives amazing torque and acceleration. A totally different world from the tenderfoot way I drove my PIP. But my days of 55mpg score country trips are over. Got to use my Tundra for the 200+ mile stuff. But for most of us those trips are rare. the EV, PHEV world now is one of continuous compromises. No perfect car and trade-offs no matter which way you turn. My PIP turned this conservative Republican into an eco-capitalist. Go green if it makes economic sense. Now have a solar home, pay no electric bills and no NG.
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats!(y)
     
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  8. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Yes - keep us updated !!
    .
     
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  9. roflwaffle

    roflwaffle Member

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    Does that include tax, title, and license?
     
  10. Eug

    Eug Swollen Member

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    What?! New or used? I haven't been following that part of the thread closely.

    If new, that's awesome, and very perplexing. If used, what mileage and year?
     
  11. lensovet

    lensovet former BP Brigade 207

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    No, because those fees vary from city to city and you have zero control over them.

    New. The dealer had an advertised price of $6k below MSRP through Edmunds, I got that down to $10k with a corporate fleet discount, and then managed to eek out another $800 just because.

    I picked up the car on Wednesday morning and except for a few weird "bugs" absolutely love it. "Bugs": radio sometimes starts out silent when you turn on the car, front interior light doesn't work at all, some settings can't be changed even though they appear to be modifiable, and, the icing so far, they managed to deliver the car to me with no fluid in the washer reservoir (or the nozzles don't work either, haven't checked the fluid level yet).

    Range seems good so far. I love being able to press on the "gas" however I want without having to worry about the gas engine coming on, lol. Today I went 37 miles with 59% range remaining after a regular charge (which would mean a total range of 90 miles); this included fast acceleration and highway driving at 75 mph for about 20 miles. Will try going to San Francisco on Sunday I think – 80 miles roundtrip the short, slow, and crappy way, 100 the long, fast, and peaceful way.
     
  12. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    It's a prissy pedal.:cool:
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you're not observing the 'break in' period! how are the rings going to set?:eek:
     
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  14. lensovet

    lensovet former BP Brigade 207

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    haha scheduled an appointment for two weeks from now to get the car looked at. basically none of the interior lighting works.
    also radio randomly decides to turn volume to zero at startup.
    but the drive experience is absolutely great.

    Also, can now answer some of drash's questions from earlier.
    So, I personally do not have any problems with them, but I also prefer a "sportier" ride than most. The car has neither a donut nor a tire repair kit.
    This appears to have been resolved in the 2015 model. There are 3 (!) separate charge timers that you can set entirely in the car. You can also set separate departure time charge timers (so 6 total?). Like I said I have no use for these so there's that.
    So today I got to do the cornering test, managed to go 30 mph above the recommended speed (70 on a 40 curve), and triggered traction control for a split second. I suspect with more precise steering, I could probably go 32 above. So, in that sense, definitely better handling.

    Also, when I parked the cars next to each other, my god how tall the MB is. The bottom of the Prius windows are below the door handles on the MB.
    I have to say that so far the entertainment system is better in many respects: higher quality Bluetooth phone connection, ability to disable analog FM radio, higher-resolution screen. But again bugs abound, for example the sound level between Bluetooth music and Radio is insane, when radio is set to a comfortable level Bluetooth is essentially silent, if you make Bluetooth loud enough to hear, switching back to Radio will blow out your eardrums. Hopefully when the car is in for service, they can install a software update that addresses the volume issues together with the lighting.

    A final funny note: I registered for the MB Owners portal. When I try to log in, I get a server error because it can't load some page because the "B ED" model has a space in the name. Sent an email to MB support, we'll see how many years it takes them to address it.
     
  15. roflwaffle

    roflwaffle Member

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    True. What was your OTD cost? The reason I'm asking is because I've heard that sometimes tax is charged on factory rebates.
     
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The airport's pretty central, anyway. We had relations in Etobicoke, and if we were flying in, they explained their method for picking us up: when they heard the plane fly over (how they knew definitively it was us, not sure...) they'd get in the car, start heading.
     
  17. lensovet

    lensovet former BP Brigade 207

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    36k, that's what the tax was charged on. So that was the actual purchase price put on the registration with the DMV.
    Generally speaking, factory rebates *on financing* do not lower the purchase price. So when I bought my pip, I got a 2k discount from Toyota financial services. I did pay the sales tax on that. But this discount was an actual purchase price discount, so this didn't come into play. The financing was actually 3% on this car.
     
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  18. Eug

    Eug Swollen Member

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    The Toronto airport is not in Toronto. It's in Mississauga.

    For Etobicoke, that's convenient, since Mississauga is adjacent, just west of Etobicoke (which is the furthest west part of Toronto). I live in Scarborough, on the East side of Toronto, hence the distance.
     
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  19. rxlawdude

    rxlawdude Active Member

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    Electronics seem to be the bane of German cars. Perhaps the primary component manufacturer should change its name to "Botch." :)
     
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  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    only downside vs toyota, you get to know their service department on a first name basis.:cool: but what the heck, my time is worthless.(n)
     
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