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The grass isn’t always greener

Skippy

Established Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2020
Messages
93
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100
Points
34
Location
Leakington
Driving
MG ZS EV
After seeing a lot of issues being raised with the ZS EV, I thought it would be good to redress the balance a bit. There are problems with every EV out there. For example:
  • i3, IPace and others not charging on some CCS Rapids.
  • Audi Etron getting 2.5mi/kWh or less.
  • Peugeot E208 shipping with the driver aids. (ACC) completely missing. The parking assist has now been deleted from all models for this year!
  • And of course, Nissan Leafs cooking on rapid charge.
Yes I know the bongs are/were annoying, the delayed charge took some sorting out and MGUK could be a better in supporting dealers and customers with updates, but at least fundamentally the car works. Even the range seems close to what was claimed.

Let’s post what’s good about our cars here, and maybe have a little dig at all the others while we’re at it! ?
 
Totally agree, I was pleasantly surprised when I took it for a test drive it seemed really well built and comfortable. Looking forward to getting mine next month.
 
As I was researching EVs I asked the question on a general motoring forum, Honest John's, which EV is the most reliable and which is the least. The answer I got was that they are all pretty reliable. :rolleyes:
I think there's a lot to be said for mechanical sympathy with cars, treat them right and generally they won't let you down and I suspect quite a few problems people have are of their own making. There are of course exceptions to this view when quite a lot of people have the same problem.
 
+1

I test drove the Kona EV last year and I wasn't impressed.
I found it not unlike the E Niro albeit with test drives 12 months apart.

But 3 things are better about the MG:
  • Lower price
  • Shiny red
  • You can get one
Range is lower, but I did the maths and it’s just not an issue. There’s enough to cover what I need so I’ll take the lighter car and a real kick up the bum in sport mode.
 
The e- Niro is a nice car but it is time for updating and sits lower than the Kona and MG.
The Kona boot is small and expensive for the size of car.
 
When we were looking for a new car we test drove the Kona then the MG on the same day, so can compare easily
The build quality is night and day, Hyundai have a lot of catching up to do.
The tech and screen is a lot better in the Kona than MG
My parents have an e-Niro, so know what they are like and lack in size, yes the tech and range is a lot better, but again the build quality seems a bit lacking.

we’ve had our MG since mid June and 1300 miles and still feel we made the right choice.?
 
I agree
As I was researching EVs I asked the question on a general motoring forum, Honest John's, which EV is the most reliable and which is the least. The answer I got was that they are all pretty reliable. :rolleyes:
I think there's a lot to be said for mechanical sympathy with cars, treat them right and generally they won't let you down and I suspect quite a few problems people have are of their own making. There are of course exceptions to this view when quite a lot of people have the same problem.
 
You certainly can not beat the price and delivery dates with MG EV cars. As some car reporters remark on the quality of hard plastic in some areas, yet fail to take in a count of the cost of the car. The deals last year at £23.500 for an executive model knock spots of the KIA e-Niro, Hyundai Kona and KIA Soul EV for what they are costing.
What I find rather amusing is the fact that KIA and Hyundai manufactures of electric cars, yet there dealers are selling arrival manufacture car company to compete against there own models!
 
Range is lower, but I did the maths and it’s just not an issue
That's the difference between choosing which ICE car and choosing which EV is best for you. It also dictates how much money you might have to spend. You want 250 miles as cheap as possible? You spend £35k for a Kona or an e-Niro.

I drove 370 miles doing an errand the other day. I had to recharge 5 times. That's a minimum of 2.5 hours added on to the journey. If I had an EV with, say, 250 miles range, then I could have got away with 1 stop for maybe an hour.

But how often do I do trips like this? This is the first time I've driven this far in one day for years.
Birmingham to Gatwick and back is maybe 4 times a year, but the vast majority of the time, I'm driving maybe 70 miles a week at the moment.
So it's pretty hard to justify having something with longer range.

So as Skippy says, you have to do the maths and factor the range into the purchasing decision.
There need to be more cheaper cars like the ZS EV available. It's the only market that makes sense, since once you hit £40k, getting a Tesla is a no brainer.
Having seen videos on Model 3 build quality, I think I'd wait for the Model Y before getting a Tesla. But I wouldn't get any other car over £40k because of the Tesla tech and charging network. Simple as that.
You'd have to be wealthy enough to choose a Jag, Porche, Audi or Merc because you consider the luxury, brand and build quality to be worth the extra outlay.
For someone like me, the factors that count are the tech and range.

As far as the lower end of the market is concerned, you can buy a brand new Aygo for less than £13k. Once there is an EV which will go 200 miles real world for £13k, then that's the end of ICE cars.
 
1,700 miles in and still cannot wait to jump in and go for a drive!
I even take the wife shopping now, as I can often get a check battery top up from the shops.
I have added an underseat sub to beef up the stereo (I am now much happier with the sound), I have had rear window tints done to improve the look and solar heat effect and my dealership was totally brilliant with the comfort update, all done for free with zero hassle. So the car now is how it should have been, and I am totally impressed by it, and my dealership.
I guess I have been lucky in that regard compared to others. Certainly no regrets from me. Yes 150 mile range is more than enough for me for 99% of my driving, but then I have access to my wife's ICE for longer trips (I.e. once a year drive and park at an airport fir holidays) and a camper van for weekends away and long trips.
If the ZS EV can fit in with your lifestyle then it is a great buy.
 
1,700 miles in and still cannot wait to jump in and go for a drive!
I even take the wife shopping now, as I can often get a check battery top up from the shops.
I have added an underseat sub to beef up the stereo (I am now much happier with the sound), I have had rear window tints done to improve the look and solar heat effect and my dealership was totally brilliant with the comfort update, all done for free with zero hassle. So the car now is how it should have been, and I am totally impressed by it, and my dealership.
I guess I have been lucky in that regard compared to others. Certainly no regrets from me. Yes 150 mile range is more than enough for me for 99% of my driving, but then I have access to my wife's ICE for longer trips (I.e. once a year drive and park at an airport fir holidays) and a camper van for weekends away and long trips.
If the ZS EV can fit in with your lifestyle then it is a great buy.

can i ask how much the sub install cost (did you do it yourself?) and what level of tint you went for (and cost of that as well, did you just do the rear Windows or sunroof as well?)
 
Sub £200 as it had to be ultra thin to fit under passenger seat >70mm. £150 to fit (Kingston car sound)
Limo tint (darkest), although I think 'smoke' next darkest would have been enough. £150 all in from Hull Tints. No not the roof, its already tinted, and not necessary IMHO as there is the roof blind. It's a lot darker in the car now under this current configuration.
 
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