For those involved in the Buyback program: what are your plans after?

EUV looks cool but the only real knock I have against it is the cheap rear torsion beam suspension, big kudos for for the independent rear suspension in the Kona if nothing else .

 

If you have the Chademo adapter, you get an unbelievable combined charging Network.. Superchargers are usually sufficient but on holiday weekends, they get crowded.. Having the option to go to a Chademo charger if there is a line at the Supercharger is a great thing..

 

Considering that Chevy does not have the tax credit anymore, it's only a few grand more to get a Tesla... If you go with the Standard Range Plus M3, it would be even cheaper. If I had the choice between spending $43k on a Chevy or $39900 on a M3, it's an easy choice considering that with the Tesla, you get the Supercharging Network.. Sure, the M3 is lower and not an SUV but it can get plenty of stuff into the trunk and frunk..

 

I test-drove these EVs:

Polestar 2 - nice car. Could not find enough information about the real range. The rear window visibility is not that great.

XC40 Recharge - I liked the vehicle a lot except for the range. I almost bought this but in the last moment changed my mind.

VW ID.4 - The interior design of the car is not to my liking - the small display behind the wheel, the odd arm rests. I just did not like it.

Audi e-tron - they had only one car left. The monthly lease payment they quoted was over $1000. Crazy! I drove it when it was raining. The wipers were struggling to clean the windshield, squiggling - I think the arms were too thin and the motor was weak? Other than that the car is good. Just too expensive and no choice - you get one car - take it or leave it. For that price you do not get even ventilated seats. You need to upgrade to another trim/package, but you can't because there is only one car in the lot

Tesla Model Y - sold out. I scheduled a test drive for 2 weeks ahead. I drove to a Tesla location, hoping I can at least see the car without driving it. They told me they did not have a car and that my test drive may need to be re-scheduled because there is no car to drive! I found a neighbor who had one and went to see it in person. From outside it looks nice. Inside - not so much. You have a smallish steering wheel a big tablet and seats that are not as nice as one may assume. You can't adjust the headrest. The seating cushion was fine for me but for bigger people it will be small. The range is the greatest of all the cars and the supercharger network is great but I want to buy something I would like and I do not like this car, sorry.

2021 Kona EV Ultimate - familiar car I am used to. This is what I ended up leasing. In 3 years I hope I would have much better choices than today. The monthly payment is very affordable. I just need to find a better tires for the winter.

 

Wait, what? The Q4 shouldn’t be in the US yet…
Are you sure you didn’t drive the regular (55) Etron?

 

My bad. It was the regular e-tron.

 

For those who are still on the fence about what to buy after the Kona, I would suggest that you go Tesla if you are planning on doing toad trips.. Just completed 1350 miles trip from Lakeland Florida to McAllen Texas. Left Saturday 6 am and drove about 1100 miles on day one to Victoria/Texas. Stayed overnight there and charged on the Hotel's Destination charger and continued today to McAllen.. We arrived early afternoon in McAllen.. That's exacy the time it took us for the same trip with ICE. We did longer trip legs with longer stops..

My home to live oak supercharger 182 MILES 80 mph autopilot
Live Oak to crestview supercharger 227 miles 75 mph autopilot
Crestview to D'Iberville supercharger 154 miles 80mph autopilot
D'Iberville to Lafayette supercharger 194 miles 80 mph autopilot
Lafayette to channelview supercharger 201 miles 80 mph autopilot
Channelview to Hotel in Victoria 152 miles 80 mph autopilot
This morning from Hotel to Kingsville 119 miles and then to McAllen after a 15 minute charge.. 80 mph autopilot.
3 charges were 35 to 45 mins which we used for Breakfast, lunch and dinner. The other stops were shorter.. 15 mins in Kingsville and 20 mins in Channelview.. 6 Supercharger stops and 1 Hotel charger overnight charge for 1350 miles..
It's virtually the same time as it took us with ICE.. Tesla chargers are super reliable unlike Electrify..
Also, Teslas are very efficient at highway speeds.. Averaged 299 Wh/Mile for the trip. 3.34 mi/kwh.. 2 adults, 2 kids, one Kitten and full with luggage.. That's amazing efficiency for high speed highway driving with AC on..

 

I'm glad you had a good trip but it sounds like literal hell. 1100 miles in a DAY?! And, of course, you also ended up in Texas!

 

Technically, the 1100 miles ended after midnight..so not 100% in the same day.

 

Ha!

 

Had some bad traffic on the route.. With good traffic we would have arrived before midnight.

 

I’m going with the Tesla Model 3. For less than the Kona Limited, I’m getting one of the most advanced cars available. One of my deciding factors is is that the Hyundai dealerships really don’t know how to service an electric car. I still get asked if I want an oil change. It just makes me feel like they don’t know what they’re doing. Tesla is the front runner in electric cars. The amount of standard options in a Tesla makes the Kona look like a base model. I’ve done a ton of research, looked at many reviews, and I really don’t think any car out there can compare. No car is perfect, but I feel confident in my decision.

 

Owning both, a Kona and a Tesla, it's really no contest for me. The Kona is an amazing vehicle. However, it is a regular car that happens to be electric. Teslas are just so far ahead in the EV game. I still think that the Kona in the SEL version is the best value for any EV. I paid $28600 after tax credit for the SEL before sales tax. Amazing value.... I paid about $54k for the Model Y before taxes.. almost twice as much but the MY is worth every penny.. Truly amazing piece of technology.

 

Fortunately for me, most humans are herd animals.. I remember other videos of Tesla lines to charge.. In some cases, there were 6 Chademo chargers around the corner.. Glad that I got the Chademo adapter before it sold out..

 

Is this for CCS1 or CCS2?

 

Tesla is adding stalls to peak use areas. They not hear from owners,they have the data for the line ups as Teslas sit in queue. It's an awful long weekend line,but beautiful to see how EV adoption has reached this level

Just saw your other note about the CCS adapter. Cannot wait for it because CHAdeMO is too slow. Teslas will be able to acces HPC when needed

 

Good on avoiding the etron. It's got electrical issues. Mustang EV, I know you didn't test,but EVDAVE owns one,and said the charging curve dropped to about 11kW at 70% . This is what I wouldn't want to discover until I owned the vehicle, on a road trip.

The Kona doesn't drop off to that number 'til ~95%,just the kW is slower before 70% .

Model Y, with all Teslas, the interior doesn't match the price of an equivalent vehicle trim. It's the tech.you pay for. I also didn't like the head rest being fixed,but I was supported,comfortable.I can't wait 'til everything switches to a yoke steering wheel.