what other cars did you consider?

[vanillagorilla]

Before you got a soul EV, what other vehicles did you consider? What made your decision to go soul EV?

 

[SoulEV2016]

BMW i3.

 

[JejuSoul]

Kia Ray EV. The Soul EV didn't exist at the time.

 

[tractioninc]

Nissan Leaf and Ford Focus Electric.

 

[mysoulev]

back then, none.

in 2015, SoulEV had the longest range except Tesla, i think Leaf offered a bigger battery in 2016.

if you asked what i'm considering now, Model 3.

 

[Jon]

We test drove a Leaf, and quite liked it. We preferred the Soul, though, because it had more room in the back seat (my son is 5'10" at age 13) and in the trunk. I also test drove a Tesla Model S, and loved it, but the price was too high.

We had hoped to test drive a Ford Focus Electric and a Chevy Volt, but when we called the dealerships, we learned that there were none of those cars in British Columbia or even Western Canada, because they were all being sold in California.

If I were looking now, I'd at least consider a Tesla Model 3, but I'd be reluctant to make a decision without being able to do a test drive.

 

[BEC]

In my head, I considered a Nissan LEAF, but really once I found out there was a Soul EV and looked at the specs and how they packaged the battery and such, I went straight there. I'd had a gas Soul as a rental car for a week or so a couple of years ago so was already favorably impressed with the vehicle overall.

I"m a Mazda guy - have owned almost nothing else since my 1972 Rx-2 sedan in college - but Mazda is taking a different tack with their SkyActiv approach to making an internal combustion vehicle more efficient, and I much appreciate that in my 2013 Mazda3 hatchback. But I've been eyeing an electric vehicle for some time, and now that I don't have a long commute any more (just retired from Boeing), it was time.

We've had the Soul EV for almost two months now and so far are really loving it. I think we've put one tank of gas in the Mazda3 and one in my wife's soon-to-be-surplussed 1998 Mazda Protege since we got the Soul....and both tanks are nearly full as they hardly get driven at all anymore. The Protege will go on Craigslist next week probably.

What will I do when the lease (3 years) is up? Well, we will certainly still be using an EV for our daily driver. Whether I do another Soul with the inevitable increase in range, or a Tesla Model 3 (if it exists and it's not as buggy as the S or X are) or what will remain to be seen. We're just starting on this journey but I surely expect to stay with EVs for the majority of my driving until I'm not driving anymore.

 

[vanillagorilla]

Funny we also have a Mazda 3 and the same soul EV color!

The volt was most tempting to me until the cramped back seat was discovered. I3 was tempting but a bit too small.

 

[BEC]

....so what color is your Mazda3? Mine is a dark charcoal grey metallic (I forget what designer name Mazda calls it)....

We also currently have a dark blue 1998 Protege which is now surplus....

 

[vanillagorilla]

Ours is the lighter silver!

 

[ricardar]

Briefly Ford Focus electric, and Volt. Went with the Soul EV as it has the highest (then) range as well as the heat pump/heated steering wheel/ventilated seats (my wife likes the comfort features) and it allowed me to do my full round trip commute charging only at work. Parking at work was always a mess but the EVs got preference and their own Valet. (I worked for a small EV company known for their stupid fast EVs so... some bias there). Changed jobs and ended up getting the Volt after all to complement the Soul as the wife now prefers all our future cars to have as much EV range as possible. The Soul made her a believer, and we jokingly refer to gas Souls we come across as "polluting brethren". She loves never having to deal with gas stations anymore.

 

[wrickcook]

My wife loves telling people she has not been to a gas station in over a year.

 

[Dancefreak]

Considered and drove:
2016 Leaf
2017 i3
2016 e-Golf
2017 Bolt

Lease on our Fiat 500e was up so considered the above. The Bolt was the far and away winner but as it just started appearing at dealerships a couple weeks ago there's absolutely no wiggle room on deals or lease rates. Not worth paying a first adopter tax. Six months from now we would have been driving home the Bolt but we needed a car this month so of the other options went with a Soul EV+. Like it so far...sad to not have that 230 mile range though. When this lease is up in 2020 the options will be endless.

Our other car is a 2016 Chevy Volt.

 

[SmoothJ]

I did not test any other cars before picking my Soul EV+, however I did a lot of research on price vs features and rebates.

At that time, I was trading in a Kia Cadenza and I had quite a few months left. I was pretty much stuck with Kia since the Cadenza went down in value so much and so quickly that at auction it was worth less than the residual value. So I got out of it before it got any worse.

The residual ALG for the Soul on the other hand was nice vs some other cars... so I picked this one and I am happy for it

 

[tractioninc]

Other than the residual value, what did you think about your Cadenza? I looked at one in the showroom and it seemed really nice, but I didn't opt for a test drive and I see very few on the street.

 

[SmoothJ]

Other than the residual value, what did you think about your Cadenza? I looked at one in the showroom and it seemed really nice, but I didn't opt for a test drive and I see very few on the street.

I liked the car... it had a lot of features for the price and for the 18K miles I put on it (in around 3 years), it did very well. The HP was great, and plus it had a lot of things that I miss now (adaptive cruise, HIDs, and power memory seats).

If I had one complaint though, it would be some creaks near the sunroof area. I could of had them addressed, but I got used to it by then...lol

 

[SmoothJ]

I keep on watching reviews of the Bolt, and its starting to grow on me more and more. Even if the next gen 2018 Soul EV gets close to 35 kWh, we are looking at around 100+ miles. The next gen Leaf however will get a 60 kWh battery as it is...so it looks like the Soul EV will fall behind.

Although I guess we need to understand how much we get for the price. The Kia is pretty nicely equipped for the price vs the Leaf, and even the Bolt. I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too... (ie battery pack size, motor power, and features)

http://dailysunknoxville.com/2017-nissan-leaf-less-value-than-the-bolt/920016371

http://dailysunknoxville.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Price-per-mile-of-EPA-range-EV-For-Chevy-Bolt-Ford-Focus-Electric-Nissan-Leaf-e1481020960144.png

 

[SoulEV2016]

they don't jump from 30 to 60 ... remember the 24 to 30kWh jump ?

 

[unclfuzzy]

I got my Tesla Model S Signature #209 in October of 2012. Traded it for a 70D with autopilot at the end of 2015. I'm going in tomorrow to get a Soul EV+ because you just can't beat the current incentives. I will have to depend on the ICE mobile for longer weekend trips, but 90% of my driving will be covered by the Kia and I will no longer have to feel like an old man getting in and out of the car several times a day. Now, what to do with the extra $800 a month?

 

[MrFlibble]

Looked at the Leaf, was going to buy one used because of the significant price drops and my very short commute.

However, the crash-test ratings on the corner to corner for the Leaf vs. the Soul EV were pretty damming.

And after researching the Soul EV it had better features.

Still got a 2016 Used Kia Soul EV.