So… the actual prices are a lot lower than list price. The companies are all offering big rebates. So the KIA is nominally several grand more expensive than the Kona, but the prices I’ve been given are within a couple hundred of each other. And the Mini is a lot more, although it’s hard to compare because they are only offering incentives with a lease.
If the Mini had a more normal interface, I would buy it. It was really a lot of fun to drive, and it’s all wheel drive, and it does automatic parallel parking, and has some other nice bells and whistles that I would enjoy. I’m old and rich and may as well get a car I enjoy. But… it does have a weird interface, and there’s a risk I’d hate it. There’s also a decent chance I’d love it. Did I mention it’s fun to drive? And also super-cute. (Not as cute as the smaller Mini, the 4-door countryman is larger. But still, super cute.) I’m not going to feel strongly either way towards the Niro, unless it turns out to actually be a lemon or something.
So unless I change my mind overnight, I’m going to put down a deposit on the Niro tomorrow, and arrange a date to actually buy the car.
I liked the Niro more than the Kona. Mostly, it’s more powerful, and just feels more responsive. The Kona was sluggish, even in “sport” mode. In fact, the Niro in “eco” mode was more responsive than the Kona in “sport” mode. I did two test drives in the Niro, and didn’t have help either time, but I had no trouble programming the GPS, fiddling with the temp, turning on the rear defroster, and switching to automatic windsheid wipers (which worked okay – not as perfectly as my old Ford C-max, but quite acceptably.) I drove it in the snow today, and it gripped the road comfortably. (It was warm enough that the snow was melting, but the road was certainly very wet.) Oh, and the Kona has that “dimmed rearview mirror” thing that is supposed to be a feature, but that I really dislike. There was nothing I disliked about the Niro.
Except the color. But basically everything comes in boring colors these days. And the salesman looked, and said he couldn’t find a green one with the “heat the battery when it’s cold out” option, which I definintely want – it turns out that electic cars drive better and have more range when they spend some of their energy to keep the battery comfy. At least it’s white and not black.