Test driving PHEV w no battery charge

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It's time to replace the Buick, and I specifically want a plug-in. The Prius Prime interior is horrendously ugly to me, so it's out.

My local Kia dealership extends the 10/100,000 warranty out to as long as the original purchaser owns the car, which is a plus for me.

I stopped into a Kia dealership over the weekend to take a PHEV niro for a spin. The salesperson seemed surprised that I was bothered that the car wasn't fully functional, and the dealership had no intentions of charging the battery to allow for EV mode to function. So I walked without it.

Am I being unreasonable that when test driving new PHEVs, that the EV function actually be functional?

Reviews on the Ioniq and Niro PHEV seem mixed, with some reviews saying the EV function will be overridden by the engine if you accelerate even moderately aggressive. Others say it's a flawless system, so being able to test it out seems important on a $30,000 car.

And, at least, Kia has PHEV Niros on the lot - the ioniq is only available as a special order (with a 12-16 week wait, no less).
 
Try another dealer, I would've walked too. Here spend $30k+ on this car, but you wont be able to drive it how it was intended to be. Lazy salespeople and it cost them a sale.
 
Originally Posted by RichardS
It's time to replace the Buick, and I specifically want a plug-in

I stopped into a Kia dealership over the weekend to take a PHEV niro for a spin. The salesperson seemed surprised that I was bothered that the car wasn't fully functional, and the dealership had no intentions of charging the battery to allow for EV mode to function. So I walked without it.

Am I being unreasonable that when test driving new PHEVs, that the EV function actually be functional?
.

No

When I test drove the Volt I told them beforehand to have it charged up so when I came in I could do a real test drive.

I also told them I wouldn't bite unless it was ready for me to use.

Personally I would have used the lack of charge as a tactic to get $5000 off the price, who cares if the tactic worked, at least the place would learn to charge the car after a gafah
 
Apparently, it is too much to ask for them to have a "demo unit" that is ready to go? I know... Kia dealer. Can't expect much.

Bad management at the dealership. Apparently they don't expect to sell many... do they? And if they don't sell any, then there will be a lack of familiarity in the service department as well. Bad deal.

Find another dealer. Might want to call ahead, and see if they have a demo unit that is ready to drive.
 
Audios, as I understand it - they're the only dealer with PHEVs on the lot. Though that could be the sales manager blowing smoke up my rear, I was surprised when they said they had 2 of them on the lot, honestly.

I expected the same story I got from Hyundai.

So I may just have to do some calling about, as suggested, and hopefully land on one that's functional.

I hadn't thought to ask them to drop off $5k for not having it charged.

I did speak to them about the service intervals since I'd, in theory, be operating it in EV more than 90% of the time. The sales person that was just sort of listening in questioned it if needed oil since it plugged in. The salesman person I was working with was *very quick* to acknowledge that they were new to the lot, and he didn't know a lick about the EV function of the vehicle.
 
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Actually in my area dealers now want you to make an appointment
This may be one of the reasons why...……. Personally I'm not a fan of car dealer appointments..
 
Zee09,
I'd be okay scheduling a test-drive, but that wasn't even presented as an option. Just basically "they'll sell whether we charge them or not" sort of attitude.
 
Snaggle,
Maybe? When I pushed the EV button, it refused, indicating that the battery was either down to 12% or 12 miles, I don't remember which. Probably 12%, since 12 miles is just under 50% EV miles. They've been on the lot less than a week, but I didn't look at the build date. But the [censored] charging cable was in the cargo area. It'd Charge overnight at 120.
 
I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being a total tool about it, since my unwillingness to buy without EV functioning seemed unreasonable based upon their reaction.
 
It would still be worth it to see how the car drives and learn about it. On the Volt the car is always in electric until the battery goes to a low state. There is a "hold" function that will preserve the battery at the state it's in and the gas engine maintains it. It's actually good to see how a plug in runs when the battery is depleted, but of course the sales staff should have everything charged and ready to go instead of chit chatting to each other in between customers.
 
When I looked at the Volts they were cheaper than now. Pretty much out of stock now where I live except the expensive Premiers. Maybe the end of year rush to get the tax credits. The Chevy Volt is a very nice car.
 
Farnsworth, as I understand it, you can toggle in and out of EV, and there's a battery sustaining function as well.

My biggest concern I wanted to address were the reports that even in EV, the gas engine will engage (not very smoothly, either) if you accelerate quickly. One reviewer mentioned that anything past 20% pedal movement kicked on the gas engine, overriding the EV.

Cujet,
It's a sexy car, but the base on those is $33,200. So with all of the features that I'd be paying 30k for at Hyundai/Kia, I'm just shy of $40k for the volt. It's also got half the drivetrain warranty of the Kia and Hyundai.
 
I also have no intentions to count on the tax rebate to lower the cost of the car significantly.

My tax bill is usually only 2.5-3.5k a year, so I'd not be able to access the entire credit.
 
I would have walked too. What about the Outlander PHEV? You would think there would be some Corporate rules about keeping vehicles viable for $ales.
 
Originally Posted by RichardS
I also have no intentions to count on the tax rebate to lower the cost of the car significantly.

My tax bill is usually only 2.5-3.5k a year, so I'd not be able to access the entire credit.



Look into a lease .
 
My Volt had no charge in the battery when I went to test drive it. The dealer had L2 charging on site, so I just asked if I could plug it in for an hour and wander around the lot. They had no problem with that, and apologized that they hadn't gotten a chance to plug it in for me over the weekend.

I bought it as soon as I knew the battery and charging system worked. Their awesome treatment of me was enough to offset the risk of a battery issue, which is honestly very low now.
 
Lithium Ion batteries store best at about 40% charge down to about 15 % Or at least used to 10 years ago when i worked in that field.
 
I've had a 2017 Prius Prime for 2 years. I wasn't thrilled with the interior or exterior styling either. I bought the car to minimize my fuel costs, not make a fashion statement.
I get 25-35 electric miles, depending on the weather. When running on gas, I get between 50-60 mpg. More than half of the days using the car are completed without using any gas. My fuel costs are almost nothing compared to my other car (2016 Impala).

There is a huge difference in the way the Prius drives when on electric v gasoline. Electric is much quieter without the engine drone that I find annoying at speeds over 70 mph. The power delivery is just so much nicer when driving on electric.

I test drove the Hyundai and Kia Plug-in hybrids and didn't like the way the engine/transmission performed when in hybrid mode. Too much hunting for gears; a trait the Prius does not exhibit. After a couple of weeks, I don't even notice the styling peculiarities of the Prius but I never tire of paying almost nothing for fuel.
 
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