@Abercol, thanks. Yes, the Niro did come into the thought process as I was originally looking at the Kona or Niro when I started this horrid DWP PIP process. So we went and had a look and the cabin felt smaller than the current ZS, much to my shock. So that’s out.
We’ve sat in many cars, with a view to actually test driving the select few once I am on the scheme so far the results have been:
ID5 – yuck, cheap plasticky and seats were uncomfortable.
Enyaq – comfortable, much more so than expected, especially considering we’d just ran away from it’s cousin the VW
Ariya – Very nice but initially felt like we were sat on top of the seats, a little adjustment and all was good.
ID4 – My wife pretty much bounced, she was in there for all of 30 seconds and was complaining of back ache.
Niro – Nice interior but was cramped, even in comparison to the ZS,
Mach E – Expectations were pretty low and were suprisingly good. It’s the only car I can get in without having to bend my legs, which makes a difference when you’ve arthritic knees
Ioniq 5 – Very comfortable, very nice but the spec when we sat in one was rather poor given the huge AP, now the Ultimate is on the scheme, it’s got to be in contention. I’m concerned with lead times though, the sales child (he was incredibly young) was very proud to tell us at least 12 months waiting “it’s a popular car, you see”.
EV6 – Nice car, comfortable seats and the lowest we could probably go to, getting out was Ok but I could see it being a problem after a long day or long journey. The spec wasn’t great and I don’t think I’m that bothered by a fast AWD version any more. I tend to ‘pootle’ around these days rather than always being in a hurry.
Q4 Etron – too high for us, we felt like it should have been a proper 4×4 and we felt perched rather than comfortably sat and, again, the salesman was very proud to warn us of long delays. Wife ad daughter like the idea of a purple car but daughter looked at the front and just said ‘no’.
So in terms of the ‘sit test’ we were left with a choice of Ariya, Enyaq and Ioniq 5 with the Mach E coming a close 4th but just out of contention.
The Enyaq has a low spec but a great dealership and, depending upon availability at the time, we could get a car quite quickly. It would need the clever pack, at £2755, unless there was a model on offer that had the important parts but I’m kind of happy as that’s now only 5 grand or so. The idea of buying a pack does bother me, more because of the lack or return should anything go wrong.
The Ariya in Evolve trim did surprise me, it has everything we need, might need, could have wanted and a few things more. I like that it looks different enough without completely waiving it’s uniqueness around like the EV6 does. The bonus items were the heated rear seats, which means the Mrs could get in front or back and still have heating for her back should it be a problem. The electric tailgate is useful, especially as the ladies aren’t that tall.
The Ioniq 5 has the look of the Lancia Delta on steroids and given a modern twist, which I like – it takes me back to the Lancia we had. With the Ultimate on scheme with the range, it’s also got everything we need but I’m not convinced my mum could deal with the rather funky door handles, her hands are practically useless due to arthritis and the push one bit in whilst pulling another might just not work.
The Mach E really wasn’t that far off the longer range options but the equipment on the base model at a price that now includes the Evolve and is only a grand less than the Ioniq 5 just isn’t appealing. They’d need to do what Nissan did, knock 2 grand off the price and add the higher model for it to be an option.
So, I’m down to 2 options. The Enyaq, which is a dealer I really like, has a lot of time for Motability customers and I can add a pack or two to bring it up to spec, however with the plus pack added it’s not far off the same price as the Nissan with similar spec but more range and the refund risk attached. The Ariya Evolve, all the toys plus a few ‘look at this’ items like the electric sliding centre consul and the middle draw in the dash. Utterly useless but the sort of thing you show your mates when they get in for a look.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.
Mark