Kia Soul ev+ vs VW egolf

Manitou · Oct 23, 2015

Texas isn't all about EV's. There's a few. I test drove the Kia Soul today that just showed up I. Austin (supposedly just came off the truck). They were pushing hard as most dealerships do (they claim they are not commission, but their behavior says that's not 100% true).
Anyway, the car is nice. I w driven souls before and this ev+ model was slightly better than the typical soul. I like the tech it offers. I'm comparing a 2016 soul ev+ to a 2015 egolf SEL. The stereo thingie works in the soul, is big, and generally everything the 2015 SEL screen is not. The ventelated seats in the soul are a really nice to have in Texas heat. Couple extra miles of range is cool too. They quoted high prices but claim they will match the $300/month lease $0 upfront if I want to buy the first one here (Texas is unsure how EV's will be revived. It's a lot of old oil money)

The egolf, I've found a deal of 27,500 (can't lease out of state cars). I've rented golf's and really like the fit and finish. I see them as a competition for the i3 (with 2016 models.. Where they fixed the aweful infotainment system). The egolf isn't sold in Texas, will have to ship it in for an additional $1k. I'm concerned about the non-existing battery cooling also.
I guess I'm just talking out loud. I want the features of the soul in the egolf. Can't have it all as usual.
Feedback would be appreciated.

DucRider · Oct 25, 2015

I've driven both the e-Golf and Soul EV. Both are very good, and both are on my radar when my Fit EV lease is up.

I'd recommend against the e-Golf in your situation. Not only would you need to have it shipped to Texas, you would also have to ship it twice more (round trip) if you ever needed service (i.e recall, charging issues, etc.) You won't be able to have any warranty work done in TX, and any routine maintenance will likely also be up to you (not a big deal on an EV, but make sure and document it).

We had a couple at our NDEW event in Oregon that recently moved from California and had a Rav4 EV. There was a recall (fairly minor) that they could not have handled here (CA only car). They traded it a week later on a Soul EV after test driving the i3, e-Golf and the Kia at the event.

One of the deciding factors for them was the availability of CHAdeMO vs CCS for longer trips. While new installations generally will have both, the existing infrastructure is heavily biased towards CHAdeMO.

Gary

user 154 · Oct 25, 2015

The Soul should be able to go about 20 miles farther than the e-golf if fully charged. The Kia's 93 mile EPA range is the average of the ranges observed at 80% charge and 100% charge. So 93 miles is more or less the range you'd expect when charging the Kia to only 90%. It'll go a little over 100 miles on 100% charge.

iletric · Oct 25, 2015

DeaneG said:
It'll go a little over 100 miles on 100% charge.

On flat ground. If you're leasing, which I highly advise, no need to baby the battery. Charge 100% all the time. You never know when you'll need the miles.

Count on 150-mile Soul soon. Soul will not be left behind now that '16 Leaf is 107 miles. In a year (exactly) we'll have 200-mile Bolt, and another year later, 200-mile Model 3 and presumably 200-mile gen-2 Leaf.

As you return your leased Soul you'll be getting into one of the above -- and never look back.

Manitou · Oct 26, 2015

Signs do logically point to the Soul, but 2 big problems:
1) the $ ($7k more to purchase and initial quote of $400/month and 2k down (crazy high starting point for negotiations)
2) the look. I could get over the outside appearance though since I do like the inside look.

DucRider · Oct 26, 2015

Manitou said:
Signs do logically point to the Soul, but 2 big problems:
1) the $ ($7k more to purchase and initial quote of $400/month and 2k down (crazy high starting point for negotiations)
2) the look. I could get over the outside appearance though since I do like the inside look.

Patience Grasshopper!
If they had just unloaded it from the truck and it was the first one in TX, not much leverage for a deal. Try on Saturday (last day of the month), or better yet wait a month or two and you'll find dealers more willing to discount.

If you are purchasing, doing so before the end of the year will get you your $7500 back from Uncle Sam sooner. If you lease, the leasing company gets the tax credit and should use 100% of it to reduce the cap cost. Sometimes they'll play games with the numbers and use it to provide a lower MF or higher residual value in order to reduce your payments. The higher residual only hurts you if you purchase for their asking price at the end of the lease, and as LEAF owners have been finding, that can be highly ($5-10K) negotiable when the time comes.

No guarantees, but if the Soul (or almost any other EV) has a value more than 30-35% of the original sticker after 3 years, I'd be very surprised. Battery advances and the upcoming Model 3, Bolt, LEAF II, etc will put even more downward pressure on used EV prices. If you can get a 3 year lease on the Soul EV for $8-10K (down + payments), you can likely wind up purchasing at the end of the lease for a reduced price and wind up paying less than if you purchased up front.

This advice would also apply to the VW, but you likely won't be able to find a lease on one in TX.