First Test: 2012 Mitsubishi i

Mitsubishi may not be known as an EV innovator here in the States, but the brand has a history of dabbling in small, electrically powered cars back in Japan. In 2009, the automaker rolled out the electrified version of its i micro car, called the i-MiEV, in its home market. A year later, the i-MiEV made it to Europe. Now, it's finally our turn, and Mitsubishi has simplified the name and blown up the car's proportions to suit American tastes. But even with the changes, is the U.S. ready for a small, underpowered, and range-limited EV? No matter which side of the fence you're on regarding the future of transportation, electric cars are here -- and it's our job to test them. So test the Mitsubishi i we did. With regards to how the i looks on the outside and feels on the inside, among the MT staffers there were more than a few comparisons to a golf cart. With the i's bubbly, cartoonish exterior design and bare-bones interior (even in our range-topping SE model), it's easy to see how one might liken the car to something less than road-worthy. Even the doors, at first, seemed like a parody of ones you might find on some other cars - so light, I felt like Superman when opening them from the outside.

A simplified instrument cluster and center console present the driver with the bare minimum of controls. A digital display at the center of the gauges does a good enough job of relaying the car's speed, and the battery life meter looks much more like a conventional fuel gauge than the one in the Nissan Leaf, referred to by some as the "guessometer." The three modes provided by the gear selector, "D," "Eco," and "B," are each intended to optimize driving performance for a given situation. "Eco" mode was fine in the city, where it best preserves battery range. But when I needed adequate acceleration, I had to shift it into "D" if I wanted to go anywhere with any sort of urgency. "B" mode was the hardest to get used to, as it turned the i into a Disneyland Autopia car, where letting off the accelerator slowed the car down significantly. Unlike the theme park car, in this case it's the motor that's doing the braking, capturing the energy and charging the battery. This feature was useful when coasting down long grades, but perhaps a bit too jerky to use comfortably in everyday driving.

The pint-sized EV completed our figure-eight test in 30.2 seconds at an average 0.51 g. The Leaf and Volt didn't fare that much better, both posting times of 28.4 seconds at 0.57 g and 0.59 g, respectively. Lateral acceleration for the i was also in line with its EV contemporaries, at 0.71 g, compared to the Leaf's 0.79 g and the Volt's 0.78 g. Still, handling is where the Mitsubishi received the lowest marks from staffers. Testing director Kim Reynolds called it "tippy," and also noted "some rear-end instability under braking." Regarding the i's handling ability, associate editor Scott Evans said, "I thought I knew understeer. Now I know understeer."

According to Mitsubishi's PR reps, 11,000 i-MiEVs have already been sold abroad. While that could be a good indication that the i will achieve similar numbers in the U.S., the car likely didn't have to fight the same uphill battle it's faced with here in Europe and Japan, regions that have had tiny, A-Segment cars running around for years. Mitsubishi has pushed the boundaries of electric vehicles in the past, and it's certainly done the same with the i. The question is, has it pushed those boundaries a little too far for U.S. audiences? Perhaps the answer lies in associate editor Scott Evans' assessment of the i: "It works, but is that enough?" Time will tell.

Rear engine, RWD, 4-pass, 4-door hatchback

View the original article here