Seems like there are a handful of folks here that have been in a similar situation, so I’d be interested in hearing any input on your experiences with the cars and what the best deal for me might be.
I’m about seven months out from wrapping up my 2014 Fiat 500e lease here in San Diego and I’ve been trying to dig through my options. I’d definitely consider myself to be an enthusiast, and I’ve been a bit underwhelmed by the 500e after jumping ship to that from my old Focus ST primarily for commuting purposes. (Being able to chirp the tires away from traffic lights is still pretty cool though.) My commute has since become much shorter and it seems to me like I could swing a PHEV pretty easily to keep my green credentials while still being able to have some backroad fun. On top of that I’ve had my eye on European Delivery programs forever and I’ve got a pile of frequent flyer miles burning a hole in my pocket, so that’s definitely something I’d love to do, especially if it helps drop down the sale price. That usually requires a bit of extra lead time though, thus my interest this far out.
I’ve had very limited seat time these, but so far it’s looking like a stripped-down 330e is one of the better bang-for-the-buck lease options, and it definitely fits the fun-to-drive criteria. I drove an A3 e-tron at an event, but the battery was already fully depleted and it felt probably unfairly sluggish as a result - the hatchback packaging does appeal to me, though. Both of those appear Euro Delivery eligible.
I’ve also had some experience with the latest Volt, although I’m not sure I’d be able to reconcile driving that with my own vanity, especially after three years in a Fiat. There’s the upcoming Mini Countryman Plug-In that sounds as though it’ll be fun to drive, and if Mini is anything like BMW that could lease quite well too, but that’s not much of a looker to me either. If the VW GTE ever made it across the pond that would probably be perfect for me, but even if it did I doubt the timing would work out. Shame.
I could always stay electric with an i3 or an i3 REx for the occasional trip outside of the I-5 corridor, especially given how many there are in inventory around here and that Euro Delivery is off the table for that model, but my seat time has been limited and I’ve heard mixed opinions on the fun-to-drive potential on that one.
This is almost certainly optimistic even with all the PHEV incentives out there, but I’d love to find something that could get in the $350-$400/month window. 10,000 miles is probably overly generous for my current situation, so that’ll help.
Thoughts? Anybody know of dealers or sales folks anywhere around SoCal that are exceptionally willing to deal? I’m willing to drive anywhere if it saves me even a few bucks a month, but I enjoy the occasional road trip.