friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

So, out of interest (I drive a Nissan Leaf, which is in many ways my ideal car, but they’re EOL), what car is available today that satisfies the following:

Battery EV

Not an iPad/SUV crossover

Hatchback with decent boot space (previous comment about not an SUV still applies)

Intelligent cruise control with lane following

If Nissan updated the Leaf to have CCS2 and an actively cooled battery, it would be just perfect IMO, but instead they scrapped it and replaced it with the Ariya, which is an SUV/iPad crossover and they broke one of the Leaf’s best features (e-pedal) in the process too.

in reply to Simon Waldman

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Zoë O'Connell

@swaldman I think every single one of those lacks physical climate controls - suggesting they've falled into the trap of normal driving operations requiring unsafe interaction with a touch screen. And potentially significant interaction if you need to switch away from and then back to CarPlay/Android Auto being used for navigation.
@Simon Waldman
in reply to Simon Waldman

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Zoë O'Connell

@swaldman I’m always drawn to aviation as a good example of UI design as errors can have major consequences.

Even the shiny glass cockpit on an Airbus uses ACTUAL KNOBS AND BUTTONS. Even if the button is context-sensitive, there’s something to jab at.

I get the ease of cleaning for a hob but there are better ways of doing it.

@Simon Waldman
in reply to Zoë O'Connell

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Simon Waldman

@zoe they all have big touchscreens, but I don't think any / many of them are free of buttons in a Tesla way. I think most of the things that would usually be on the wheel or stalks are still on the wheel or stalks. (though the ID3 and Born have been criticised for making the steering wheel buttons capacitive...)
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@Sarah Brown @Zoë O'Connell
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Simon Waldman

@sparrowsion I'm in favour of lane following so long as it is easy to turn off - because, as you say, there are some roads where it does more harm than good.

My current Toyota: Button on the steering wheel. Easy. MG4: deep in a menu, and turns itself back on every time you start the car. Apparently the latter is required to get the max NCAP rating nowadays 😠

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Alan Braggins

my Mii it's a button on the dash, turns itself off on unclear roads, and is weak enough to ignore.
But it's discontinued (like the Citigo and e-Up), and limited range, and dumb cruise control. OK for us as a second car.
My opinion of the Cupra Born was that it was nicer than the MG4, but not sufficiently so to justify the price difference. That was only based on short test drives though.
Main car we do want an SUV type (replacement for X-Trail T31).
This entry was edited (Saturday, January 6, 2024, 6:21 PM)
in reply to Sarah Brown

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Vaguely here 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

The VW ID3 is pretty nice, there's the Ora Cat, and the new 500E - although those latter two aren't so hot on the boot space thing. Depends on what you consider enough boot space.

The Kia Niro EV / Soul EV are both "crossovers" but not really apart from the kinda high bonnet line, same with the MG ZS, which was a pretty solid choice last time I drove it. IMHO with these "crossover"s more a branding thing. Not sure whether the "Not an iPad/SUV Crossover" is a I want something that's neither, or I want something that isn't a giant tablet glued to the center console in a stupid crossover format.

Upcoming this year (breaking the available now rule) are the ID2 when it comes out if you want something smaller and the new Mini E (definitely breaking the boot space)

Those are my first thoughts.

I despise crossovers in so many ways, but a lot of them more seem marketing along with a pedestrian-obnoxious bonnet line, rather than actual anything practicality related.

in reply to Sarah Brown

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mobbsy

The new Renault Megane EV seems to be the closest to "Leaf, but newer". It has real buttons.

Upgraded from a 2016 Mk1 Leaf (after doing 70k miles in that) to a 2020 Mk2 Leaf about 2 weeks ago, test drove the Megane and might well have gone for it, but needed something without a trashed battery ASAP so went 2nd hand.

Already had a chance to regret the lack of both CCS and 22kW A/C charging...

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mobbsy

e-Pedal - not really. It's got strong regen braking but not full single-pedal driving. When I test drove it, I hadn't used e-Pedal, but after a couple of weeks of use I can see why it'd be something that you'd really miss.

ProPilot - it has adaptive cruise control, lane keeping and blind spot warning. I think that covers the functionality I know of. Anything else?

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