2012 Mitsubishi I

2012 Mitsubishi I

Episode 3138 , Episode 3152
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

Mitsubishi is no stranger to electric cars. They’ve been selling their tiny i-Miev EV in Japan and Europe since 2009. We even tried a pretty bare bones right hand drive model about a year ago. Well, now the US-spec Mitsubishi I model has arrived.  It’s bigger, much better equipped, and is the least expensive highway-going EV you can buy.  So, let’s see if the “i” has it all.

Well, one thing that the 2012 Mitsubishi i certainly has is a unique appearance. Sort of hard-boiled egg meets the Jetsons. Though the enlarger U.S.-spec i 5-door does have more presence. Whether you like it or loath it will pretty much depend on which side of the “Hey look at me and what I’m doing for the environment” fence you fall on. 

The i’s 10 inches of added length, and 4 inches of increased width is accompanied by new front and rear bumpers re-designed to pass U.S. safety regs. With the huge windshield small vertical hood, and thin bubble headlights, the front end is indeed futuristic looking. Standard 15-inch wheels are pushed to the corners, with exaggerated fenders surrounding them. Our test car’s attention grabbing graphics aren’t included although some owners might want them! And the charging port is located on the right rear fender.

The i’s 16kWh lithium-ion battery pack is located low in the car’s chassis, helping keep the center of gravity near to the ground and interior room maximized. The rear mounted, rear-wheel drive 49kW electric motor is rated at 66-horsepower and 145 pound feet of torque. So, we weren’t expecting lightning fast acceleration and an uninstrumented 13.5 seconds to 60 miles per hour certainly isn’t.

In government testing the i achieved a real world driving range of 62 miles, which is less than the Nissan Leaf or Ford Focus Electric; our i indicated 73 miles when fully charged. A full charge takes 7 hours with 240 volts, up to 22 hours using 120, with a cost of about $3.

Inside the new i’s wider cabin we quickly notice more space between the seats, with a re-designed console set between, and a normal looking shifter. The seats are cloth and a little utilitarian in feel, but comfortable enough to ride out the full EV range. Driver’s seat heat is standard. Gauges are EV-specific and include a power meter, as well as an info center with large distance to empty readout. Rear seats are hard, but with more length there’s plenty of room for 2, and seat backs fold 50/50, to expand the 13.2 cubic-feet of trunk space to a very useful 50.4. 

A key fob remote allows you to monitor the state of the charge, and pre-heat or cool the cabin. Now, other EV’s offer similar features but require an app for a smart phone.

In typical EV fashion, driving the i takes a little getting used to, but we found the power adequate, and the ride smooth. Steering is very low effort, making low speed maneuvers a dream. The usual instant EV torque seems a little muted compared to other recent EV’s we’ve driven, but the i has no problems getting in to the flow of highway traffic. Top speed is 80.

The additional size has gone a long way towards making the i feel more like a real car. It drives more substantial and less like an EV commuting device. Government Fuel Economy Miles Per Gallon Equivalency Ratings are 126–City, 99-Highway, and 112–Combined. That’s better than either the Leaf or Focus Electric. The i’s base price also bests them at $29,975. Government tax credits can reduce that by up to a third or better; our well equipped SE begins at $31,975.

As more EVs emerge and competition grows, they will continue to gain efficiency with shorter charging times. And, like the 2012 Mitsubishi i, become cheaper to buy and attainable by more consumers. The i may not quite have it all, but it does have the lowest price and best MPGe rating of any 4 or 5 passenger pure electric going. And that’s certainly enough to make the i a serious EV player. 

Specifications

  • Engine: 49kW electric motor
  • Horsepower: 66
  • Torque: 145 lb-ft.
  • 0-60 mph: 13.5 seconds
  • EPA: 126 city/ 99 highway
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance 1

2024 Audi RS 7 Performance

Up For Grand Touring Around A Racetrack

Episode 4329
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

In recent years, Audi has done an increasingly better job at merging luxury, high tech and sportiness equally into all of their vehicles, but that doesn’t mean they all have the same priorities. So, if you’re wondering what this car is all about… well, it’s right there in the name, the Audi RS 7 Performance!

First and foremost, the 2024 Audi RS 7 Performance is absolutely fantastic looking. A gorgeous car from all angles. But this posh performer is a lot more than just a visual treat. Under its silky skin lies a menacing sounding V8 that delivers insane amounts of power and, as we discovered, a gloriously intoxicating driving experience.

RS elements added to Audi’s S7 five-door coupe include new aero treatments with a matte gray finish and silver 21-inch Audi Sport wheels. Those silver wheels are wrapped with 275 Continental summer performance tires and allow for seeing plenty of the enormous brake rotors with black-painted calipers. Up front, there’s a wide grille inhaling all kinds of air and headlights with uniqueness that’s pure Audi. This five-door coupe with frameless door windows speaks a true hardtop design.

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Now that we’ve gotten that out of our system, time to hit the corners of Savannah’s Roebling Road Raceway, and it’s been quite some time since we’ve had anything here or on any road course that exhibited this much body roll. It didn’t matter what drive mode we had dialed in, it just liked to roll. You could sense that soft suspension in our acceleration runs too. Bystanders got a clear view of a lot of its hardware, thanks to major rear-end squatting as it exploded off the line. Those explosions resulted in a quick 3.7-second trip to 60 miles-per-hour and full quarter-mile runs of 11.9 seconds at 118 miles-per-hour. Fast indeed, though we’re sure both times would improve in warmer temps than our 40-degree test day.

Drive modes have been recalibrated and shifts by the eight-speed Tiptronic in Dynamic Mode are quick. Indeed, noticeably quicker and firmer than in the RS6 wagon we tested just a few months ago without the “performance” treatment. Quattro all-wheel drive is standard.

We’ve never experienced a car that can feel this soft yet was absolutely point-and-shoot through corners.

The driving force for that acceleration is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 cranking out an additional 30 horsepower from the standard RS 7 thanks to installing bigger turbos. That makes for a 621-horsepower rating, with an even more impressive boost in torque from 590 to 627 lb-ft. And Audi was kind enough to remove a little sound deadening material so we can appreciate it even more through the optional RS sport exhaust system.

For what is really a Grand Tourer built for blasting you away on luxurious adventures, the RS 7 performance is amazingly track capable. Steering is very direct with great feel, and all four wheels are engaged in the process. They’re connected to a new mechanical self-locking center differential that is not only capable of handling the additional power but is lighter and quicker to respond. Chassis software has been recalibrated to make it all work together seamlessly. There must be some serious engineering wizardry happening in the RS-tuned air suspension as we’ve never experienced a car that can feel this soft yet was absolutely point-and-shoot through corners. Brakes were truly phenomenal too; there was some significant nosedive happening, but no wandering or fading no matter how hard we worked them.

And yes, it’s hard to call this actual work, considering this work environment is far from hostile. Absolutely nothing has been compromised when it comes to delivering the luxury car experience you expect from a six-figure Audi. Whether it’s the fabulous real metal, leather, and detailed woven carbon-fiber materials or the fine stitch-work and the always impressive comprehensive digital gauge display, the RS 7 performance feels truly special inside.

2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Dash
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Shifter
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Seat
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Trunk
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Engine
2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Dash2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Shifter2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Seat2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Trunk2024 Audi RS 7 Performance Engine

The front seats were supremely comfortable and were only mildly bolstered yet held us in place just fine out on the track. Plenty of room for rear seat passengers too, and there’s even a great 24.6 cubic-feet of cargo space with hatchback versatility. Less practical is all touchscreen all the time for just about every cockpit control.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 14 City, 22 Highway, and 17 Combined. That’s a below average Energy Impact Score of 17.5 barrels of yearly oil use with 8.8 tons of CO2 emissions.

Pricing starts at $129,490, and Audi knows they have a good thing going with the RS 7 performance; so much so, it’s now the only RS 7.

So, could they have just made the RS 7 better instead of tacking “performance” onto the name? Sure, but there’s just something about adding performance to a car name that draws people in. And when it backs it up by delivering more actual performance, well, that’s what we call a win-win. We’d be happy to run some victory laps in the 2024 Audi RS 7 Performance anytime.

Specifications

  • Engine: 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8
  • Horsepower: 621
  • 0-60 mph: 3.7 seconds
  • EPA: 14 City | 22 Highway | 17 Combined
  • Transmission: 8-speed automatic
  • Torque: 627 lb-ft.
  • 1/4 Mile: 11.9 seconds at 118 mph
  • Starting Price: $129,490