Q. Since I want my next vehicle to be fully electric and wanted to get something other than a Tesla Model 3, I just made a down payment on a BMW i4 for potential delivery in late 2022 […]. As this is a completely new vehicle, therefore having no data on its reliability, and considering that its cost is still considerable, I was wondering if it was better to rent it rather than buy it. . Will the i4 use similar technology to the i3 or will it be completely different? My goal would be to keep the vehicle between 5 and 10 years if reliability is there.
– Francis T.
R. The i4 has nothing to do with the i3 and uses more advanced technology. Precisely because of the rapid development of batteries and the components that surround them, it seems more prudent here to favor rental over purchase. All the more so, as you point out so aptly, that the reliability of this model has not yet been proven.
A TRANSITIONAL VEHICLE FLEET
PHOTO PROVIDED BY VOLKSWAGEN
The Volkswagen ID.4
Q. We are looking to replace company vehicles for our representatives. We would like to go electric by making sure we maximize the government subsidies available. Each representative does about 1,000 km per week, 50,000 km per year. They carry a large amount of product, so the loading capacity must be sufficient. They currently have Mazda CX-5s. Comfort is also an important criterion. The vehicles of particular interest to us are Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and Ford’s Mustang Mach-E, but we’re open to other suggestions.
– Charlyne L.
R. The Ioniq 5 will be tested next month. As for the Mach-E, this product could indeed represent an interesting solution. You could also think of the “twin brother” of the Ioniq 5, the Kia EV6 (the test bench will not be released until February), or the Volkswagen ID.4. This offers a load capacity greater than that of all the models mentioned above and, as an added bonus, offers the capacity to tow a load of 1225 kg.
WHAT TO DO ?
Q. I live in co-ownership and, unfortunately, the electricity terminals are not yet in the plans. I do less than 5000 km per year. Mainly urban use and a few trips of 500 km per year. I have a 2016 Toyota Yaris hatchback that I love, except in high winds, now I hate it. I like it for the ease of getting in there and the dominant driving position. My next vehicle, which I plan to buy in the spring of 2022, may be my last (I am 70 years old and I change my vehicle every seven or eight years). My budget is $ 35,000 to $ 40,000. Advices ?
– Renée C.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY TOYOTA
Toyota Corolla Cross
R. Two ways of looking at it. The first, why not keep your current vehicle and rent, for the short term, a vehicle less sensitive to crosswinds for your occasional trips of 500 km per year? Undoubtedly much more economical (more ecological too) than spending $ 40,000 on the purchase of a vehicle that will only travel 5,000 km per year! You don’t like the idea? Either, then in this case, you could think of a vehicle like the Corolla Cross of Toyota, the Crosstrek of Subaru or the Taos of Volkswagen.
TRANSFORMATION
Q. My wife and I would like to get a van in order to convert it into a recreational vehicle. We hesitate between the Dodge Ram ProMaster 2500 and the Ford Transit 250. Could you give us your opinion please?
– Alain G.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FORD
Ford Transit 2020
R. Between the two, the answer is simple: the Ford Transit. On paper, the ProMaster is ingenious and technically interesting, but this vehicle of European origin is not perfectly suited to our market and suffers from problematic reliability.