Perhaps unfair, still this gives a good compare and contrast: The only car missing is a Leaf. Bob Wilson
Watched the vid, and obviously very biased towards the M3. I can't speak too much about the Bolt, but some of the comments seem to echo what I have heard on other reviews. However, my son has a LR RWD M3 with premium interior upgrade as well as auto pilot, etc, basically every accessory you can get for it. And I have a Kona Ultimate, so have had a really good chance to assess and compare our 2 cars. While the Kona review sounded pretty good, I didn't agree with some points. I didn't understand his criticism of the drive/regen at low speed giving weird sensations. I don't know what he is talking about as I have never experienced that, and have not heard any complaints about that on our Kona EV forum. As for the VESS sound at low speeds, that is/will be a safety requirement, and the Teslas will have to implement it as well. Having said that many people do find that annoying, but it can easily be disconnected by undoing a connector. Also, he didn't say much about the HUD, and I at first thought, too, it was just a gimmick. But I have really learned to appreciate it for increasing situational awareness, showing approaching traffic on a freeway, and all the alerts, pertinent info, etc., showing just at the right times. This is something the M3 doesn't have. As for the M3, I totally disagree with the "luxury" feel of the interior. My son's car has hard black leather seats with no perforations, and is very uncomfortable on a longer drive/trip. Biggest problem is sweaty butts, as there is no ventilation option. In contrast, the Kona has softer, more comfortable perforated leather seats (look nicer, too), and turning on the ventilation feels wonderful on a longer drive. Big, big plus with the Kona over the M3. The interior of the M3 is very sparse and looks/feels very cheap compared to the Kona. And that center monitor is terrible not too mention a distracted driving safety issue. My son can't drive 5 min without looking and poking away at it. So situational awareness and distraction is very poor with the M3. The M3 requires you to really duck low to get under the top door sill, and the car and seats are very low. So getting in and out for a taller person is no fun. Kona is great with its higher stance and seats. While the M3 makes the most of the room it provides, try putting something tall in it like a bigger cooler. And no hitch available for the M3. Son had to get an expensive roof carrier (have to be very careful with that glass roof when torquing it down) just to get a roof bike carrier, and is very awkward to hoist bikes up there (not too mention drag). With my Kona, U-Haul installed a very cheap hitch which is great for a bike carrier, or even light towing. As for tech, M3 has lots of gliches with their driver assist features. My son said that sometimes it brakes when going under an overpass, because of the shadow. That's pretty bad!! And no Android Auto or Carplay. My son has to set up a separate phone holder just so he can have Waze traffic (cop alert). I know Tesla is very proprietary with their tech features, but this is ridiculous. With driving, the Tesla has a firmer ride, which does provide better control at higher speeds (120kph+). But at slower speeds and bumps the Kona is better. Both cars are not the most quiet at higher speeds. I know the Kona is not great at that, but expected more from the higher priced and more sleek body shape of the Tesla. So from what I have seen with direct experience with both cars, I would take the Kona any day, even if the price was the same as the M3.
Having done Standard Range Plus Model 3 trips, each way, driving solo with AutoPilot: ~250 mi to Tunica MS, ~$8.92 each way ~600 mi to Coffeyville KS, ~$21.42 each way ~600 mi to Dallas TX, ~$21.42 each way ~700 mi to Detroit MI, ~$25.00 each way ~400 mi loop, ~$14.28 total, benchmark block-to-block speed The SuperCharger rates are running ~$3.57/100 mi and charging sessions are typically 20-25 minutes. AutoPilot dealt with a temporary medical issue by keeping the car in lane and not running into other vehicles or the ditch. It also handled driving rain at night and fog patches. Since March 26, we have 12,718 miles on the odometer. My daily errands, I drive the car in AutoPilot, city and highway, as quickly as possible. With practice, I'm very aware of the strengths and weaknesses and just manually drive through any problems. The accelerator, brake, and steering wheel still work. Enhancements I'd like to see are: (1) reading stop lights, stop signs, and yield signs; (2) reading speed limit signs; (3) manual as well as Google map set speeds; (4) better traffic aware lane steering, and; (5) smoother steering inputs. Just knowing these limits, makes dealing with them trivial. As I mentioned before, the accelerator, brake, and steering wheel still work. Bob Wilson
Model 3 would be my winner in that comparo, but the Crossover style of the Kona might be more practical, and you can get a Bolt these days for cheap. There is something to like about all of these, but when ID.3 hits Europe, and Crozz USA, Model 3 &Y will have some real competition.
