The I-MiEV is a city car only. Very sensitive to speed vs. range. At urban speeds it has about 65 miles of range, increase to 55 mph and you are looking at 50 miles range. It's narrow and tall so road feel at high speed isn't pleasant. Winter range with the heater running will drop another 10% off the range. That being said, if you use it for what it was designed for it does the job nicely. I have both the MS and a I-MiEV. I have noticed some others on this forum also have both. The styling is subjective (ugly?) but it is determined more by packaging then anything else. I don't understand how anyone who owns a MS would think you could "barely fit inside one". It is far easier to get in and out of, has more headroom and reasonable legroom. As it is narrower, the shoulder room is less but it isn't like you are right up against the passenger. It is very easy to park with a tight turning radius--it even has guide lines on the backup camera (hint for Tesla?). Visibility is very good due to narrow "A" pillars. Even at it's small size, it can carry a lot of cargo. I once brought home a full sized clothes dryer in the back with the hatch closed. I wouldn't even consider trying something like that with the Tesla because I wouldn't want to damage the car and it wouldn't fit anyway. I don't worry about parking lot rash, parking away from other vehicles, buying paint protection, etc. The whole car after rebates and federal tax credits costs less than a minor repair on the Tesla. Don't get me wrong, I love my Tesla, but if I just need to run down to the big box store to pick up a couple of cans of paint and a bag of fertilizer you know it will be the I-MiEV taking the trip. As Rifleman says, "The iMiev is poorly suited to be an only car for most people" is probably correct for anyone that doesn't live in a urban environment. But if you don't and have a ICE car for a backup and just want to get your feet wet in EV's, it's a great, cheap starting point. If you drive it around 1000 miles per month, the car will pay for itself entirely in energy cost savings.