For those defending this decision as rational, are you aware the expected 0-60 time is 9 seconds?
That's not just a little slower for comfort. That's pitiful for any car. I am not sure I've ever owned a car that slow. For comparison, Mazda's full size SUV, the CX9, does 0-60 in 7.1 seconds. 9 seconds is more on par with the Mazda 2, a tiny sub-compact.
We need EVs to take over for the health of our planet, and the way we do that is by making them superior to gas cars, not nerfing them so they aren't competitive with them. The average buyer doesn't need a 4s 0-60 time but quick acceleration eliminates objections and perceptions that EVs aren't as good as gas.
My first vehicle is quoted at 13.3 seconds 0-60; by the time I was driving it (it was made before I was born), I'm sure it didn't even get that level of performance. This was never an issue in driving around the Los Angeles area; the performance was consistent and predictable, which is all you really need.
"Car and Driver magazine performed a comparison between the 2010 Honda Insight and the 2010 Toyota Prius. In this test, the Insight achieved 0–60 mph in 10.3 seconds (Prius, 10.0 seconds)"
9s 0-60 is 10% quicker than a 2010 Prius or Insight. Clearly there's a market for this level of acceleration.
Those are some of the slowest cars on the road today, that sacrifice everything for fuel efficiency. Is that the bar for an EV? We can't do better than that?
It's not like the Prius has been a commercial failure, I'm really not sure what it is you're complaining about. Not everyone prioritizes speed and acceleration in a vehicle.
That's not just a little slower for comfort. That's pitiful for any car. I am not sure I've ever owned a car that slow. For comparison, Mazda's full size SUV, the CX9, does 0-60 in 7.1 seconds. 9 seconds is more on par with the Mazda 2, a tiny sub-compact.
We need EVs to take over for the health of our planet, and the way we do that is by making them superior to gas cars, not nerfing them so they aren't competitive with them. The average buyer doesn't need a 4s 0-60 time but quick acceleration eliminates objections and perceptions that EVs aren't as good as gas.