I have one and I was waiting to find out when it ran out of juice on the way back. I get about 45 miles with about 3,000 feet of hill climbing, riding as hard as I ride my traditional bike, using mostly level 4 & 5 with some 3 on the steeper hills, to extend the battery life. Like many ebikes, the power goes away fast from 3 bars to no bars and at 1 bar the power can cut out completely on hills. It's a good bike for people like me who are fairly decent riders and just looking for some help up hills, or to go faster. It would not be a good bike for people who want the ebike to do all the work. As you noted, it goes just fine unassisted, and most ebikes are a slog without the motor. I think it's the nicest looking ebike on the market, which is why I bought one.
I have the same bike. I got it to help me on hills. I recently rode it in the NYC 5 Boro Bike Tour. The 5 BBT is 40 miles, and just when I need the bike to get me over the Verrazano Bridge, it died at 35 miles. But I was still able to ride the additional mile to the end and then home without any difficulty. A portable charger would have been nice to have. Next year, I will be more mindful to not use level 5 unless Im going up a hill. It just got fun to me to be zipping along at a fast pace and not cramp up like I have in recent years. This was my 15th year doing this ride and my best.
Overall it was a good bike, but to be honest it is not a comfortable bike. You have to hunch over because the Handel bar stem is very short. They tell me you can replace it but because of fluid it is not a simple task. If it had some shock absorbing in the stem and seat bar it would be a great bike.
Front tire pressure adjustment and carbon handlebars are used for comfort in the front. There are suspension seat posts for rear comfort. All these are affordable options that can make a good bike great.
