5:00 in european countries, the traffic lights at crossroads are mounted on your side of the road, not on the other side of the crossroad like in the US. Most are mounted to the right and above you. Since you sit pretty far back in this car, those tiny mirrors are for looking upwards so you can see the traffic lights mounted above you, in case the view to traffic light mounted on the right is blocked by busses or trucks.
In that case, a mirror in the center would make more sense since the overhead traffic light is also in the center, not above your left or right. But I agree, it kind of makes sense.
@@_rlb No, a lot of them are (as stated) on the side of the road, but still quite a bit higher than you would be able to see....it's actually quite annoying.
@@BuzzinsPetRock78 Hmmm. OK. That does not correspond to the original statement "those tiny mirrors are for looking upwards so you can see the traffic lights mounted above you, in case the view to traffic light mounted on the right is blocked ". Because the traffic light above you would be in the center, NOT to the left or right. But whatever. I live in Europe by the way ;)
If anything they should have been truly French and made it a little romantic 2 seater and put a 13 horsepower gas engine so that you could fill it up and not have to Jack on every night
I saw and try this car in Geneva motor show when it was brand new. The gap on the floor was also design for passenger safety especially for kids. Because when they get off the car by this gap, they are still in the car and protected. This is useful when you are parked in narrow streets.
I have seen the headlight angle switch on a few Euro cars. Don't know how true it is but heard it was for when the vehicle was heavily laden or towing a trailer to prevent blinding other drivers. I assume it's a blanket requirement in vehicles because I can't see how it could possibly be needed in this specific vehicle unless having two rear passengers really compresses the suspension.
Headlight angle controls are mandatory in new cars in the EU and have been for quite a while, so it's not just a French thing. You're supposed to use the control according to load so you don't blind people.
Not really. Yeah, they're both black with grey dots, but the dots have different shapes and pattern. So it's barely similar, since they both try to emulate the normal carbon fibre look but do it in different ways. So, no, it doesn't "look just like" the black mist s4 at all.
This is exactly accurate. It has to do with how far back from the windshield the driver is. American cars also used to have a similar issue, but they solved it a different way, they had these little glass viewfinder like baubles that would catch the color of the light and essentially glow and diffuse the light through what looked like a bulb almost. Eventually this became a non-issue as windows became more and more raked and visibility improved... until new roll safety standards went through and people started to favor higher riding cars with more commanding view of the road/higher beltlines and cars became irritatingly hard to see out of again. EDIT: You can find images of these jewel or sometimes magnifying loup style prisms or lenses by searching, "Traffic Light Viewer" or "Traffic Light Prism."
Those should come standard on all cars. I'm quite tall and I've almost crashed a couple of times because traffic engineers are racist against tall people. "Didn't you see the light?!" "What light, where?"
"33 grand plus taxes" - probably including taxes. nobody in europe advertises/shows prices without tax (except for business to business transactions/offers).
@@Darkest_matter try to get a faster (modern) car for 30k. Do you prefer the civic type r, megane rs or i30n ? Is every cheap-ish sportscar shit or just the leon? What are you driving, a 11 thousand dacia?
Why would they be dumb? They are mostly playful. Does everything automotive automatically have to be Bentley or resemble a friggin military personnel transporter to be cool?
And those would be useful if you could reach out the window to the toll booth from your seating position... XD Seriously, I imagine this car to be a nightmare at parking garages trying to get the ticket from the dispenser at the entrance. Parking afterwards would be a breeze, though.
@@Crazy_Borg I doubt it's a difficult reach, actually. It's quite narrow and has very vertical sides, and as he said, it's easy to know exactly where the corners of the car are from the center.
Well i live in Hungary, and i see one of these for quite some time. I was always curious what's that, but never ever searched for it. Then there's you, the funniest American who have the weirdest car fetish. What i can imagine from the Balkan. Keep up the good work, all off the minutes of your content is golden!
Sliding doors are actually pretty smart on a tiny, low-speed city car like this, especially in Europe. Easier to get out when parking at the curb, and you're less likely to smash some poor cyclist with your doors as they go by in the bike lane next to you.
"What are they gonna do, arrest me?" - Robert, having just passed the brand-new Metro Police HQ, with it visible in his back windows as he says it ;-P Seriously, as a Nashvillian, I wish I'd known you were in town, because I would have loved a meetup; the Lane Motor Museum is cool and definitely your kind of place.
Same thing when Regular Car Reviews was in Nashville also sampling some of the LMM’s collection; we would have loved to have an RCR Nashville meetup, and there was a guy willing to let them review a 1st gen Chevrolet Aveo, and I would have been more than happy to toss them the keys to my 2nd gen Chevrolet Aveo for review as well.
Ehm, I'm not sure about US traffic law, but in European countries, you can get fined for driving too slow when you can and should go faster. For example, if you do 60 on the motorway, or like 40 on a national road, you'll be pulled over.
@@thany3 It is the same over here... but that is why he was on the shoulder with his (assuming) hazard flashers on... I heard the turn signals constantly flashing SO...... and I dont think he made it to a major road just regular city streets.
@@thany3 The same happens in the US. Although, if you are experiencing mechanical failure (as he was) and attempting to return to a shop, a cop would have to be a real jerk to write you a citation.
If I had a dollar for every electric car manufacturer that went bankrupt within the first five years of operation, I could probably afford one of their cars.
With removable rear seats to switch between cargo and passenger mode, modern lightweight materials, batteries, and a more powerful motor, that might not be all that bad of a vehicle. It would need a secure window though.
yeah, but all those changes wouldn't get the price down. Batteries might have become somewhat cheaper now, but I don't think you could sell that thing for under 30K€ - and then you'd still compete with a lot things far more capable and/or cheaper.
I used to drive Mia long time ago. I liked the car. And my children loved it even more because of the door opening button and for being so lovely little car. But it was not designed for a cold climate I am living in. Its batteries died prematurely because they were charged at too low temperature.
If it's a lot cheaper than originally (perhaps thanks to newer batteries) and has doors that actually seal, this might become a niche success. It has to get cheaper, actually, because now there are plenty of small electric cars of this size, like the electric ForFour, that cost about the same while offering car-like performance and safety. I doubt the factory in Hungary will add a proper safety cage and an airbag to it.
@@rkan2 i would say it need to be under 13k€, over that price you can get not that old Leaf in good condition. It is though really nice for some specific uses like for disabled people (after some mods) and for deliveries in tight city centres
@@marcusborderlands6177 if it comes to used conventional cars then yes, but if it comes to electrics it's just game of price vs range vs features vs mobility in city. It's not about comfort, reliability, parts cost etc. like in normal cars.
Way ahead of its time! Now, in 2020, you might be able to offer it for 10-15k € (preferably the lower end, as you can get the Citroen Ami for about 7000 € even with the upgrades). That would make it a dream for urban commuters, young families and second cars.
3:41 That's standard equipment here in Europe (i think every where outside north america). And yeah the french are known for there electrics, and not in a good way.
@@ptonpc In France it had been for a long time; in fact one reason why the venerable 2CV have headlights mounted on a common bar is precisely to allow to adjust both headlamps together. I'm not sure it's mandatory for that long, but It was on all french cars form the 70's onward.
Ha! Love that divot in the headliner for the driver’s head. Also, from what we can see in the background, more reviews for that museum would be most welcome.
Yep, I get where this guy is coming from. '72 beetle owner here. Fun to hear from a guy with alternate values and different qualifications for respect. There is something fascinating about the more humble and underrated vehicles. (KISS, keep it simple stupid)
I actually saw the van version, in a dealer in ENGLAND, and wondered why I didn't see it anymore. Now I heard how expensive it was, I can see how the company failed to stay in business. But I still think it is amazing that I did see one of these rare vehicles! The Small imported Japanese vans with TWO seats upfront are so crammed in, they would be better off with only One seat upfront, with proper elbow room for the driver
The Mia looks like it was designed for late night dashes to fast food windows. Note the burger trays on each side of the driver and that cute little drive thru sliding window to your left. Try THAT in a McLaren F1!
I am going to guess that they did a central seating position so that they wouldn't have to move the controls from the left to the right in order to sell it to the English and the Irish.
@@Dave_Sisson Very true. If they were that small (and presumably cash poor?), they probably didn't have immediate ambitions to export outside of the EU, though. It does scream "Kei car" to me, so you never know.
@@TheSteinbring I have an eletric Kei Car, it has a top speed of 136km/h, and can fastcharge, and is cheaper than the car in the video. I drove this car over a snowy mountain pass to days ago... You couldn't done that with the car in the video..
@@MichaelEricMenk But when and by who was your Keicar made? The Mia was made in 2010, and by a company that primary activity is creating specific rear parts on existing vehicles (transforming a Mercedes station-wagon in an ambulance, for example) and a secondary one was turning production cars into electric cars. We're not talking about the level of expertise and found available for something like the Renault Zoe.
There's actually a great link between your Trabi and that Mia Electric whatchamacallit. In Berlin there's a tour operator called Trabi-Safari, and they do (as you've guessed) tours of the city using old Trabant P601s. Their fleet consists of a bunch of two-stroke P601s, a couple of electric conversion Trabants (let that sink in!) and a number of those Mias! They use the electric cars as lead vehicle for the tour guide, and the tourists get to drive the two-strokes on Berlin's city streets. cdn.getyourguide.com/img/tour_img-431503-146.jpg
True. But IC engine power isn't like 'lectric power. All torque available at a standstill; the best reason for hating the idiot hypermiling Prius drivers for not driving like they mean it!
3:40 the headlight angle switch is a common thing in most European cars. It's rarely used but is there so if you are towing a trailer or you have a heavy load in the back of the vehicle, that is raising up the front of the vehicle, you can angle the headlights down slightly to compensate for that.
@@LMB222 Not sure if it's European only one not, but AFAIK it was and still is a legal requirement in France. (unless you have xenon or other hi-tech headlamps which must have automatic leveling) and it has been for a long time since it was present on the 2CV already.
Speaking of French, definitely looked like a shrunken down European minivan. Something like the Renault Espace or Fiat Ulysse... Shrunken down and on crack!
Great! Love your reviews, the other stuff too, dont get me wrong. This actually looks pretty usable if it had more power and better seals. Perfect shuttle for some really old town centers in France that have no roadspace. I like the kind of dome cutout in the headliner for more room. I want to see you try out all the crazy cars visable in the back. Do it for science!
@@DigitalDiabloUK It's very common for electric cars to do that. The SEER Volta (I'm sure he'd love testing it) was made with lots of part from Peugeot.
@@CherryGS because he most likely grew up using the Imperial system and is likely to have developed a 'feeling' for that to a level that I shall never achieve. I honestly feel that it is more logical, or better adapted to 'my logical system' anyway. I have seen explanations by Americans why the Imperial system is better, and I can understand that but I just don't feel it.
Yes, it actually is better for anything I've ever run across. Why the rest of us Americans can't "get" it, I don't know. Our money is more or less "metric," after all, with one hundred cents equaling a dollar. Yet we have to measure liquids with this weird '3 of this is one of those, and 4 of those equals one of something else, and 8 of something else equals something other, and 16 of something other equaling yet another something entirely' type of nonsense that everyone needs a magnet on their fridge to even try to remember. Very annoying.
What a great little car, I can see you have an attraction to similar vehicles as me, I have a Mitsubishi minicab miev EV , my previous car was a Steyr Daimler Puch Haflinger 700AP, the smallest vehicle with the longest name, and before that a Honda Acty Van, 550cc two cylinder power house : )
I'm french and i got a MIA L 12KW, and it's my daily driver. Got it two years ago for 2500€ (2800 USD) and less than 4500km (3000 miles) and i REALLY love driving it everyday. It got now 13000 miles and no problem so far. It takes four and half hour to charge on a regular 220V 16A plug, and cost less than 2$ for 75 miles. No AC, no electric glass, no power steering, no gearbox, and an electric heater for winter. And ONE windshield wiper ... Really love the philosophy of it : simple, serviceable and very economical So sad for you that it went into limp mode, did you try to switch the ECO mode button ?
4:50 , some places in Europe consider an inspection fail if anything is mounted on the front window. This meant many cars with plastic trim sold in Europe often now how very smooth points which are great for things like phone mounts or GPS, which are mounted with suction cups
That 25 year import law was to protect US carmakers, because they build the big, oversized gas guzzlers instead of the smaller compact cars that can get 50 or more MPG, that people here actually wanted. The car lobbyists threw a bunch of money at Washington, to protect themselves. They didn't want to spend money to develop safer small cars, so they used the law to protect themselves against competition. Plus those same lobbyists threw a bunch of money into convincing US citizens they had to have giant, oversized vehicles like the Hummer and F-350... and sadly, it seems to have worked on a lot of people. Those of us who looked longingly at the super-efficient cars being made overseas just got a slap in the face from the 25 year import law, is all. And it makes us dislike the oversized gas guzzlers even more. No. One. Needs. Cars. That. Large.
If $33,500 came up from a currency calculator, then its french price (€24,900) is probably with tax already included, as we in Europe usually include the tax on the pricetag. Only exception is, if the goods are expected to be sold to company, which can potenctially buy them tax deductable.
Mirrors could be for seeing above maybe traffic lights I remember hearing about some European lights being hard to see from a certain seating position this is a guess
I'm reading so much about new battery tech in development. Lithium Sulfur, Lithium CO2 and Solid State Batteries, all very promising. They all promise much more charge, with Lithium Sulfur the lowest being already twice the charge current batteries have. This would make all these old Electric cars much more interesting.
I really want that in the future with both better 3D printers of industrial size and better batteries we will be able to have a way to have vehicles like this one being made cheap(maybe for 15.000USD). and probably with a better range of 200+ miles!
Fox Automotive Switzerland owns the Mia brand. In September 2019 they decided to to move the factory to Komárom, Hungary, where they will be able to manufacture, as they say, 12k cars a year. And they will produce the car in the video again, probably with slight updates.
Weird little French cars have that effect on people like us. You should try to get your hands on a Citroen 2CV, between its wacky suspension and the exceedingly quirky shift pattern you would love it.
Rumor has it that the Mia Electric will actually be produced again under a new ownership in Hungary. So maybe you will actually be able to buy one yourself now instead of the Smart Electric. ;)
If you really like dumb little electric car, you should look into the "Renault Twizy". You can hardly call it a car but it sure is fun (and painful) to drive.
