Interesting points, all. The power-to-weight and range is tricky to figure-- it's so hard to know what you want, what you need, because low torque often means great range, but there is a point when it's almost impractical. I bet people will like the SL-- if they ever get a chance to ride it, and I haven't-- because it sounds it's probably light enough, and some buyers will compromise on price before compromising on weight. If your weight limit is 50 pounds, or 45, for a cruiser, there's usually a reason for it-- you don't want to lift it, put it on a rack, or your older, etc.-- and you often REALLY don't to exceed that, and if you can afford it, you'll sigh and pay more.
I just got a Motobecane Ultra eAdventure, and man, at 49 pounds and 40 Nm of torque from the Shimano E5000, it's right on the tipping point. It rides great, corners incredibly well, handles the criminally bad pavement here like it's nothing, and unbelievably stable going downhill at high speed-- there is no rattling of ANYthing. The Deore 10 shifts incredibly smoothly, I don't know how I've tolerated my acoustic bikes!
But low torque mid-drive is definitely playing with my head! On level grounds and medium hills, it's totally fine. As I get closer to the max incline around here, which seems to be 15%, I'm less sure... as I go up the hill, I keep thinking, "This isn't going to work, I'm gonna have to sell this bike in a year or two," (I'm 63) and then a few seconds later, "No, wait... I just wasn't in the right gear... or is it giving me more power now?" I get home from a ride and think, "That was more of a workout than my 40-pound hub drive on the same route," and then think, "Well, wait a minute, I'm not soaked in sweat, my legs aren't burning, maybe it just felt different."
The Moto, however, was only $2,000, and the build quality seems tremendous. It's gonna be great.... I think... well, maybe not... of course it is...
...and so on.
