2012 SV vs 2014 S?

[earlgrey]

Hello!
Yesterday I purchased my firs leaf, a 2012 Leaf SV through Carmax. It's got 30k miles and the DC quick charge port, which is beneficial where I live.

However, Carmax has a 2014 Leaf S at 20k miles with the DC fast charge port for the same price in a nearby town. I can "return" my current leaf and get the 2014 at no fee.

The dealership told me the 2012 has a heat pump... I didn't think 2012's came with that as an option? My range projection in 15 degree weather was cut by ~25% when I turned the heater on.

Any leading questions on how to identify what the 2014 has would be super helpful... Trying to decipher the different packages post 2012 is giving me a headache! Is there a VIN search function somewhere that I can use to look up that info?

Anywho. I love the car, super fun to drive if pretty bad in the snow. I'll never get tired of turning off the climate control and radio to just listen to the engine.

As a side note, any perspectives on public charging? I park in a parking garage while at work and occasionally overnight that has outlets, and it's really tempting to plug in the trickle charger...

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[jjeff]

Get the '14, NO doubt. From '13 and on Leafs got many upgrades over the '11 and '12 generation.
The '14 S model won't have the heat pump heater(nor does your '12) but does have a more efficient and faster reacting "air" heater as opposed to the slower liquid heater in the older Leafs.
There might be a few positives to the '12 but IMO the negatives far outweigh positives. The '14 will have the double speed charger, that alone would make it worth it to me. When plugging out and about most EVSEs are 30a, but the '12 only charges at 16a, the '14 will charge at 27.5a.

 

[earlgrey]

Jeff, thank you for the input! What specific improvements are key between the two? The battery composition seems to be huge. Torque is lower though? Also no spendy aluminum panels

Did the 2014 S come standard with 6.6kw charger? If not, would the "Charge Package" that included the quick charger also include the 6.6kw?

 

[Reddy]

Echo above. Get the 2014.

 

[joeriv]

No brainer - 2014 much better vehicle.

 

[earlgrey]

Thank you for the additional feedback! To reiterate, are we sure this model/trim has the 6.6kw onboard charger?

 

[Bretsuaz]

I think the only way to get the 6.6 charger in the 14 S is if you have the F01 package.


So if the car has the quick charge port, it should have the 6.6 on board charger.

I would get the 14 as well.

 

[jjeff]

I'm currently looking at a '14 Leaf sales brochure and if it has the Charge Package(only package available on a '14 S model) it will have the QC port and also the 6.6kW onboard charger. In '13 you had to get the "Charge Package" to get the RearView Monitor, by '14 the RearView Monitor was standard on all Leafs.
Note another big advantage to post '12 Leafs is the very useful SOC% display, older Leafs only have the very inaccurate GOM, they also improved the GOM on later Leafs. Oh and post '12 Leafs went with an electronic charge cover door you can activate from the remote, prior to that it was a mechanical release like the hood and under the dash.
I own both a '12 and '13 and much prefer the '13, much more regen on the '13 although some of that may be due to my '12 is missing a few health bars which effects maximum regen. Also Leafs made after 4/13 while not the "lizard" battery have none the less exhibited less gradual loss in capacity than pre 4/13 Leafs, IMO get the '14. I drive both Leafs in ECO mode and both seem just as fast, the '12 might seem a bit quicker in non eco mode but again I really never drive in that mode.
Oh and a BIG PIA with the '12(if it has NAV) is EVERYTIME you start the car you have to push the damn NAG screen agreeing to something, that and EVERYTIME you start the car you have to double shift to get into ECO, the '13's and on ECO mode sticks until you turn it off with another double shift.

 

[Bretsuaz]

Jeff,

can you tell me if all the 15s have the Lizzard pack?

 

[LeftieBiker]

All 2015 Leafs have the Lizard pack, and possibly some late-build '14s as well.

 

[RonDawg]

The only advantages the 2012 SV would have over the 2014 S:

1. Long Life (80% charge) mode. This was removed starting with the 2014 models.
2. Larger touch screen with built-in navigation. The navi part wasn't particularly great and I found myself using the Maps program of my phone instead. Not sure if the sound quality of the SV's radio was better than the S. However the touch screen on the SV/SL lets you set start timers; the S model is end-only timer.
3. Car Wings, IF you pay for the upgrade to 3G, otherwise after the end of this year it won't work.

Other differences are more minor, things like alloy wheels on the 2012, and a light colored interior on the 2012 which may or may not be an advantage (doesn't get as hot as black in the summer but also gets dirty extremely easily). 2011-2012 uses an electric parking brake, 2013+ uses a foot operated one.

Otherwise the 2014 S is a much better buy for the reasons already stated.

 

[RonDawg]

As everybody has been focused on whether the 2014 S is a better deal, one question of yours did seem to be overlooked:

As a side note, any perspectives on public charging? I park in a parking garage while at work and occasionally overnight that has outlets, and it's really tempting to plug in the trickle charger...

Be VERY careful about plugging into random outlets without permission (written preferably), particularly at work, or at your home if you live in an apartment or condo complex. A person here claims he was fired for doing so, another one got a nasty-gram from his work despite claims he got verbal approval from a supervisor.

In home situations, one poster said his apartment or condo complex sent him a warning letter to cease using the outlets in the common parking garage.

As I stated above, get WRITTEN permission if possible if you are going to do this.

 

[earlgrey]

Thanks all for the input; looks like the 2014 was shipped out on Saturday and will be here tomorrow/Wednesday. I'll be careful to not steal electricity from my parking garage

BTW my Carmax experience was unreal... I've only bought cars via private party up until this point, but was forced to a dealership for a Leaf (there was only one within ~250 miles).

Though their knowledge of the car itself was underwhelming, the rest of their customer service was excellent. No pushy sales for add-on's/warranties, no attempts to get me to finance, etc. When I called my sales guy on Friday about the 2014, he was out sick but still took care of the transfer from home!

The cherry on the top is, they are letting me drive the 2012 until the 2014 gets in. That's crazy to me.

Anywho, that's my $0.02.

 

[RonDawg]

BTW my Carmax experience was unreal...Though their knowledge of the car itself was underwhelming...

The experience at most Leaf-certified Nissan dealers isn't a whole lot better...

 

[earlgrey]

Oy. Got the 2014..... No "Fast Charge" upgrade, so no chademo and presumably the 3.3kw charger.

Kinda pissed since I triple checked this and their website stated "fast charger upgrade."

Anywho, there's only one chademo around here.... you all still think 2014 is the way to go?

 

[LeftieBiker]

Oy. Got the 2014..... No "Fast Charge" upgrade, so no chademo and presumably the 3.3kw charger.

Kinda pissed since I triple checked this and their website stated "fast charger upgrade."

Anywho, there's only one chademo around here.... you all still think 2014 is the way to go?

It depends on your priorities. If you want battery range and longevity, stick with the 2014. If you want a better heater, stick with the 2014, which has a direct-to-air heater that is faster and more efficient. If you want fast charge and/or the alloy wheels and nav screen, get the 2012.

 

[earlgrey]

Leftie, I see you have no QC. Any regrets?

Really it's just sinking in... I love the car but expected it to have the 6.6kw charger. I don't really need it.

There's a part of me that thinks as battery technology gets better, I can swap for a larger pack in 5-10 years when the battery is degraded.

Having no way to fast charge 40-50kwh makes that a lot less likely, especially if a 3.3kw charger is the other option.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Leftie, I see you have no QC. Any regrets?

Not really. We didn't have a single QC station in my region until just a few months ago, so the deal I got on my car for not having it didn't hurt a bit. It does prevent me from considering a lease buyout, but I don't think I'd be happy with my current (and slowly shrinking) range even with a QC station nearby. I'll likely be moving on to a Bolt, and that will definitely have SAE Combo Fast Charge, even though I'll rarely actually need it. $750 isn't too much to pay for 'range insurance'.

 

[cwerdna]

If you want fast charge and/or the alloy wheels and nav screen, get the 2012.

Huh? 2012 SV does not and cannot have CHAdeMO inlet (aka quick charge port). See specs tab of http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/usa/channels/Leaf-Press-Kits/presskits/US-2012-nissan-leaf-press-kit. It's only standard on the 2012 SL.

If you look at the charging ports, if you see two inlets like the two at http://www.plugincars.com/electric-vehicle-charging-basics-125792.html, you have CHAdeMO and J1772 inlets. If you only have the one on the right, that's J1772 only.

If the car is 2012 SL, it'll have both inlets and a solar panel on the rear spoiler.

It wasn't until 2013 that you could get CHAdeMO inlets on other trim levels.

Re: "Having no way to fast charge 40-50kwh makes that a lot less likely, especially if a 3.3kw charger is the other option.", are you referring to charge rates of CHAdeMO DC FCs which are often 44 or 50 kW at max?

kW and kWh are very different metrics. It's the same as confusing gallons with horsepower. Think of kW = horsepower, kWh = gallons.

If one charges at 1 kW (or 1000 watts) for 6 hours, 6 kWh came out of the wall. If it's at 6 kW for 1 hour, it's also 6 kWh. If it's 1 watt for 6000 hours, it's also 6 kWh.

(BTW, 1 hp = ~0.746 kW and 1 gallon of gasoline=33.7 kWh.)

 

[LeftieBiker]

Damn, too many similar topics. I thought that QC was an option on the 2012 SV and I thought the o.p had said it was there. Time for me to go to bed!

Are you sure it wasn't an SV option in 2012...?