Well, it was just dumb luck that I read Carlos' post in this thread yesterday afternoon. Of course I'm signed up for the "drive electric tour" event in MD this weekend, but I hadn't heard that Nissan was bringing LEAFs to DC-area dealers in advance of that. Judging by the handful of names on the signup sheet at Koons Falls Church, very few other people got the news. In any event, being an old retired guy I was able to head right over to Koons and hop into the driver's seat of a silver LEAF.
The test drive was only a 1.4 mile loop, and I never got above 30 mph, but every little bit helps and I'm even more stoked for my next test drive on Sunday morning at National Harbor. The LEAF looked much better to me up close than in photos, and I'm anxious to see the red and blue colors in person. The short spin yesterday only confirmed some of what I have read in reviews; it feels like a perfectly capable compact car with more low-end torque than my Civic, and that's fine. After all, it may be some years before I ever drive an EV more than 40-50 miles from home, so I don't need a sporty ride for mountain roads. That's what my motorcycles are for, anyway.
The Nissan rep from SoCal told me to expect to order my LEAF in July and have it delivered in the fall... needless to say, I have my doubts about that, but seeing and driving the car this week will do a lot to help get me through the months ahead. Since it's nearly a year since I plunked down the $99, perhaps I'm over halfway home!
