LED headlights/ SV vs SL

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Tsiah

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2017
Messages
143
Location
Salt Lake City
The major differences between SV and SL models seems to be the LED headlights, heated back seat and the rear cargo cover. If I can get an SL for the same money, I'd prefer it but if an SV will save me enough money initially, I don't see the point in going to the SL trim.
Do the factory LED headlights provide any benefit over an after market LED replacement I could drop in place of the halogen lamps?
I can purchase a cargo cover later on and the heated rear seats don't do me much good right now as the kid who will spend the most of the time in the car(aside from me) is in a car seat for another 4 years and a booster after that.
That solar spoiler doesn't seem all that useful (maybe it maintains the 12v battery a little better)
 
The SL OEM headlights are very good and DOT approved (so, perfectly street legal). They are complemented with halogen high beams with a compromised reflector design. The OEM LEDs are passively cooled with a large external heat sink.

The halogen headlights on the SV are fine, but a letdown if you are used to HID. They are dual filament H13 bulbs with a better high beam pattern than what the SL manages. The halogens also dim towards yellow as the LEAF 12V system runs at around 13V unless you run the wipers.

I upgraded my SV halogen to LED using a Hioshi conversion kit. No external ballast and the units fit completely inside the stock housings. They provide an excellent beam pattern and strong cutoff so as not to dazzle oncoming traffic. They give the same bright white light regardless of the LEAF's 12v drift. They are also set up to run high and low beams simultaneously when high beams are activated, giving much more light than the halogens that switch off the low beams when running high beams. Downsides: not DOT certified, so technically "for off road use only". Also the cooling fans create a low hum you can hear if the climate control is off. There are some other brands that have passive cooling and/or external ballasts, but I don't have any experience with them. Others here might chime in. Lots of threads about LED upgrades.

Edit: make sure to check headlight aim after any upgrades. You definitely do not want to be dazzling oncoming traffic with poorly aimed lights. The aiming procedure is floating around on this forum somewhere.
 
My thinking is that the factory LEDs are probably crazy expensive to replace and if there's no real other advantage to the factory lights or any real reason to go to the higher trim level, I'll probably just look for an SV. :)
 
Pretty sure heated rear seats were standard on 2013/2014/2015 SVs. You haven't indicated what model year you want to purchase, but hope that info helps
 
For 2016, at least, the SL added heated rear seats, LED headlights, automatic headlights and auto-adjusting dash brightness, HomeLink auto-dimming mirror, and of course, leather seating surfaces. I really didn't want leather again. LED upgrades and HomeLink can be added easily enough. Someone on the forum has even added the auto headlight feature after the fact.

Yes, the LED chips are not cheap for the OEM headlights should a failure occur. There is even a sensor and annunciator light on the instrument cluster to tell you than an LED module has failed. Kind of hard to beat good ol' halogen for replacement cost. The LEDs save less than 1/4 mile of range at best, by my calculations.
 
alozzy said:
Pretty sure heated rear seats were standard on 2013/2014/2015 SVs. You haven't indicated what model year you want to purchase, but hope that info helps
When I test-drove my 2013 SV, I tested all the heated seat switches. IIRC, in the front, both the seat bottom and back are heated, but in the back seat, only the seat bottom got hot.
 
They are complemented with halogen high beams with a compromised reflector design.

To say the least! The halogen High beams in both the SV and, AFAIK the SL, are TERRIBLE. It's not worth getting the LED "upgrade" because the halogen low beams are fine, and you still get the terrible high beams with the LED lights. Get whatever trim you prefer, and use aftermarket, fanless dual-beam LEDs.
 
alozzy said:
Pretty sure heated rear seats were standard on 2013/2014/2015 SVs. You haven't indicated what model year you want to purchase, but hope that info helps
I'm on the lookout for a 16.

Thanks for all the input everyone.
I figured the LED lights don't make enough of a difference in range to even bother counting those watts.

I can always add the auto dimming mirror and aftermarket LEDs later. I think I'll just plan on getting an SV unless I find a great deal on an SL. :D
 
If you are looking for a 2016, why not just lease a 2017 and take advantage of all the rebates and incentives out there just now. You haven't mentioned where you live, but in some states the local electric company has partnered with Nissan to give you up to $10K in rebates - in addition to any federal and state incentives:

https://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/ev-incentives

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1225&hilit=rebate&start=490
 
alozzy said:
If you are looking for a 2016, why not just lease a 2017 and take advantage of all the rebates and incentives out there just now. You haven't mentioned where you live, but in some states the local electric company has partnered with Nissan to give you up to $10K in rebates - in addition to any federal and state incentives:

https://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/ev-incentives

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1225&hilit=rebate&start=490
I live in Utah. There's no state tax incentive anymore.

Because a lease will cost more than a used purchase, that $10000 through my utility is only on a purchase. I'm not going to put thousands down out of pocket just to get a lease to an affordable monthly payment. Also, I drive 1500 miles a month. A lease with 18,000 miles/year is crazy expensive.
 
Sounds like you've thought it through, too bad Utah no longer has incentives. I mentioned it because some people have been able to purchase brand new 2017 Leafs for under $15k.

Hope you find a 2016 at a great price, good luck!
 
Ya, I've been reading a lot of people are getting them that cheap. I thought I could too but the lease still worked out to be $3xx/month at 12k miles a year with nothing down. :(

I already found one. They're asking $17500 but I'm going to try to get it to $17,000 out the door. It's an SV, 2891 miles. I just have to wait till I get some things paid off and get my charging station installed, then I'll jump on the car. :D
 
I'm guessing you want a 2016 SV so you can get a 30 kWh battery, is that right? $17k for a 2016 SV with a 30 kWh battery sounds like a good deal!
 
Tsiah said:
Ya, I've been reading a lot of people are getting them that cheap. I thought I could too but the lease still worked out to be $3xx/month at 12k miles a year with nothing down. :(

I already found one. They're asking $17500 but I'm going to try to get it to $17,000 out the door. It's an SV, 2891 miles. I just have to wait till I get some things paid off and get my charging station installed, then I'll jump on the car. :D

If you have found one car that you like, the price is ok, and there are no other prospects, I suggest you buy it now, rather than regret losing it later. If it's a short matter of time to get paid up, try a deposit on it to hold it for 30 days.
 
Yes, i need the 30 kWh pack.

We need to get 2 debts paid off and get my wife's surgery all paid for (the surgery was just yesterday) then I have to get the EVSE ordered and get the outlet installed in the garage. I'm a couple months out at least. I don't want to let the car go (2800 miles... Dang thing is almost new!) but it's not really a color I want. It's no biggie if it sells, there should be some of the 2 year lease cars coming back this summer/fall. I need those other debts paid off before I get the car. I don't want to be in a position where overtime goes away and suddenly I can't afford to pay bills. ;)
 
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