Elantra gone...hello Leaf!

Hi everyone!

My name is Holly and I just got my 2012 Leaf SL yesterday. It's Glacier Pearl and has the blue center console.

Before the Leaf, I was driving a 2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited, without the tech package. [That means that it had sunroof, heated leather seats, side repeaters, fog lamps, and more, but it did NOT have the nav, push-button start, proximity key, backup cam, premium sound, etc.] It is still a car that I would highly recommend for people who do a lot of long-distance highway driving.

I am actually still a forum moderator for a Hyundai forum, and help manage the Elantra subforums. Believe it or not, all the folks on there were extremely happy for me and my new Leaf, and they didn't kick me off as a mod, even though I no longer drive a Hyundai!

The main "problem" with the Elantra is that it gets excellent highway mileage as promised, but around town and in my extremely hilly neighborhood, it gets terrible mileage. Under 20 mpg a lot of the time. It saddened me because I loved everything about the car, especially the looks. But the problem is, I am not a highway commuter. I am a city driver. I make a lot of short-distance trips to the store, because I live close to a lot of things. I lost my job a couple months ago, but even before that, it was only 2 miles from my house.

Now, that said, I had no plans of getting rid of the Elantra...until last night.

My husband drove a 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track, which is their top-of-the-line car. But he bought it before we married, and came upon a realization that he needed something more utilitarian. He had his heart set on a Nissan Xterra.

So, yesterday we went in to basically get his Xterra. Then....while they were working out all the paperwork, he started looking at the Leaf in the showroom. And then he fell in love. Next thing we knew, the salesman was pulling around to make us test drive it.

I had no idea that the Leaf was so quick, solid, and quiet! I had imagined more of a slow tin can (Toyota Yaris, anyone? I rented one once -- yech.) Anyway, so my mind was completely changed, but I still wasn't sure I wanted to make the jump. But, we worked the numbers out and I ended up driving one home. The salesman picked up the Elantra from my house and drove it back.

While I miss my leather seats and sunroof, and the overall cohesive nature of the Elantra, I like everything else about the Leaf. Its looks didn't have me sold at first, but they're growing on me.

Welcome to MNL and congratulations as a new LEAF driver. The smile will last for many months and there are some active MNL folks in Washington and I'm sure you will get to share information with them.

Welcome to the LEAF family, Holly. I know that you'll enjoy your LEAF as much as we have enjoyed ours over the past 17 months. Please keep us posted on your discoveries as you learn about life with an EV.

Is there anything we can answer for you at this early stage? Are you using the 110 volt trickle charging cable that came with the car, or do you have a Level 2 solution in place? Are you aware of http://www.evseupgrade.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;? If you don't need a permanently installed EVSE box, the upgrade of your standard evse through these folks is highly recommended here.

Thank you both for the welcome. Wow, glad I joined this forum already. Didn't know about the website you recommended, Boomer23.

So, right now I've got the car charging on the trickle charger. One major problem is that I live in the rainy Pacific NW and don't have a garage. It's summer right now, so I'm OK, but when the rain comes...eesh! Gonna have to figure that one out. There is a potential for me being able to park under a covered area, but there will be a few logistics to sort out, as it requires driving over a curb. Ramp, anyone? Not sure if we will put an L2 in the house because we rent and aren't sure how long we'll be here. It's a weird setup. We rent a house right next to our church, and made some compromises because they practically begged us to rent the house, lol. We have their entire parking lot as our "driveway," but no garage. There is an unfinished basement for "garage-type stuff" but no covered place to park a car.

Portland is doing pretty great with the availability of L2's. Many Fred Meyer stores have L2's, and the Weidler location has a 30-minute one. My husband and I actually scoped it out today. It's run by Blink, but you can't use it until you get your Blink card (no guest access on the 30-minute one, unlike the L2's, where you can guest access. I will get my Blink card in 7-10 business days. :roll:

One of the Fred Meyer locations is very close to my house, and there is also one at a Kohl's 2 miles away. I checked both out today and used the Fred Meyer one while picking up a prescription. I also checked out a Fred Meyer location on 39th and Hawthorne, and used their charger for an hour while my husband and I shopped for an upcoming camping trip (in our new Xterra).

Anyhow, so not too many questions yet, but I am sure more will come up as things progress.

P.S. I really don't like the extremely light-colored seats - they scare me - so I sprayed them all down with a protectant spray tonight.

Msquared said:

The main "problem" with the Elantra is that it gets excellent highway mileage as promised, but around town and in my extremely hilly neighborhood, it gets terrible mileage. Under 20 mpg a lot of the time. It saddened me because I loved everything about the car, especially the looks. But the problem is, I am not a highway commuter. I am a city driver. I make a lot of short-distance trips to the store, because I live close to a lot of things. I lost my job a couple months ago, but even before that, it was only 2 miles from my house.

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Welcome aboard. As you no doubt discovered, short city drives kills mileage.

FWIW, Consumer Reports in their tests of the '11 Elantra GLS got 20 city/39 highway, 29 mpg overall. The last page of http://www.consumersunion.org/Oct_CR_Fuel_Economy.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; describes their tests vs. the old EPA tests. Yet, when I post CR's results of certain cars in certain other car forums (Priuschat included), some people will SLAM me and CR. :roll: Their short city test, not surprisingly yields crappy mileage vs. the EPA estimate.

(If you'd like to learn more about the EPA test, see http://priuschat.com/forums/other-cars/67235-car-driver-truth-about-epa-city-highway-mpg-estimates.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Shortest test cycle starting from a cold engine is 31.2 minutes long w/11 simulated miles.)

You're very fortunate to have a lot of charging infrastructure up there, including QC. Tony Williams used it to drive his Leaf from BC to BC. http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=8879" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

cwerdna,

Thanks for your input. Even as a somewhat biased former Hyundai owner, everyone over on the Hyundai forums knows that the Elantra can get the "magical 40+" mpgs when you're driving on perfectly flat land, going exactly 60 mph, no head winds, yada yada yada. :roll: Many of the members from places like Florida and Texas and such report great figures for freeway driving.

However, as I've already stated, I do NOT live where it's flat, and do NOT drive long freeway distances every day.

Going on a 2 hour trip over pretty flat land, going a constant 65, I would get 38. Then, around my neighborhood, I would average 19!

The Leaf is certainly a lifestyle car, and many of my friends over on Hyundai forums love the Leaf but cannot fit in into their lives because they have long commutes and/or are from places where charging station infrastructure is not set up. But, everyone's been surprisingly supportive of me getting the Leaf because they know my struggles with in-town mileage and know I am not a long commuter. Guess it also helps that I am still their moderator and can ban them if they hate on my Leaf, lol! Naw, I wouldn't to that.

Msquared said:

cwerdna,

Thanks for your input. Even as a somewhat biased former Hyundai owner, everyone over on the Hyundai forums knows that the Elantra can get the "magical 40+" mpgs when you're driving on perfectly flat land, going exactly 60 mph, no head winds, yada yada yada. :roll: Many of the members from places like Florida and Texas and such report great figures for freeway driving.

However, as I've already stated, I do NOT live where it's flat, and do NOT drive long freeway distances every day.

Going on a 2 hour trip over pretty flat land, going a constant 65, I would get 38. Then, around my neighborhood, I would average 19!

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Yeah, I kinda know what you mean. I lived in the Seattle area for ~9 years and have taken a few trips to Portland. You probably have seen http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/fuel-economy/mileage-moment-of-truth-we-put-40-mpg-claims-to-the-test-6651300-2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; already.

BTW, back to the EPA test, it's not conducted on a real road (they use a dyno), nor do they measure actual fuel usage. The highest average speed of any of the test cycles is only 48.4 mph.

cwerdna said:

Msquared said:

cwerdna,

Thanks for your input. Even as a somewhat biased former Hyundai owner, everyone over on the Hyundai forums knows that the Elantra can get the "magical 40+" mpgs when you're driving on perfectly flat land, going exactly 60 mph, no head winds, yada yada yada. :roll: Many of the members from places like Florida and Texas and such report great figures for freeway driving.

However, as I've already stated, I do NOT live where it's flat, and do NOT drive long freeway distances every day.

Going on a 2 hour trip over pretty flat land, going a constant 65, I would get 38. Then, around my neighborhood, I would average 19!

Click to expand...

Yeah, I kinda know what you mean. I lived in the Seattle area for ~9 years and have taken a few trips to Portland. You probably have seen http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/fuel-economy/mileage-moment-of-truth-we-put-40-mpg-claims-to-the-test-6651300-2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; already.

BTW, back to the EPA test, it's not conducted on a real road (they use a dyno), nor do they measure actual fuel usage. The highest average speed of any of the test cycles is only 48.4 mph.

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No! I haven't seen that PM article, so thanks for sharing!

Also, I had no idea about the EPA tests. I am learning a lot!

I know a lot about some things, but this whole Leaf world is entirely new to me and I feel like a baby with so much to learn yet!

Msquared said:

Hi everyone!

My name is Holly and I just got my 2012 Leaf SL yesterday. It's Glacier Pearl and has the blue center console.

Before the Leaf, I was driving a 2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited, without the tech package. [That means that it had sunroof, heated leather seats, side repeaters, fog lamps, and more, but it did NOT have the nav, push-button start, proximity key, backup cam, premium sound, etc.] It is still a car that I would highly recommend for people who do a lot of long-distance highway driving.

While I miss my leather seats and sunroof, and the overall cohesive nature of the Elantra, I like everything else about the Leaf. Its looks didn't have me sold at first, but they're growing on me.

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Welcome to the forum Holly! You'll love the LEAF and you don't have to go without leather or the sunroof! Here's a few mods consider:

1. New tires - MXM4 or MXV4 to improve driving experience. Wheels would be nice too. Here.
2. Leather Seats. Example here.
3. Wood or Aluminum panaling just for fun. Here
4. Side Moldings. Here
5. Turn signals. Here
6. New horn. Here
7. Sunroof
8.Coilovers, subwoofers etc. Here

Of course, if you're leasing you may not want to do all of these things. Still, I think changing the tires is worth it for the noticeable improvements in handling and pavement feedback.

Msquared said:

But, everyone's been surprisingly supportive of me getting the Leaf because they know my struggles with in-town mileage and know I am not a long commuter. Guess it also helps that I am still their moderator and can ban them if they hate on my Leaf, lol! Naw, I wouldn't to that.

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Once the Leaf owners have access to the corridors of power, it will be all over for the EV haters! :mrgreen: Welcome aboard!

Congratulations.. depending on how many miles you drive daily charging at 120V may be perfectly allright.

How close can you park to your house?, the EVSE (charging dock) is weather proof to some degree plus it is protected from shorts, so its not likely you will get shocked if its raining. You dont want to be running a long extension cord, too easy to trip over it. You can also install a 240V EVSE outside the home, they can easily be unplugged once you move, but you will be out of the expense of having an electrician run a cable to that location.

welcome Holly!!

like you; i live in NW

like you; i rent

like you; i unemployed (but dont like the emphasize that part...)

the EVSE upgrade link allows you to get your trickle charge cable modified to get 240 charging. this charges quicker and more efficiently and its basically waterproof.

now, you do want to get a cover of sorts both for water protection and theft protection (had a Seattlelite had her stolen one day while she was fishing out in the middle of nowhere!)

ad far as seats? i have a 5 YO who has already spilled just about everything you can spill (chocolate milk, grape juice...ya, its bad) but actually the seats clean up very well. i did not put anything on them to protect them and they still clean up pretty good.


i also recommend joining local Facebook LEAF owners group

Welcome!

I traded in a 2008 Elantra for my Leaf, and 6 days after getting my Leaf, my other car, a 2011 Elantra Limited, was totaled in an accident (no injuries, except for the motorcyclist that hit the car and is now suing me...)

Anyway, welcome to the club!

eHelmholtz said:

Welcome to the forum Holly! You'll love the LEAF and you don't have to go without leather or the sunroof! Here's a few mods consider:

1. New tires - MXM4 or MXV4 to improve driving experience. Wheels would be nice too. Here.
2. Leather Seats. Example here.
3. Wood or Aluminum panaling just for fun. Here
4. Side Moldings. Here
5. Turn signals. Here
6. New horn. Here
7. sunroof
8.Coilovers, subwoofers etc. Here

Of course, if you're leasing you may not want to do all of these things. Still, I think changing the tires is worth it for the noticeable improvements in handling and pavement feedback.

Click to expand...

I can't open the link for the sunroof ... for real? Can someone "guide" me, please?

And, Holly, CONGRATULATIONS and welcome!

Welcome. Like some people on the forum I got leather seats in my LEAF. We sold a 2004 Mazda 3s with leather and our other car (Subaru) has leather, so it was a must. We found a local shop that uses Katzkin (a very popular after-market company). The shop allowed us to choose from one of a hundred colors and we ended up going with one identical to the darker color trim in the car. Took them 1 day and it looks factory. They strip off the cloth and put on the leather.

Worth doing if it's something you really want.

sp4rk said:

I can't open the link for the sunroof ... for real? Can someone "guide" me, please?
And, Holly, CONGRATULATIONS and welcome!

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Sorry, I mucked up the link. Try this: Sunroof

Welcome to Team EV :mrgreen:

I hope you enjoy your Leaf as much as I enjoy mine.

Thanks, everyone, for all the warm welcomes, helpful links, and helpful anecdotes!

My dealer did extend the offer to have leather seats installed, but I've already overspent a bit with this car, so I don't have any mods planned for the immediate future. My car payment went up with the Leaf, of course, but my insurance went down, my gas bill went "down," and my dealer maintenance fees are also greatly decreased!

I did spray protectant for the seat on last night (did I already say that?) and my car smells bad now, like a chemical plant, but the stuff seemed to work with no consequence.

Unfortunately, I do have to run an extension cord to reach my car, which I know is BAD, but I've got little choice at this point. When the rain starts, though, I will have to figure out a way to get the car closer or get something installed.

NYLEAF said:

Welcome!

I traded in a 2008 Elantra for my Leaf, and 6 days after getting my Leaf, my other car, a 2011 Elantra Limited, was totaled in an accident (no injuries, except for the motorcyclist that hit the car and is now suing me...)

Anyway, welcome to the club!

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Wow, I am sorry to hear about your Elantra! Glad no one was hurt. Bet that motorcyclist doesn't have his head screwed on straight as a result of the accident. Don't get me started! Most motorcyclists are normal, safe drivers (my parents also ride motorcycles) but I've seen a few morons weaving in and out of traffic as if their lives mean nothing. Anyway, end rant. :roll:

Congratulations on your new car! I think you'll be surprised at your range when going slowly. Unlike your Elantra which got better MPG when on the freeway, you'll get your best range in your Leaf in really bad traffic jams. Slower is better for an EV. Uphills and downhills aren't so bad either because you can recapture a lot of the energy needed for the climb on the way back down.

I doubt you'll miss going to the gas station!

Msquared said:

Unfortunately, I do have to run an extension cord to reach my car, which I know is BAD, but I've got little choice at this point. When the rain starts, though, I will have to figure out a way to get the car closer or get something installed.

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Extension cords are fine. Just get a 12 gauge. I use a 25' cord all the time. You might consider setting up an rain-proof, enclosed, vented box outside to store your EVSA in and make your own charging station. That might make things more convenient. Just secure it somehow so it doesn't walk off.