2018 LEAF Day ONE!

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DaveinOlyWA

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2010
Messages
16,260
Location
Olympia, WA
Be warned, its a long one and don't recommend reading from cellphone unless you are connected to Wi Fi.

But prelim results are VERY promising especially in the BMS arena. MUCH more to come


http://daveinolywa.blogspot.com/2018/02/as-we-all-know-my-preorder-was-for-sv.html
 
Thanks for displaying the screens - this is such an improvement over Gen 1! I drove an S yesterday and was totally impressed with ePedal - very smooth deceleration especially compared to Bolt. I only have 2200 miles on my 2017 S and tempted to sell it for a 2018 S!
 
joeriv said:
Thanks for displaying the screens - this is such an improvement over Gen 1! I drove an S yesterday and was totally impressed with ePedal - very smooth deceleration especially compared to Bolt. I only have 2200 miles on my 2017 S and tempted to sell it for a 2018 S!

Yeah, it took me all of 5 seconds in Las Vegas to fall in love with one pedal. Notice the car can stop smoother than you can? When I stop, I always have that tiny jerk at the very end just before the full stop happens. Not with e pedal. It is very much a perfectly controlled stop in EVERY way!
 
Congratulations, Dave! And thanks for posting about your new LEAF.

I have to admit I glanced at your blog and looked at the second photograph and thought "Wow! Dave really hasn't aged well!" I was happy to see that wasn't actually you! (And, no, you don't have to tell your salesman what I wrote!)

Off to read your post now...
 
Congrats, brother! It will be interesting to follow your posts. I wish you could have held out for the ProPilot, though.
 
jhm614 said:
Congrats, brother! It will be interesting to follow your posts. I wish you could have held out for the ProPilot, though.

Adaptive CC and hybrid heaters were my main draw but the reality is I saved a TON going this way (about $13,000 less than a Bolt) and there have been a lot of upgrades to the basic package. I am working on "Day 2" where I will details all the settings options. Including the "non options" :)
 
Just came back from the Chicago auto show and sat in an SL. Wow dit it feel noticeably bigger and the interior was much nicer than the Bolts . Have 2 years left on our 16 lease. Looking forward to bigger better options at that time.
 
Evoforce said:
Nice blog! It is always fun to have a brand new car. It sounds like you will really enjoy it!

Not only is it new but it is radically different than the old LEAF. E Pedal is cool but still gathering data on how much braking is used but found out that even B mode regen is MUCH higher than before. It takes a bit longer to react but when I only had 10 bars of regen (out of like 16? or so) It would hit max regen in B mode even at speed of 35-45 mph and sustain that 2-3 seconds. That NEVER happened in my 2016!
 
This topic was a less than stellar idea as a blog-topic for one person, but as a place to post first impressions it may do better.

I drove my Scarlet Ember SL home last night, hating the new plastics smell but liking the power and range a lot. The rest falls in between. This evening (still less than 24 hours into driving it) I took a spirited drive along a rural highway. I enjoyed it.

THE GOOD:

Compared to my 2013 this car is a rocketship, and the kind I like, with a smooth, quiet ride, good but not twitchy handling, and plenty of power at any speed up to at least 80MPH. It feels a little more substantial than the 2013, albeit also just a little more ponderous, but I like the overall driving experience. Not having to worry constantly about the remaining range is also very liberating. I may just raise the tire pressures to only 38psi, and I may even wait a few days before doing it!

THE BAD:

Aside from the nasty smell of out-gassing plastics, which I expect from experience to last the better (?) part of a year, I'm already missing the high-mounted digital speedometer. I'm definitely missing the cloth seats, even after installing cheap seat covers while I wait for the better ones to become available for the car. Having to get leather seats in order to get Around View cameras is just one of several things that Nissan is doing with this car that are really crass. I'm also having no luck in getting Pro Pilot to actually steer the car, even though I'm engaging it, turning the steer assist on, lightly holding the wheel, and trying it on roads with painted lines. So far I just get a vibrating steering wheel as the car slowly drifts out of the lane. Back to the manual on that one...finally, the Cruise Control buttons force the driver, because of their nondescript appearance, size and feel, to look down at them to use them, taking his or her eyes off the road. Given how well the previous control was on the Leaf, this is a giant, unsafe step backwards. I'll probably mount tiny joystick-type nubs on two of them. I really shouldn't have to do that myself.

THE ANNOYING:

* The cargo cover is designed to bash, slash, and possibly completely remove the nose of whoever is unfortunate enough to try to unload the cargo compartment - especially at night. Terrible design. I owned two Mercury Tracers with very similar covers, and neither one ever tried to maim me.

* The rear camera is located right next to the hatch open button on the hatch. Grab for the button directly, and you grab or press on the tiny little camera, instead. I have to place my finger on the right side of the handle, slide it left until I feel the side of the camera housing, and then press the hatch open button. Unacceptable.

* I don't know if it's my unfamiliarity or if Nissan is trying to hide it, but it took a LOT of effort to bring up the battery temp display. If it defaults away again when the car is turned off, I'll know which it is.
 
LeftieBiker said:
This topic was a less than stellar idea as a blog-topic for one person, but as a place to post first impressions it may do better.

I drove my Scarlet Ember SL home last night, hating the new plastics smell but liking the power and range a lot. The rest falls in between. This evening (still less than 24 hours into driving it) I took a spirited drive along a rural highway. I enjoyed it.

THE GOOD:

Compared to my 2013 this car is a rocketship, and the kind I like, with a smooth, quiet ride, good but not twitchy handling, and plenty of power at any speed up to at least 80MPH. It feels a little more substantial than the 2013, albeit also just a little more ponderous, but I like the overall driving experience. Not having to worry constantly about the remaining range is also very liberating. I may just raise the tire pressures to only 38psi, and I may even wait a few days before doing it!

THE BAD:

Aside from the nasty smell of out-gassing plastics, which I expect from experience to last the better (?) part of a year, I'm already missing the high-mounted digital speedometer. I'm definitely missing the cloth seats, even after installing cheap seat covers while I wait for the better ones to become available for the car. Having to get leather seats in order to get Around View cameras is just one of several things that Nissan is doing with this car that are really crass. I'm also having no luck in getting Pro Pilot to actually steer the car, even though I'm engaging it, turning the steer assist on, lightly holding the wheel, and trying it on roads with painted lines. So far I just get a vibrating steering wheel as the car slowly drifts out of the lane. Back to the manual on that one...finally, the Cruise Control buttons force the driver, because of their nondescript appearance, size and feel, to look down at them to use them, taking his or her eyes off the road. Given how well the previous control was on the Leaf, this is a giant, unsafe step backwards. I'll probably mount tiny joystick-type nubs on two of them. I really shouldn't have to do that myself.

THE ANNOYING:

* The cargo cover is designed to bash, slash, and possibly completely remove the nose of whoever is unfortunate enough to try to unload the cargo compartment - especially at night. Terrible design. I owned two Mercury Tracers with very similar covers, and neither one ever tried to maim me.

* The rear camera is located right next to the hatch open button on the hatch. Grab for the button directly, and you grab or press on the tiny little camera, instead. I have to place my finger on the right side of the handle, slide it left until I feel the side of the camera housing, and then press the hatch open button. Unacceptable.

* I don't know if it's my unfamiliarity or if Nissan is trying to hide it, but it took a LOT of effort to bring up the battery temp display. If it defaults away again when the car is turned off, I'll know which it is.

Nice review!

You touched on a few things I forgot to mention and that is the back hatch lock. It took a few weeks for me to get used to the new position along with the steering wheel controls. Not sure why Nissan felt the need to move something a half inch but whatever.

Another thing you touched on is the feeling of stability at higher speeds. It does not feel as "adventurous" as it did in my previous LEAFs. The body stiffness or whatever has really improved the ride.

How about the sound level? I can barely hear the car run even while accelerating "briskly" :)
 
LeftieBiker said:
The sound level is nice and low, just as it was on my 2013 with the Summer tires on. No obvious change for me.

It has risen from 46F this morning to 87F now, so I'll be checking the battery temp with the car parked in the sun.

My car: https://photos.app.goo.gl/nNiTkK48XCuKJMEP7

No super hot weather here yet but a few times Solar heated car to upper 80's but pack only went up a few degrees and this is in wide open parking lot for 10 hour shifts.
 
Very Nice... Thank you

I am also in the market for an 18 this year...

I really do think that all those dash screens is overkill, and will make older, and non-tech people just forget the whole thing....

I like the less-priced S, however, my "lovely" wife has a thing about the driver seat position not being adjustable.... SO.... I guess I have to get the SL so she can raise and lower the seat heights!!
 
powersurge said:
Very Nice... Thank you

I am also in the market for an 18 this year...

I really do think that all those dash screens is overkill, and will make older, and non-tech people just forget the whole thing....

I like the less-priced S, however, my "lovely" wife has a thing about the driver seat position not being adjustable.... SO.... I guess I have to get the SL so she can raise and lower the seat heights!!

SV with tech also has power seat adjust
 
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