Niro vs. Kona vs. Leaf Plus SV

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DougWantsALeaf said:
Is the cruise any more efficient in the newer leaf? In my 2013 I always found I did better with it off and carefully managing the throttle, especially on inclines allowing a bit of speed drift on the ups, and more coast on the downs.


I always wanted a constant power cruise (Ex: 10 kW per hour) rather then a speed.
Exactly! When I first read of adaptive cruise control I hoped it was something like that but alas no. Even with ICE vehicles, I had wanted a cruise you could program. You'd set a maximum deviation from set speed(different settings for over or under would be nice) so the cruise wouldn't basically floor the car when going up a hill and would be allowed to slightly gain speed when going down a hill. The closest to this on ICE vehicles were the old(dangerous) dash mounted throttle but going up a steep hill it could drastically lose speed and going down a hill could go way over normal. I agree with an EV it seems like it would be easier to say set if for 10kW per hour or whatever you wanted. Of course without limits it would still be subject to slow uphills and crazy fast downhills :shock:
 
OrientExpress said:
Overall the biggest issue that I have encountered with the Kona is the extremely loud road noise from the tires. The Korean Nexen LRR tires had been inflated to 44 psi, but even when I lowered them to 36, they were still much louder than Michelin or Bridgestone LLR tires especially in the rear. Part of the issue is that the rear wheel liners are hard plastic instead of the fiber liners like on the LEAF.

I've found that to be a problem on a few Hyun/Kia vehicles that I have rented. I don't know if it's the tires or the lack of sound insulation, or both.

Lots of cars have hard plastic wheel liners but don't have that same level of road noise, so that's not the primary reason.
 
jjeff said:
DougWantsALeaf said:
Is the cruise any more efficient in the newer leaf? In my 2013 I always found I did better with it off and carefully managing the throttle, especially on inclines allowing a bit of speed drift on the ups, and more coast on the downs.


I always wanted a constant power cruise (Ex: 10 kW per hour) rather then a speed.
Exactly! When I first read of adaptive cruise control I hoped it was something like that but alas no. Even with ICE vehicles, I had wanted a cruise you could program. You'd set a maximum deviation from set speed(different settings for over or under would be nice) so the cruise wouldn't basically floor the car when going up a hill and would be allowed to slightly gain speed when going down a hill. The closest to this on ICE vehicles were the old(dangerous) dash mounted throttle but going up a steep hill it could drastically lose speed and going down a hill could go way over normal. I agree with an EV it seems like it would be easier to say set if for 10kW per hour or whatever you wanted. Of course without limits it would still be subject to slow uphills and crazy fast downhills :shock:
Personally find the adaptive cruise control in my '19 Leaf SL a welcome improvement and value-added feature. The cruise control in my previous '14 Leaf held steady speed so well on hills and in heavy traffic that was constantly messing with small speed adjustments as ICE vehicles bogged down slightly on hills. This is basically as set it & forget it feature now that works well for my needs. I would list adaptive cruise control (and ProPilot) among several key reasons why I chose the Leaf over a Chevy Bolt.
 
DougWantsALeaf said:
So after seeing the Audi etron range on a 95kWh battery of 204 miles, the Leaf range sounds a lot better.

This issue that the eTron as well as the iPace face is that they are Full time AWD BEVs not FWD like the LEAF or partial AWD like the Tesla Dual Motor cars. With that FT AWD ability to have on road and off road abilities comes a mileage penalty.
 
OrientExpress said:
DougWantsALeaf said:
So after seeing the Audi etron range on a 95kWh battery of 204 miles, the Leaf range sounds a lot better.

This issue that the eTron as well as the iPace face is that they are Full time AWD BEVs not FWD like the LEAF or partial AWD like the Tesla Dual Motor cars. With that FT AWD ability to have on road and off road abilities comes a mileage penalty.

Besides the weight and Cd not having been key parameters to optimize or of major concern, as would be of concern in a Leaf design
given the lower capacity batteries.
 
As the test is treadmill based with a factor in place for wind resistance, that reduces the factors substantially.

As battery temp mgmt wouldn't be much of an affect in the test. Power draw and efficiency to wheels plays into it. I wonder if aggressive power draws also overly impact the Leaf vs. competitors.
 
Any more observations from board members that have bought or driven (extensively) the Niro or Kona. How is the power mapping with the accelerator? One thing I have noticed on the leaf , is that even in eco, it’s quite challenging to maintain a smooth power draw. It makes acceleration effortless, but guessing it hits efficiency a bit.

While I still have no issues well exceeding the 215 sticker of my SV Plus, the reviews align to indicate it’s even easier to exceed epa range in the Niro or Kona.

Separately, have other GOM settled down into something close to the 215/226 epa range? My GOM at full charge still (after 1500 miles) shows 280-300 depending on who’s driving (me or my wife). Admittedly, I am fairly soft on the throttle.
 
rogersleaf said:
Personally find the adaptive cruise control in my '19 Leaf SL a welcome improvement and value-added feature. The cruise control in my previous '14 Leaf held steady speed so well on hills and in heavy traffic that was constantly messing with small speed adjustments as ICE vehicles bogged down slightly on hills. This is basically as set it & forget it feature now that works well for my needs. I would list adaptive cruise control (and ProPilot) among several key reasons why I chose the Leaf over a Chevy Bolt.

I Totally agree. I went from a 2018 Leaf with Propilot to a 2019 Leaf Plus in order to gain range and eliminate range anxiety for a routine 120 mile trip I make between 2 homes. I choose to go with a Leaf Plus rather than a Bolt only because of my positive experience with ProPilot’s adaptive cruise performance.

I found that ProPilot’s Steering assistance and adaptive cruise significantly reduces fatigue on long trips.

The $7,500 tax credit for the Leaf made the decision more palatable.
 
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