2013 vs 2011-12s

[jstack6]

How is your 2013 compared to to a 2011 or 2012?

I just got a new 2013 after selling my 2011 that I had for 23K miles. There are some great little improvements on the 2013 and a few misses.

NEW 2013 features
Faster Charger-6.6 Kw vs 3.3 KW but I don't notice much real world difference in time etc
No more pushing the ok to share data each time you start up.
No more changing to ECO mode, it stays in the mode you were last in.
More efficient drive train and 350 lbs lighter, I don't see any difference at all.
Braking mode-Nice but not a Tesla level seems, like D=10%, ECO 20%, B=30% (Tesla goes to 80%) 1 peddle driving!
Battery CAP % on dash, instead of guess-o-meter, seems pretty accurate now by using both guess-o and SOC%


2013 MISSES?
Can't turn off car sounds or back up beeper,Maybe a legal item?
Still can't charge to 85,90,95% as requested last Jan, that would help regen work if 95% or less
Real Leather steering wheel cover, EVEN if your an animal lover!
Heated seats and steering wheel even if you live in Phoenix or Miami

Let us know what you see and think of the 2013 !

 

[TomT]

I beleive you'll find that the actual weight reduction and efficiency gain are much smaller than initially indicated and really barely statistically significant. Thus, why you see little difference.

More efficient drive train and 350 lbs lighter, I don't see any difference at all.

 

[cgaydos]

How is your 2013 compared to to a 2011 or 2012?

I just got a new 2013 after selling my 2011 that I had for 23K miles. There are some great little improvements on the 2013 and a few misses.

NEW 2013 features
Faster Charger-6.6 Kw vs 3.3 KW but I don't notice much real world difference in time etc
No more pushing the ok to share data each time you start up.
No more changing to ECO mode, it stays in the mode you were last in.
More efficient drive train and 350 lbs lighter, I don't see any difference at all.
Braking mode-Nice but not a Tesla level seems, like D=10%, ECO 20%, B=30% (Tesla goes to 80%) 1 peddle driving!
Battery CAP % on dash, instead of guess-o-meter, seems pretty accurate now by using both guess-o and SOC%

2013 MISSES?
Can't turn off car sounds or back up beeper,Maybe a legal item?
Still can't charge to 85,90,95% as requested last Jan, that would help regen work if 95% or less
Real Leather steering wheel cover, EVEN if your an animal lover!
Heated seats and steering wheel even if you live in Phoenix or Miami

Let us know what you see and think of the 2013 !

Thanks for the post! I've been wondering about the small details of the improvements for 2013.

Notes on the misses:

Can't turn off car sounds or back up beeper,Maybe a legal item? - don't know, but this change was made for the 2012. We got our 2012 before our 2011 and it's a feature we use often in the 2011
Still can't charge to 85,90,95% as requested last Jan, that would help regen work if 95% or less - YES!!!! Even when we charge to 100% for a planned long trip I really want 95% because the first 10 miles in any direction is downhill.
Real Leather steering wheel cover, EVEN if your an animal lover! - Yes, this is why if I do get a 2013 it will be SV with all the options (and some grumbling about the things I can't get with the SV) - to avoid the Leather seats. The Prius has some very nice synthetic leather - why can't Nissan do that?
Heated seats and steering wheel even if you live in Phoenix or Miami - I can see that, though here in Colorado we love them so much that I'm retrofitting heated seats to our 2011.

 

[dgpcolorado]

...Still can't charge to 85,90,95% as requested last Jan, that would help regen work if 95% or less - YES!!!! Even when we charge to 100% for a planned long trip I really want 95% because the first 10 miles in any direction is downhill...

Even 90% and 95% don't provide useful amounts of regen in my experience, although I suppose it depends on how much one needs.

It is a bit more work but you can charge to more than 80% but less than 100% by charging to 80% using the usual timer. Then, before you plan to leave, push the override button on the dash and let it charge for another 30, 45, or 60 minutes by setting a kitchen timer as a reminder to unplug the car after the desired time. By experimenting with the extra charge time you can calibrate how much you get so that you have enough regen capability to go downhill. I do it this way and it is pretty simple.

Be aware that it doesn't seem to be possible to regen your way back to 100%, the battery management system limits and then stops regen well before 100%.

 

[JimSouCal]

The new one, as I understand it, is the user selectable feature to lock the charge cord plug to the car (enabled or not, on charge completion unlocked); nice, isn't it ? Having been unplugged a couple of times when I needed a charge--this would have come in handy...

Why the nag screen can't be removed, or the SOC added, as a software revision for legacy vehicles is beyond me but that is another story...

 

[DaveEV]

Be aware that it doesn't seem to be possible to regen your way back to 100%, the battery management system limits and then stops regen well before 100%.

What I really find interesting is that the amount of regen available varies by speed. At 45+ mph and a nearly full battery you get no regen, but if you drop down to lower speeds, you can 3-4 kW.

I really wonder why Nissan does this. I think someone else mentioned (abasile or you?) that they also notice that they get substantially more regen (on long hills) in the 25-35 mph speed range compared to higher speeds, most noticeable on big mountain descents...

 

[Stanton]

Why the nag screen can't be removed, or the SOC added, as a software revision for legacy vehicles is beyond me but that is another story...

Since the nag screen is probably the #1 complaint (by a mile) among owners, I too don't understand why they don't port it to the "old" models as an update.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Be aware that it doesn't seem to be possible to regen your way back to 100%, the battery management system limits and then stops regen well before 100%.

What I really find interesting is that the amount of regen available varies by speed. At 45+ mph and a nearly full battery you get no regen, but if you drop down to lower speeds, you can 3-4 kW.

I really wonder why Nissan does this. I think someone else mentioned (abasile or you?) that they also notice that they get substantially more regen (on long hills) in the 25-35 mph speed range compared to higher speeds, most noticeable on big mountain descents...

I think it was abasile who first mentioned this phenomenon; my descent speeds tend to be lower than his for safety reasons. But I also have noticed that when regen is limited it increases a bit as speeds slow. It is a puzzle.

If you have a Gid meter, do you have a sense of how high you can push the Gids using regen downhill? I suppose it would depend a lot on the battery pack temperature. But I've been curious.

I find that trying to select a charge level that will let me get to the bottom of a hill with maximum charge, preferably with some regen braking along the way, an interesting problem. But a few percent one way or another doesn't really make much difference on a long trip, compared to such factors as speed, IME.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

* regen is not controlled by the SOC of the battery. its based on the condition of the battery and that condition is affected by several things. I have had less than 80% SOC and one circle of regen available

*for the S, IMHO you might see more range but in other trims, any range gains were dashed by bigger less efficient wheels

*turning off the sounds your car makes will soon be illegal. Nissan did the right thing. whether you agree with it or not, that is how it will be. I am guessing there are other fights much more important than this one.

* learn to use the "off" button on those heated seats and you should be fine

other than that, you have had enough driving experience with the 2011 to make a decent evaluation of the 2013. do you think the B mode is extending your range in heavy city driving or is it more of a hassle to maintain a specific speed?