Wife and I went to the Tampa drive event on Saturday, we are on vacation in FL. Between 1pm and 2pm there was a steady flow of drivers, but no serious backup. Test Drive was very short (maybe 5 min), wife managed to get it up to 50mph for a few seconds, most of the driving was on the mall access roads.
The guy taking us through the displays and stationary part was upbeat and personable, but it was clearly a sales pitch. Glossed over any downsides (but what do you expect, he's getting paid by Nissan). Example - Said DC port was industry standard, I said not in USA, he said SAE approval was just a formality. He did joke about the valve cover on top of the electric motor.
I went there fairly committed to the Leaf purchase( or Lease), but felt the need for some hands on to firm up my decision.
1. Interior is not going to win any design awards, but I didn't consider it chintzy. As good as my Altima.
2. I'm 6'2", 220lb, driver seat was comfy, better than my Altima. Head room was good. With the driver seat all the way back, my knees where right into the back of it when I sat behind. With my wife and me in the back seat, the third passenger would need to be a small child. Strangely, I didn't feel the high floor in the back seat was the problem.
3. Car drove like a normal family car. Found the brakes to be a little quick to fully engage, but maybe that's because both cars we own now have over 100,000 miles. Was getting use to it by the end of the drive.
4. steering was OK, at the low speeds we where driving.
5. Loved the "jet turbine" whine of the electric motor when my wife floored it to get up to 50 mph over the short stretch of highway road.
6. This was decision time for exterior color, red hands down!
So I came way feeling good about the car, just have to wait my turn in the forgotten 36, and hope those 100,000+ cars hold together until then.
