Leaf Test Drives in the US

[TimeHorse]

I wonder what they do to ''Es ist doch gut!,,

It is good.

Ah, that's silly. I guess it though, "oh, no English equivalent of 'doch' so I'll just ignore it". I think a better if somewhat more figurative translation would be "it's quite good".

One wonders, though if we're straying just a wee bit off topic here, eh?

 

[LEAFer]

One wonders, though if we're straying just a wee bit off topic here, eh?

Topic ? War da ein Topic ? Wo ist das Topic ? :lol: Let's (test)drive them already!

 

[mwalsh]

http://blog.cardomain.com/2010/08/06/driving-the-nissan-leaf/

 

[mwalsh]

http://www.enzymepdx.com/2010/nissan-leaf-gas-addiction/

BTW, my guy in Vegas drove already. His short review via Blackberry "It is a beautiful car". Needless to say, I will be badgering him for a more comprehensive review when he returns!

 

[electriclarry]

Check your Saturday WSJ Weekend Section as Dan Neil will report on his experience with the Leaf.

 

[LEAFfan]

Check your Saturday WSJ Weekend Section as Dan Neil will report on his experience with the Leaf.

Who's Dan Neil? Is he a car 'expert'?

 

[smkettner]

Read it here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703959704575453710456516180.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

 

[evnow]

Dan Neil is an automotive columnist for The Wall Street Journal[1] and a former contributor to the Los Angeles Times, AutoWeek and Car and Driver.

In 1999, he received the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive journalism,[2] and in 2004 Neil won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism,[3] presented annually to a newspaper writer who has demonstrated 'distinguished criticism,' for his LA Times column Rumble Seat. In awarding Mr. Neil, the Pulitzer board noted his "one-of-a-kind reviews of automobiles, blending technical expertise with offbeat humor and astute cultural criticism."[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Neil

 

[LEAFfan]

Wow! That's an awesome guy! Thanks for the info. Wonder why none of his articles have ever been in our newspapers (no slams please)?

 

[evnow]

Read it here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703959704575453710456516180.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Nice ...

The Leaf also represents one of the most daring bids for market dominance I've ever seen in the car business ...
...
If he wins, Renault-Nissan wins huge. If the loses, Mr. Ghosn will go down in history as the biggest CEO goat since Tony Hayward.
...
The braking system—a combination of a drag-inducing 3-kilowatt generator (regenerative braking) and conventional hydraulic brakes—has been electronically modulated to feel exactly like nothing in particular.
...
The Leaf is challenging in one respect: its looks. Ooftah, what a beast! ....But still, yikes. Dogs won't chase this thing.
...
First, range anxiety is like many other anxieties—which is to say, it's neurotic. ... For the record, I logged more than 80 miles on the Leaf and still had about 20% charge in reserve. What anxiety?

 

[cdub]

Wasn't very glowing in terms of the looks. I like the looks.

The headlights take a little bit to get used to... but frack.

 

[sparky]

My personal favorites:

It occurs to me that among the infrastructural changes implied by the rise of EVs is the construction of a new critical vocabulary for electric cars. I can think of a hundred ways to describe a Maserati's ear-strafing exhaust note, but I'm rather at a loss to describe the nearly mute and rheostatic squeeze-and-go response of the Leaf. .....

Compared with the Leaf, driving a Ferrari is like ingesting mescaline.

 

[Boomer23]

I read Dan Neil for years in the LA Times. He was always honest, often funny, and never afraid to shake things up. He once really pissed GM off by dismissing one of their boring drone cars as just that. I think that GM stopped advertising in the Times for a while, but the paper backed Dan. He's always displayed a green awareness, despite being a true car enthusiast, as you can read in the article.

 

[planet4ever]

So where did this 3kW generator for braking regen come from? I've never heard that figure, and I assumed it would be a lot more than that - certainly in eco mode. Could he have been confusing it with the 3.3kW charger? Or assuming that regen couldn't feed the batteries any faster than the charger can? (That would be nonsense, because of L3 charging.)

 

[garygid]

Could be (unlikely) that only very light Regen is available, but perhaps the "3kW" is just a "typo", or just the amount of "gentle", foot-off Regen?

I think the "power-usage" screen shows the "Regen" power level on a scale marked 0, 10, 20, 30 kW.

 

[GeorgeS]

So where did this 3kW generator for braking regen come from? .)

Yes,
This does not sound correct.

signed,
New Guy

 

[hill]

forgive my crazy talk ... asking a question / comment on topic here . . .
:lol:

but does anyone know if Nissan will be doing TEST DRIVES in the Bay Area ... October ... Green Drive Expo?

 

[evnow]

forgive my crazy talk ... asking a question / comment on topic here . . .
:lol:

but does anyone know if Nissan will be doing TEST DRIVES in the Bay Area ... October ... Green Drive Expo?

Actually rest of the comments/posts are on topic. When I started the thread - it was meant to be test drive reports in the press - not for us ... but your crazy talk is forgiven :lol:

 

[Juiced]

Dan Neil's reviews were the highlight of Thursday's LA Times when he worked there. He has an uncanny ability to mix technology with wacky social analogies and make you laugh at the same time. For me, his review provided more "feel" for the Leaf driving experience than any of the more technical / car guy attempts.

 

[mwalsh]

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1009_2011_nissan_leaf_second_opinion/index.html