cdub
Well-known member
Well I hope this is because the cars are running early software - if this happens in the "Real world" - no good.
Nissan Leaf Test Drive Tour Reports (Oct 1-3)
- Thread starter mwalsh
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JPC2822
Well-known member
HILARIOUS VIDEO of trying to get the LEAF to drive! Was that you MWALSH? Hope I don't get that LEAF tomorrow! LOL :lol:
The LEAF and its driving features look awesome-hope they work for me tomorrow!
John
The LEAF and its driving features look awesome-hope they work for me tomorrow!
John
malloryk
Well-known member
nice videos mwalsh! Thanks for sharing. LOL i thought when you were trying to start the car in the 2nd video, it was going to suddenly start up and you were going to hit that red Leaf passing by! That'd have been an awesome youtube clip!
malloryk said:
Plus think of all that lovely settlement money! Actually, I think I might be having a bit of post-traumatic stress from the whole experience. I'd better go and dig out my lawyer's phone number :lol:
Oh, speaking of which....be careful with the demo/familiarization Leafs....they are fully functional and are left turned on. While the wheels are chocked to stop them from driving forwards, it will drive in reverse. That, my friends, is a nightmare waiting to happen! Don't ask me how I know these things.
johnr
Well-known member
Thanks for that reminder. *Digs out wristband from recycle bin now*mwalsh said:
They allow walk-ins, so even people who have not registered can drive - but those of us who registered get priority.JPC2822 said:
Just got back from the event a couple hours ago. I stayed most of the day and it's a 4 hour drive each way from my home. Had a real good time. The Alt Car Expo has changed. The first one was mostly indoors and this one was mostly on the parking lot. Represented at the ride-and-drive were Nissan Leaf (of course), Coda, Think, Chevy Volt, the X-Prize vehicle, and a few HFCVs. Inside were charging stations and a bit more. Those of you who haven't had a chance for a test drive yet, be envious, be very envious! :twisted: (well at least until it's your turn, LOL) So here's my little review. You ready?
Arrived at 11AM for my test drive and the place was teaming with visitors and there were also lots of Nissan personnel. We had to wait in line to get entered into the computer and then people's names would come up on the screen when its their turn to start the tour. They were accepting walk-ins too, but those who signed up on the website had priority. They would release people in groups of about 8. Their computerized scheduling system wasn't working quite right (for example my name dropped off the list right before my turn to start), so I was told to just join the next group. There were so many people it was hard for the staff to keep us organized and the result is some of us had to wait an hour and a half from our appointment time - but it was all good, that hour and a half didn't seem so long waiting for the Leaf
The red color is gorgeous, it's more like a wine or burgundy. I was going to order it in blue but I'm seriously considering switching to red. The blue looks great too, by the way, and it is a shade darker than what you see in the earlier photos. The white is almost an ivory color, and the paint seems to have a slight sparkle to it.
Nissan took a large portion of the parking lot for their course and there were several tents they put up where you walk through and a guide explains different things about the car, there are exhibits and videos to watch. We got to thoroughly explore a parked car, sit inside and look in the trunk and under the hood. The car did away with LED headlights and had HID bulbs instead (or so it appeared). The course started out with the twisty coned route on the parking lot and then exited as if out of a maze onto the main parking area and then we circumnavigated the block on city streets. Going over a manhole cover, the suspension absorbed the bump nicely but it seemed sufficiently stiff. The turn signals are fairly quiet, not at all annoying. The only negative thing is the view through the rearview mirror out the back window - it's like looking through a tunnel. The go pedal response is instant as one would expect from an electric drivetrain. No gear-shifting so acceleration is smooth. Steering is very light (strongly assisted) at low speeds but it stiffens up as you go faster, once I get used to the light steering I think that's a good thing as it makes tight turns quite easy. Didn't notice significant body roll but I didn't go very fast around the turns. The car feels light and agile despite all the heavy batteries. When I first tried to turn it on (he said push the on button) it only turned some of the electrical accessories on - to be able to drive the car you have to push on the brake when you push the on button. The "shifter knob" has no tactile response - it moves freely like a joystick and springs back to its home position when you release it. An indicator on the dash tells you if you're in D, R, P, or ECO. You push on the parking brake button to set the parking brake and the light comes on the button after a couple seconds. Driving an electric car is enjoyable, because it's so responsive and seems effortless. The Leaf's felt very solidly made and the learning curve was practically nonexistent. It drives just like any other car in its class. I recorded video and will upload to YouTube and share here after I get it downloaded and edited (assuming it came out ok).
Boomer23
Well-known member
Here are my Leaf drive impressions from today:
- I agree that the blue is a terrific color. I ordered blue and I was concerned it might look flat and boring, but not at all. It reminds me of the Electric Blue on the Mini from a few years back. It IS metallic, though we had heard it was not. I got very excited when I saw it.
- The red was a great color, midway between the bright red on the current gen Prius and a maroon. I already have a red Prius, so red was a non-starter for me.
- The dashboard top surface had a great sweeping layout in a two-tone color combo, grey and beige. Very nice. This is standard on all models and exterior colors.
- The front seats were very comfortable for my 6 foot, 210 lb frame. There was more room for me in both the driver and passenger seats than in our 2007 Prius, so I'll enjoy driving the Leaf more.
- The interior materials were pretty high grade, but not luxurious. The seat and armrest fabric was very much like in a Prius. The dash plastics were also similar to Prius. The material that was cheesy to the touch was the headliner. That felt like recycled "something".
- The dash displays make the driving experience a lot of fun and they make the feel of the car more upmarket. This includes the slick electrically sliding nav screen that moves aside to reveal the cd slot. Yes, it's been done before, but it's slick.
- The car accelerates well, certainly a peppy car, though no tire burner (though I did chirp the tires as soon as I turned onto the street).
- The back seat was comfortable for me unless the front seat was all the way back. I did not feel that the floor was too high at all. Another tall customer disagreed with me, though. I think it depends on whether you are "all legs" or not.
- Handling was crisp and fun. I could see having a good time just driving the Leaf around town.
- Sorry, I didn't check the miles/kWh display or the music download capabilities. I did play with the range zoom map feature, but I didn't zoom it in to see if it would zoom in to street level.
- All in all, I was glad I had ordered the Leaf and I can't wait to get mine.
I'll post again with my other impressions from the show. I drove the Volt, rode in the Coda, drove a Mercedes F Cell and a very HOT converted Mini from Li-ion Motors. I talked with the EVSE folks from EV-Charge America, AV, and ECOtotality and with Southern Cal Edison and our friend from the CCSE about the $5k rebate.
- I agree that the blue is a terrific color. I ordered blue and I was concerned it might look flat and boring, but not at all. It reminds me of the Electric Blue on the Mini from a few years back. It IS metallic, though we had heard it was not. I got very excited when I saw it.
- The red was a great color, midway between the bright red on the current gen Prius and a maroon. I already have a red Prius, so red was a non-starter for me.
- The dashboard top surface had a great sweeping layout in a two-tone color combo, grey and beige. Very nice. This is standard on all models and exterior colors.
- The front seats were very comfortable for my 6 foot, 210 lb frame. There was more room for me in both the driver and passenger seats than in our 2007 Prius, so I'll enjoy driving the Leaf more.
- The interior materials were pretty high grade, but not luxurious. The seat and armrest fabric was very much like in a Prius. The dash plastics were also similar to Prius. The material that was cheesy to the touch was the headliner. That felt like recycled "something".
- The dash displays make the driving experience a lot of fun and they make the feel of the car more upmarket. This includes the slick electrically sliding nav screen that moves aside to reveal the cd slot. Yes, it's been done before, but it's slick.
- The car accelerates well, certainly a peppy car, though no tire burner (though I did chirp the tires as soon as I turned onto the street).
- The back seat was comfortable for me unless the front seat was all the way back. I did not feel that the floor was too high at all. Another tall customer disagreed with me, though. I think it depends on whether you are "all legs" or not.
- Handling was crisp and fun. I could see having a good time just driving the Leaf around town.
- Sorry, I didn't check the miles/kWh display or the music download capabilities. I did play with the range zoom map feature, but I didn't zoom it in to see if it would zoom in to street level.
- All in all, I was glad I had ordered the Leaf and I can't wait to get mine.
I'll post again with my other impressions from the show. I drove the Volt, rode in the Coda, drove a Mercedes F Cell and a very HOT converted Mini from Li-ion Motors. I talked with the EVSE folks from EV-Charge America, AV, and ECOtotality and with Southern Cal Edison and our friend from the CCSE about the $5k rebate.
Kataphn
Well-known member
malloryk said:
agreed! :lol:
KeiJidosha
Well-known member
mwalsh said:
It's not the car. Your right foot needs to be on the brake pedal before you push the "Start" button. Watch again. MINI E has the same interlock. I have learned to watch people's right foot when giving test drives. Normal EV learning curve.
johnr
Well-known member
Aha! Yeah, I learned that todayKeiJidosha said:
A few other little observations:
The included level 1 EVSE is rated 120V and printed on it is a warning not to try plugging it in to anything but a 120V outlet. So it's probably not dual-voltage capable. That said, if you have no more than say a 70 mile commute then plugging in at work using the included charger should still be enough to add enough range to get back home.
There's a nice little display on the dash that shows how long it would take to charge the battery from its current charge level at 120V and at 240V.
The back seats are very comfortable if you don't mind knees bent a bit more due to the high floor.
There's a big curb separating the trunk from the cabin, so in the event you need to fold the back seats forward to haul something large, you should take that into consideration.
The bulgy headlights only look bulgy from certain angles, namely when viewed from behind at the 4:30 and 7:30 positions. Otherwise they look fine.
Boomer23
Well-known member
Other thoughts from 6 hours at Alt Car Expo today. In no particular order.
- I rode in the Coda. Though they claim that they'll be delivering cars in December, the wouldn't allow customers to drive, just to ride as passengers, the lcd screen was basically on screen-saver mode all the time. Acceleration from a passenger perspective was as good as you'd expect. Exterior finish was a nice light blue metallic. Exterior design was boring, like a 90s Corolla. Interior design was boring, like an 80s Mazda. Interior seat material was low-end black vinyl. Some people think the Leaf is ugly, but give me the interesting design of the Leaf for my $33k over a boring Chinese econobox for my $45k. (Yes, I'm aware of Coda's larger, liquid cooled batteries and 6.6 kW charger.) Coda's "valet service" purchasing and servicing strategy is innovative and sounds attractive, if the car was at all interesting to me.
- I drove the Volt (only one Volt to drive, 5 hour waiting list, but I had the time) and was very impressed. Extremely nice stitched leather seats and steering wheel (this was likely a top line model, MSRP about $46k). Acceleration was noticeably better than the Leaf and a lot of fun (the Volt had a depleted traction battery and was on range-extender mode, Sport mode, Low gear). Engine sound was noticeable whenever accelerating, so the driving experience was like driving an ICE car, but underline peppy and fun. Dash and center lcd displays were clear and informative. The puke-green trim in the black leather interior car was awful, but there are lots of choices. The metallic grey center stack was terrific-looking, and I also liked the white center stack on the static display Volt. I found myself having Volt-envy over the nice interior and peppy performance, until I reminded myself of the price, the complexity, the short EV range, the lack of Calif $5k rebate, the dealer experience, the lack of HOV lane access, and the apparent low mpg when on range-extend. Maybe a next-gen Volt for me in a few years, as a distance driver. Or maybe not.
- I drove a converted Mini from Li-ion Motors. Scary-fun and fast! I smoked the tires in the parking lot by just touching the go-pedal. The car uses a much smaller "prismatic" battery pack than BMW's Mini E, so there is passenger or cargo space in back. Cost? Hold your breath. $75k or they'll convert your Mini for $45k.
- I drove a Mercedes F-Cell hydrogen car. Very nice package, good, space-efficient interior, drives very nicely. They plan to lease 200 cars in the next six months or so, 100 in Calif. They talked about lease pricing similar to Honda's FCX Clarity (which is $600/mo).
- Talked with Aerovironment about some specific questions I had about my EVSE install. Not helpful because they guy didn't know anything about the Leaf EVSE assessments or specifics, or the AV guy, Marty, who I've been dealing with. I asked how much their EVSE would be if I wanted to buy it and he said "$2200 installed". I asked how much it would be if I had a 40 Amp, 240V circuit in the exact right spot for the EVSE. He said "$2200 installed". I asked him if he could see why that doesn't make sense and he said "No, we have some installations that are very long cable runs and require trenching." I asked if he was saying that the first guy has to pay part of the second guy's costs and he basically said yes. INCREDIBLE!
-Talked with EV-Charge America EVSE folks and was quite impressed. They are offering $699 show pricing (discounted from $899 regular price). As we've learned, their EVSE is more impressive than AV's, with a built-in wattage use meter and telematics, as well as RF-chip interactivity. So Cal Edison and I think DWP are testing their EVSEs for accuracy to see if they'll accept their usage meter for metering kWh for EV charging. I'm impressed enough to be interested in this EVSE.
-Talked with our guy from California Center for Sustainable Energy CVRP. Regarding timing for us to reserve rebate funds, we'll definitely need the VIN number for our Leafs, and he doubts that we'll get the VIN before the car is delivered. He did encourage reserving the funds online at the dealer as we pick up our cars. Regarding IRS taxability, he has no comment beyond that they are not issuing 1099s.
- I rode in the Coda. Though they claim that they'll be delivering cars in December, the wouldn't allow customers to drive, just to ride as passengers, the lcd screen was basically on screen-saver mode all the time. Acceleration from a passenger perspective was as good as you'd expect. Exterior finish was a nice light blue metallic. Exterior design was boring, like a 90s Corolla. Interior design was boring, like an 80s Mazda. Interior seat material was low-end black vinyl. Some people think the Leaf is ugly, but give me the interesting design of the Leaf for my $33k over a boring Chinese econobox for my $45k. (Yes, I'm aware of Coda's larger, liquid cooled batteries and 6.6 kW charger.) Coda's "valet service" purchasing and servicing strategy is innovative and sounds attractive, if the car was at all interesting to me.
- I drove the Volt (only one Volt to drive, 5 hour waiting list, but I had the time) and was very impressed. Extremely nice stitched leather seats and steering wheel (this was likely a top line model, MSRP about $46k). Acceleration was noticeably better than the Leaf and a lot of fun (the Volt had a depleted traction battery and was on range-extender mode, Sport mode, Low gear). Engine sound was noticeable whenever accelerating, so the driving experience was like driving an ICE car, but underline peppy and fun. Dash and center lcd displays were clear and informative. The puke-green trim in the black leather interior car was awful, but there are lots of choices. The metallic grey center stack was terrific-looking, and I also liked the white center stack on the static display Volt. I found myself having Volt-envy over the nice interior and peppy performance, until I reminded myself of the price, the complexity, the short EV range, the lack of Calif $5k rebate, the dealer experience, the lack of HOV lane access, and the apparent low mpg when on range-extend. Maybe a next-gen Volt for me in a few years, as a distance driver. Or maybe not.
- I drove a converted Mini from Li-ion Motors. Scary-fun and fast! I smoked the tires in the parking lot by just touching the go-pedal. The car uses a much smaller "prismatic" battery pack than BMW's Mini E, so there is passenger or cargo space in back. Cost? Hold your breath. $75k or they'll convert your Mini for $45k.
- I drove a Mercedes F-Cell hydrogen car. Very nice package, good, space-efficient interior, drives very nicely. They plan to lease 200 cars in the next six months or so, 100 in Calif. They talked about lease pricing similar to Honda's FCX Clarity (which is $600/mo).
- Talked with Aerovironment about some specific questions I had about my EVSE install. Not helpful because they guy didn't know anything about the Leaf EVSE assessments or specifics, or the AV guy, Marty, who I've been dealing with. I asked how much their EVSE would be if I wanted to buy it and he said "$2200 installed". I asked how much it would be if I had a 40 Amp, 240V circuit in the exact right spot for the EVSE. He said "$2200 installed". I asked him if he could see why that doesn't make sense and he said "No, we have some installations that are very long cable runs and require trenching." I asked if he was saying that the first guy has to pay part of the second guy's costs and he basically said yes. INCREDIBLE!
-Talked with EV-Charge America EVSE folks and was quite impressed. They are offering $699 show pricing (discounted from $899 regular price). As we've learned, their EVSE is more impressive than AV's, with a built-in wattage use meter and telematics, as well as RF-chip interactivity. So Cal Edison and I think DWP are testing their EVSEs for accuracy to see if they'll accept their usage meter for metering kWh for EV charging. I'm impressed enough to be interested in this EVSE.
-Talked with our guy from California Center for Sustainable Energy CVRP. Regarding timing for us to reserve rebate funds, we'll definitely need the VIN number for our Leafs, and he doubts that we'll get the VIN before the car is delivered. He did encourage reserving the funds online at the dealer as we pick up our cars. Regarding IRS taxability, he has no comment beyond that they are not issuing 1099s.
johnr
Well-known member
I just saw your video on youtube. Look at it closely - the car wouldn't start because you had to press the OK button on the nav-screen. Notice how the rep pressed the OK button at the end?mwalsh said:
garygid
Well-known member
Did EVCA actually have EVSEs there to buy and carry away?
Did they mention availability of their EV2104 (L2, 32 amp) EVSE?
Did they mention availability of their EV2104 (L2, 32 amp) EVSE?
Coffee_Slurry
Well-known member
johnr said:
Um, what? The "Agree" button on most Nav screens just agrees to use the Nav responsibly.
Does this mean that starting the Leaf is a two-button process?
The keyless RAV4 starts right quick -- apply brake, press start, engine goes.
TRONZ
Well-known member
Amazing cars and amazing commitment by Nissan for this Event. Well done! BUT just a heads-up. They have NOT sorted out their event software yet! My wife and I were walk-ins today. Not really expecting to drive but figured they would fit us in if they could. While waiting, I couldn't help but notice how many people were double checking when they would be put in a group to drive. I was told it would be an hour for us and that they were running behind. No problem. After watching all the people double checking for an hour and a half I got in line to check myself and found out that my name was not anywhere on the list. My wifes was but mine was "gone". The guy looked really confused but put my name in by hand and explained we would be put in a drive group very soon. After another hour of watching people double checking their drive times it was clear that something was very wrong. I was really getting worried though because the kids were getting very hungry so I went to check-in again. This time, as soon as the guy saw me, he could not believe we were still waiting, he threw up his hands, dropped his laptop and just said "come with me"! He walked us into the back of the group that had just left. The smile on my wifes face after her drive and the thumbs up from the kids made it very worthwhile. Not sure what was going on but the software gremlins were out in force today. First day of first event so problems are expected. Our official reserved drive is next weekend... I sure hope it does not take two and a half hours.
My wifes was but mine was "gone". The guy looked really confused but put my name in by hand and explained we would be put in a drive group very soon. After another hour of watching people double checking their drive times it was clear that something was very wrong. I was really getting worried though because the kids were getting very hungry so I went to check-in again. This time, as soon as the guy saw me, he could not believe we were still waiting, he threw up his hands, dropped his laptop and just said "come with me"! He walked us into the back of the group that had just left. The smile on my wifes face after her drive and the thumbs up from the kids made it very worthwhile. Not sure what was going on but the software gremlins were out in force today. First day of first event so problems are expected. Our official reserved drive is next weekend... I sure hope it does not take two and a half hours.storeman86
Member
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2010
- Messages
- 7
I am disappointed with the way this event was handled. There was no presidence given to reservations, appointments or car buyers.
I had a 10:00Am appointment to drive. I arrived about 9:50Am as stated in the Email. I thought this was going to be a 30 minute meeting. Then my wife and I waited for almost 2 hours at 11:50 my name was on the board to drive which ment I had another 30 to 40 minutes because there were about 30 to 40 people ahead waiting for the cars to arrive. Nissan was putting the walk-in ahead of the people that made appointments 4 weeks earlier. I can understand Nissan wanting everyone to have a chance to test drive, but why have us that placed orders not have 1st turn, after all we are the buyers NOT the lookers.
As a working person I can't take 4 hours off of work for a 5 to 8 minute test drive. I had to leave without a test drive. I talked to a manager about returning tomorrow morning at 9:00am when they open. Maybe I will get in since this is the first session.
Has anyone else had this experence???
I had a 10:00Am appointment to drive. I arrived about 9:50Am as stated in the Email. I thought this was going to be a 30 minute meeting. Then my wife and I waited for almost 2 hours at 11:50 my name was on the board to drive which ment I had another 30 to 40 minutes because there were about 30 to 40 people ahead waiting for the cars to arrive. Nissan was putting the walk-in ahead of the people that made appointments 4 weeks earlier. I can understand Nissan wanting everyone to have a chance to test drive, but why have us that placed orders not have 1st turn, after all we are the buyers NOT the lookers.
As a working person I can't take 4 hours off of work for a 5 to 8 minute test drive. I had to leave without a test drive. I talked to a manager about returning tomorrow morning at 9:00am when they open. Maybe I will get in since this is the first session.
Has anyone else had this experence???
johnr said:
No, I think it may have been the foot on the brake thing the other guys talked about. You'll see in the video where we got the car started, the nav is still on the acceptance screen.
hill
Well-known member
Yes, it's not a perfect system ... and not a perfect world. I spent almost 9 hours over 3 different days last month at the DMV ... boo hooo poor me ... another horrible lesson in life to manifest patience. So now I got my "IBELEAF" vanity plates ... and today will be a better day. The DMV's system has been cheezy for a 1/2 century ... so go figure ... Leaf ride systems are buggy. Not trying to be harsh, just saying that reality dictates that whatever CAN go wrong, will.storeman86 said:
:|
hill said:
Plus it was the first day. Give 'em a chance to figure out what works and what will need modifying. Best laid plans and all that.....
BTW, there are now 19 pictures in my FB album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=238164&id=704969843
Here's something nobody thought you needed to see before....the lever for the tilt column. You push it down to raise or lower and lift it back up to lock the column into place. It's tilt only though, not tilt/telescoping (but I don't think we were expecting that anyway).
EVDRIVER
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2010
- Messages
- 6,753
storeman86 said:
I could not agree more, what is the point of the reservation if it was exceedingly late because the let walk ins in before. My buddy had a reservation at the exact same time as you and had the same experience, he drove quite a distance and was frustrated at the entire process and ended up leaving after waiting as long as you did, frustrated. He could not even get close to a car to see it. Seems like a very disorganized marketing event based on everything he told me and a big waste of time for many people, I almost attended but my flight was late and I'm glad I missed it. My friend was livid and the entire process and I don;t blame him.
Since I had a 10:00 reservation as well, I guess all three of us were supposed to drive the car at 10:00? If they are going to book so many confirmed reservations at the same time perhaps they should not have let any walk-ins in as well. If I were there that would have been three people with the same reservation time waiting 2 hours to drive the car, nice job NIssan.
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