Thinking of Leaf - best package, recommendations, lease?

[tinaCA]

Definitely sounds like the QC upgrade is worth it then - either on the S or get the next model up. I don't care for backup/surround cams (hate them), so it seems like the S with the $1500 upgrade would do, to get the QC. I would like upgraded sound system but not willing to pay thousands for it.

I am a bit concerned by the 3 star side impact rear and 3 star passenger front impact ratings that I saw on the window sticker. How does this car get "top safety pick" with those potential faults? I know, the various rating systems use different tests but usually they do not have such different results. The Focus electric gets overall 5 star rating with the Leaf only 4 star But the IIHS gives the Leaf great ratings. Perhaps because of all the slow Leaf drivers not getting into as many accidents?

AT&T is bad news - we switched our cell carrier to Verizon because we got no signal with AT&T at home or at work, or in most places! Verizon has been great. So sounds like Carwings would likely be annoyingly useless for us.

Another new question: The A/C - does it keep the car cool in summer, we DO get hot weather here in the bay area (I am not in SF itself) and sometimes a week or so at 90+. I do not like heat and like to have blasting A/C. I do realize that impacts the range and that's fine as long as it works well! How does the A/C effectiveness compare to a gas car?

 

[LeftieBiker]

That's the good news about the S model, I guess: you don't get the heat pump for heat, but you do get a more efficient A/C unit - assuming it's the same one used on previous Leafs. It should have only modest impact on range - a few miles.

 

[Becky50]

I have a 2012 with the QC port and live in San Jose. I have had no problem traveling around the Bay Area and over the hill to Aptos and back regarding range. You just have to be aware of when you might need some extra charge. There are many L2 chargers in both the Bay Area and Santa Cruz area as you have mentioned. The AC works great and really has not impacted my range. The heater/defroster on the 2012 is a different story. I can't speak to owning two but owning one has worked perfectly for us. My husband does still have his ICE when we go further south than Monterey. Good luck!

 

[cgaydos]

AT&T is bad news - we switched our cell carrier to Verizon because we got no signal with AT&T at home or at work, or in most places! Verizon has been great. So sounds like Carwings would likely be annoyingly useless for us.

I'm not trying to talk you out of not using Carwings, but I will point out that even if you get bad ATT signal on your cell phone the LEAF may still get adequate signal for the Carwings data. We get barely 1 bar at the best of times in our house, but the LEAFs in the garage get the Carwings signal just fine. This has to do with the older communication protocol used and the fact that Carwings transfers very small amounts of data.

 

[tinaCA]

That's the good news about the S model, I guess: you don't get the heat pump for heat, but you do get a more efficient A/C unit - assuming it's the same one used on previous Leafs. It should have only modest impact on range - a few miles.

This is exactly the kind of "inside tip" I was hoping for! It does sound like the S plus QC charger is the best bet for me.

 

[RonDawg]

Another new question: The A/C - does it keep the car cool in summer, we DO get hot weather here in the bay area (I am not in SF itself) and sometimes a week or so at 90+. I do not like heat and like to have blasting A/C. I do realize that impacts the range and that's fine as long as it works well! How does the A/C effectiveness compare to a gas car?

I have a 2012 Leaf (and thus have only the older, less efficient style heater) and its A/C unit works very, very well. You can crank that thing down to 60 with relatively little hit to the car's range, unlike with a conventional car. I think it works better than the A/C unit on any other conventional car I've owned.

 

[TimLee]

Are you talking about me or DoctorSaul? If me, I'm not sure how my statement is "flat out wrong" based on what you are saying.

My statement was incorrect.
See edited correction.

 

[Berlino]

I have a 2012 Leaf (and thus have only the older, less efficient style heater) and its A/C unit works very, very well. You can crank that thing down to 60 with relatively little hit to the car's range

This is interesting, because the LOWEST climate control setting allowed in my 2013 is 18°C (64°F).

Not that I would ever want to set the A/C that cold, but I would like to save a bit of energy by running the heat at 16°C instead of 18°C. I guess I have to check to see if changing the car's units away from the metric system will provide a wider choice of temperatures, or if it's difference between 2012s and 2013 SVs/SLs.

 

[RonDawg]

Are you talking about me or DoctorSaul? If me, I'm not sure how my statement is "flat out wrong" based on what you are saying.

My statement was incorrect.
See edited correction.

I saw the correction but still don't understand how it's confusing for many people as you say. Nissan guarantees that for the first 5 years/60k miles, you will have at least 9 out of 12 capacity bars showing, just like it guarantees that for the first 3 years/36k miles the stereo will continue to work and that the wheels won't fall off on their own.

If anything, simply saying that Nissan won't warranty the battery until 8 or less bars is showing is incomplete info, because the buyer might reasonably expect that the replacement battery will be brand new and thus have 12 bars. Normally, parts replaced under warranty are replaced with brand new ones. But Nissan only guarantees the replacement pack to have at least 9 bars...you may be lucky and get a full 12 bar one, or if unlucky a 9 bar one. But either way Nissan will have legally fulfilled the terms of the warranty.

 

[TimLee]

Are you talking about me or DoctorSaul? If me, I'm not sure how my statement is "flat out wrong" based on what you are saying.

My statement was incorrect.
See edited correction.

I saw the correction but still don't understand how it's confusing for many people as you say. Nissan guarantees that for the first 5 years/60k miles, you will have at least 9 out of 12 capacity bars showing, just like it guarantees that for the first 3 years/36k miles the stereo will continue to work and that the wheels won't fall off on their own.

If anything, simply saying that Nissan won't warranty the battery until 8 or less bars is showing is incomplete info, because the buyer might reasonably expect that the replacement battery will be brand new and thus have 12 bars. Normally, parts replaced under warranty are replaced with brand new ones. But Nissan only guarantees the replacement pack to have at least 9 bars...you may be lucky and get a full 12 bar one, or if unlucky a 9 bar one. But either way Nissan will have legally fulfilled the terms of the warranty.

It tooks months of discussion on MNL before most people seemed to get it straight on what the capacity warranty is.
You are absolutely correct that what Nissan is guaranteeing is 9 out of 12 capacity bars for 5 years / 60,000 miles (whichever comes first).
The lack of understanding comes from the inexperienced not understanding the variation in the capacity bars.

That is the kind of marketing approach Nissan wants. Let people erroneously think 9 of 12 may be 75% capacity. Then Nissan states 70% capacity.
When in reality, they do nothing about capacity degradation until you have hit 66.25%.
And all they guarantee they will do to fix it, is bump you back up to 72.5%.
Much clearer to talk about the real capacity #s. Not the poorly understood capacity bars.

But I don't think Nissan wants clarity. They're shooting for marketing fog, complete lack of clarity.
Why else would you imprecisely round up 66.25% capacity and want to call it 70% :?: :?:
On MNL we need to be much more clear than Nissan wants to be. :!:

 

[Woosie]

I've a 2013 S model with the QC option. You get the rear camera with the QC option; I now like it since it aids in making sure our pets are away from the rear wheels when I am ready to back up! The QC is very convenient, especially if you've a Nissan dealership in the vicinity of your regular commute (I've a dealership in between home and work); for a quick stop, you can recharge most of your battery within 30 minutes. Also, many L2 chargers at Malls and other big retail centers are free, so a trip to see a movie can also result. In a charged car.

I doubt you can order a better sound system...the speakers are just OK in the S model. I installed a Garmin 40 GPS and it works great, instead of the Carwings Nav found in the SV or SL trim levels.

Another awesome feature is the ability to talk at a reasonable level at any speed...the quiet of the car's interior continues to amaze and delight me. Because of this, the hands-free telephony feature works quite well too.

With the white CA carpool stickers, I love being able to bypass the vehicle queue by using the diamond lane on ramp; I don't use the freeway diamond lane often, because I regularly go 1.2- 2 days without charging. My commute is 40 miles round trip in SoCal...I save the energy by driving more sedately. To each their own if you like to drive faster! Top speed for the Leaf is around 90mph.

My lease is for 24 months but I can extend it to 36, where I can apply and receive the $2500 CA rebate. I was looking for flexibility while waiting for the technology to develop further, so I went with the 24 month lease. With a $215 monthly fee, my premium for leasing the Leaf is about $75 per month not including maintenance costs - this lease was a no-brainier for me, especially after months of fixing clogged fuel injectors, swapping a clutch, oil changes, and a host of emmissions sensors in my previous vehicle. I now have a trouble-free, new car to enjoy!!

 

[cgaydos]

I've a 2013 S model with the QC option. You get the rear camera with the QC option; I now like it since it aids in making sure our pets are away from the rear wheels when I am ready to back up!

I know a lot of people have said they don't see the value in the backup camera, but a lot of us love it. In parking lots it's not so valuable since you have to look in all directions for cars, not just directly behind you. But in situations like parallel parking it is extremely helpful, and I miss it when driving a car that doesn't have it. When backing out of the garage we have plenty of room, but with the backup camera the task is greatly simplified - I simply move back until I'm near the tree, then I know there is more than enough space to turn around to the exit. Very nice when you are in a hurry to leave. The comment about pets is absolutely true, as well as small kids. Although all of our kids are old enough to get out of the way there are a few neighborhood kids who aren't.

As far as our family is concerned the backup camera is a basic requirement for the next car.

 

[planet4ever]

In parking lots it's not so valuable since you have to look in all directions for cars, not just directly behind you.

Oh, I find it very valuable in a parking lot. If you are parked with a big SUV on both sides of you, all you can see looking back is a narrow tunnel. That wide angle lens at the back of the car can see a lot farther to the sides than you can, especially over your left shoulder.

Ray

 

[LeftieBiker]

I use the All Around View to read the painted lines around me in parking lots. VERY handy.

 

[Renee]

I'll only address a small part of this. The S model has had problems with the heater assembly. I finally got mine fixed (I think-the timer part doesn't seem to work and I have to check into that). This seems to be a national problem so if I had to do it again, I wouldn't go with the base. The 2013 S is apparently a different system and the only one to have this issue.

 

[thankyouOB]

I've a 2013 S model with the QC option. You get the rear camera with the QC option; I now like it since it aids in making sure our pets are away from the rear wheels when I am ready to back up! The QC is very convenient, especially if you've a Nissan dealership in the vicinity of your regular commute (I've a dealership in between home and work); for a quick stop, you can recharge most of your battery within 30 minutes. Also, many L2 chargers at Malls and other big retail centers are free, so a trip to see a movie can also result. In a charged car.

you are in torrance. i too in the area.
where are some of these free chargers amongst our malls and retailers?

 

[michapok]

I use the All Around View to read the painted lines around me in parking lots. VERY handy.

I couldn't agree more. The aroundview camera is awesome... We use it much more often than we expected when we got the car. The Bose sound system meanwhile is just marginally better than the stock system.

 

[cgaydos]

I use the All Around View to read the painted lines around me in parking lots. VERY handy.

I couldn't agree more. The aroundview camera is awesome... We use it much more often than we expected when we got the car. The Bose sound system meanwhile is just marginally better than the stock system.

I saw the around-view demoed and it is awesome. Still very happy with our pre-2013 rear-view cameras, but ....

 

[tinaCA]

I am now the lessor of a cayenne red Leaf S with QC/backup cam! So far we are liking it (DH is jealous and wants one too), and yes there are many free L2 and even free Chadmo rapid chargers in our area (not only at Nissan dealers but a few others). There is a rapid charger less than half mile from our house (for fee) that is nice to have for emergency. Chargers at work are $1/hour for L2 I may top up there when I want to take side trips - but I'll have to watch the miles anyway since lease is 12k/year miles and I commute 48 miles round trip.

thankyouOB, go to http://www.plugshare.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (also available as an app for phones) you can use the filter turn off "fee required" and only free chargers will show.

Renee, thanks for the tip about the heater I still think the base is best for me, and I don't even know if I will use the heater (assuming you mean cabin heat) since in CA the heated seats and steering are enough (and as we speak it is unusually cold here - brrr!) but what are the symptoms to watch for?

 

[cwerdna]

I use the All Around View to read the painted lines around me in parking lots. VERY handy.

I couldn't agree more. The aroundview camera is awesome... We use it much more often than we expected when we got the car. The Bose sound system meanwhile is just marginally better than the stock system.

I agree the Around View Monitor ROCKS! LOVE IT! That is THE feature that I felt was totally worth it. I am enjoying the Bose stereo even though I'm no fan of them. I listened to the stock SV stereo (but not the S stereo) and the Bose briefly before I decided on the premium package.

I sure hope more automakers make it an option on non-luxury cars.

Haven't read the rest of the replies but for my area (South Bay area of Nor Cal), the CHAdeMO port was a waste of money. I posted about why at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=11426&p=327440&#p327440" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=11426&p=329172&#p329172" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

I like the LED headlights but can't comment on them vs. the halogens as I've never driven a Leaf w/halogens at night.