Pre-Purchase Newbie Questions - 2019 Leaf

I'm deciding between a Leaf and a Kia Niro, and have a few questions.

Does the adaptive cruise control and lane keeping handle normal stop-and-go freeway traffic without any driver intervention? How well does it work?

How well does the high beam assist work? (I have a 2016 Volt and its high beam assist keeps the high beam off too much.)

What proximity warnings does the 360 degree camera on the SL Plus give - rear, front, all around?

Thanks for any help.

Does the adaptive cruise control and lane keeping handle normal stop-and-go freeway traffic without any driver intervention? How well does it work?

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After 3 seconds stopped the ACC shuts off and you have to press "Resume" to restart it (at the same setting). Steering assist will persist below 30MPH but the speed has to be above 30 to engage it.

How well does the high beam assist work? (I have a 2016 Volt and its high beam assist keeps the high beam off too much.)

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The Nissan system won't turn the high beams on below, IIRC, 25MPH. It works well otherwise, although it can be fooled into leaving high beams off by reflections from street signs and other bright objects.

What proximity warnings does the 360 degree camera on the SL Plus give - rear, front, all around?

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I'm not sure that the cameras provide the info for proximity warnings. I hope not, as that would exclude the front warning from the SV Tech package. At any rate, I get a front warning only when very close to an object or car - maybe one foot when parking, and no more than maybe six feet when driving. I think the cross traffic warning is a separate system, but I'm not sure.

Does the 2019 Leaf SL Plus definitely give front and rear proximity warnings when parking? I could have sworn it did in my first test drive.

But I drove another one today, and there was no warning when getting close to a curb in back, or a wall in front. The salesman said the warnings might be turned off, but he couldn't find a menu item to turn them on.

Is there somewhere in the manual that describes proximity warnings? I couldn't find it.

You are basing your EV purchase on tech toys? Maybe you should look at more important factors??

I have an SL Plus with about 10,000 miles on it, and so far it's been a great (though not perfect!) car.

toolworker said:

I'm deciding between a Leaf and a Kia Niro, and have a few questions.

Does the adaptive cruise control and lane keeping handle normal stop-and-go freeway traffic without any driver intervention? How well does it work?

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The adaptive cruise control works very well in my experience. The lowest speed you can set it to is 20mph, but you can engage it even when stopped in stop-and-go traffic. If you engage it at a stop or have been stopped longer than 3 seconds you have to press a button on the steering wheel or tap the accelerator for it to start, but you can absolutely engage it from a stop. The assisted steering won't engage until you've picked up speed, though. Once it does engage, it will stay engaged even as traffic comes to a stop, and also once you start moving again. The Plus model has a slightly improved system compared to the 40kWh Leaf, in that it will work in light or moderate rain, and it tries to track the two cars in front of you instead of just one.

How well does the high beam assist work? (I have a 2016 Volt and its high beam assist keeps the high beam off too much.)

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I'm afraid we don't use the high beams very much where we live, so I can't help you here.

What proximity warnings does the 360 degree camera on the SL Plus give - rear, front, all around?

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The proximity warnings for parking are nearly useless, though the side traffic alert is super useful. All the proximity warnings do while parking is beep and highlight the backup camera with a yellow border if it detects anything within 3-10 feet of you (or a shadow). The around view camera is very useful in tight parking spaces, and so are the curb-side and front-view cameras. You can enable those by pressing the camera button once or twice, and they include useful red-yellow-green guide lines that track with your steering.

If I were choosing between the Niro and the Leaf Plus today, I would find that a difficult choice. The Niro has much better range and charging capabilities, but the Leaf is has a bigger trunk and is typically cheaper. My impression is that Nissan's ProPilot works better than Kia's system, but I have not directly compared the two. Overall, I'd say if a top of the line Niro is less than $5k more than the Leaf, go with the Niro.

Astros said:

The proximity warnings for parking are nearly useless, though the side traffic alert is super useful. All the proximity warnings do while parking is beep and highlight the backup camera with a yellow border if it detects anything within 3-10 feet of you (or a shadow). The around view camera is very useful in tight parking spaces, and so are the curb-side and front-view cameras. You can enable those by pressing the camera button once or twice, and they include useful red-yellow-green guide lines that track with your steering.

If I were choosing between the Niro and the Leaf Plus today, I would find that a difficult choice. The Niro has much better range and charging capabilities, but the Leaf is has a bigger trunk and is typically cheaper. My impression is that Nissan's ProPilot works better than Kia's system, but I have not directly compared the two.

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Thanks for your helpful and informative reply.

I have front and back proximity beeps on my Volt that only beep and display distance, and I find them very useful. The beep can keep me from backing into something while looking elsewhere. The Niro only has a rear sensor.

I've looked further into both vehicles. It's a tough choice, and either way I would be missing out on something. I like the Leaf's camera, front proximity warning, one pedal driving and high beam assist, and would definitely miss them on the Niro. But the handling and acceleration on the Niro is a lot better.

Overall, I'd say if a top of the line Niro is less than $5k more than the Leaf, go with the Niro.

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Wow, you're good. I priced them both through Costco here in the SF Bay Area, and was surprised that the Leaf SL Plus was 16.2% under MSRP, after discounts and a rebate. The Niro would cost about $4800 more than the Leaf, out the door.

The Niro only has a rear sensor.

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Even if they were to add a front sensor, it would probably be the Crappy one that was on the Soul EV I tested. That one didn't go off until the front bumper was well over the curb.

Does the Leaf even have proximity sensors / parking sonar?

My 2018 does not. I don't miss the front ones as I can see out the front, but I wish it had rear parking sonar. My outback has it and its nice.
I thought the SL didn't have it either?

Parking sonar being a separate entity from the adaptive cruise and camera for lane keep and emergency braking.

danrjones said:

Does the Leaf even have proximity sensors / parking sonar?

My 2018 does not. I don't miss the front ones as I can see out the front, but I wish it had rear parking sonar. My outback has it and its nice.
I thought the SL didn't have it either?

Parking sonar being a separate entity from the adaptive cruise and camera for lane keep and emergency braking.

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My 2018 SL has it. I don't know if it uses sonar, radar or the front camera, though. It may only be there with Pro Pilot, which would be stupid but very Nissan-like.

I was assuming he meant ultrasonic sensors in the bumpers. Those roundy pimples.. My SV with Pro pilot does not have them. It does have rear cross traffic alert but that's a different item.