Is Nissan Connect available on all LEAF models?

Apologies, as I looked through the first few pages of searching "Nissan Connect" and couldn't find an answer to my question.

I have a 2017 S, and have had issues getting my car to connect onto the Nissan Connect app. I've registered the car with Nissan.com and it says it's now in the system. I also have paired my phone with the car via bluetooth. Is Connect not available for S models?

Thanks for any answers.

Up through at least 2018, only the SV or SL trim had a telematics unit and thus had NissanConnect EV available. The S trim didn't have the telematics unit. I don't know if this has changed in more recent model years / trim levels.

(IMHO, given the historic slowness and unreliability of Nissan's servers, you aren't missing much)

Thanks. That's what I was thinking. It would be nice if Nissan pointed that out in a few more obvious places (like in the app, where I registered my S vehicle....). Instead I just get an error message.

jlv said:

Up through at least 2018, only the SV or SL trim had a telematics unit and thus had NissanConnect EV available. The S trim didn't have the telematics unit. I don't know if this has changed in more recent model years / trim levels.

(IMHO, given the historic slowness and unreliability of Nissan's servers, you aren't missing much)

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Concur with all of the above and I'll just say thru model year '17 since I don't want to give possibly incorrect info.

OP can take a look at https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/release-f6fcf40f78a54118a8a01526272638f0-us-2017-nissan-leaf-press-kit Specs tab. Search for connect. For '11 to '17, if you want to use Nissan's not very good app to remotely check state of charge/battery bars, start charging, start climate control, that requires the car have a TCU and yes, S trims for those model years have no TCU. (Actually, S trim didn't start until model year '13.)

cwerdna said:

I'll just say thru model year '17

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This thread noted that the 2018 S w/o Nav doesn't have it: https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=26845

cwerdna said:

OP can take a look at https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/release-f6fcf40f78a54118a8a01526272638f0-us-2017-nissan-leaf-press-kit Specs tab. Search for connect. For '11 to '17, if you want to use Nissan's not very good app to remotely check state of charge/battery bars, start charging, start climate control, that requires the car have a TCU and yes, S trims for those model years have no TCU. (Actually, S trim didn't start until model year '13.)

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Thanks!
"The NissanConnect EV system (no-charge subscription required), which is also standard on SV and SL grades, allows remote connection to the vehicle, providing monitoring of battery state-of-charge, start charging event control and turning on the heating and air conditioning system prior to entering the vehicle. Nissan LEAF drivers can use web-enabled mobile phones to turn on climate control and set charging functions remotely (SV and SL models only), even when the vehicle is powered down. An onboard timer can also be programmed to start the charging event (standard on all grades)."

Interestingly that press release also says that only the SV and SL have SiriusXM, but we definitely have it in our S model. Wonder if that was strangely part of the charge package???

Driver8 said:

Interestingly that press release also says that only the SV and SL have SiriusXM, but we definitely have it in our S model. Wonder if that was strangely part of the charge package???

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The specs tab of the above lists SiriusXM as standard on all 3 trims.

The text on the 1st page of the press kit also says "SiriusXM® Satellite Radio (SiriusXM® subscription required, sold separately) is also standard".

Satellite radio requires only the shark fin antenna on the roof. Nissan Connect requires a modem in the car as well. I don't think that the S will ever get telemetrics or a heat pump, because the whole point of the car is it's more basic and less expensive. Those wanting the above can find an SV with only the All Weather package.

cwerdna said:

The specs tab of the above lists SiriusXM as standard on all 3 trims.

The text on the 1st page of the press kit also says "SiriusXM® Satellite Radio (SiriusXM® subscription required, sold separately) is also standard".

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Thanks. My bad. I was going off of this statement: "For 2017, LEAF SV and SL grades include standard NissanConnectSM with Navigation– featuring a 7.0-inch color display with multi-touch control, Nissan Voice Recognition for navigation and audio, HD radio, SiriusXM® Traffic and SiriusXM®"
But I see now the other tabs at the top.

This has all be helpful discussion.

One thing I've learned is that the standard and optional equipment seems to vary year-by-year, in addition to the obvious differences by trim level. So what is optional on a 2013 SV may be standard on a 2015 S or not available at all or only available on a different trim package, etc.

And what really chaps my hide - I have to say it again - is that there is no option available to get heated seats on a 2020 S. What a joke.

goldbrick said:

One thing I've learned is that the standard and optional equipment seems to vary year-by-year, in addition to the obvious differences by trim level. So what is optional on a 2013 SV may be standard on a 2015 S or not available at all or only available on a different trim package, etc.

And what really chaps my hide - I have to say it again - is that there is no option available to get heated seats on a 2020 S. What a joke.

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For your bolded part, not really. There weren't really significant changes between 2013 to 2015 within a trim level or what you mention.

The biggest change was for '15 was on the S trim: https://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/10/2015-nissan-leaf-gets-b-mode-standard-new-morningsky-blue-color/. The 80% charge limiter went away in the US starting w/model year '14 and never returned.

That said, starting with '16 (and also on '17), where you could get the 30 kWh battery, Nissan started screwing with where you could get rear heated seats. For '12 thru '15, front and rear seats were heated and it was a forced standard feature. Once gen 2 came out for the US market (model year '18), you couldn't get rear heated seats. I don't know its current status off the top of my head.

In that particular case you may be right. My point though is that the features do vary from year to year in often surprising ways.

For example, a 2018 Leaf S with the All-Weather package comes with heated front seats, heated mirrors and heated steering wheel. Fast forward to 2020 Leaf S and there is no option package that has heated seats, much less heated steering wheel or heated mirrors. What is included and what is optional changes from year to year.

https://www.nissanusa.com/content/dam/Nissan/us/vehicle-brochures/2018/2018-leaf-brochure-en.pdf
https://www.nissanusa.com/vehicles/electric-cars/leaf/specs/compare-specs.html#modelName=S|40%20kWh

You are right about the heated seats on '18 vs. '20 S. TIL. The specs tab of the below confirm that.

https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/release-77b5f147884a4439bd10c4d9207f2237-us-2018-nissan-leaf-press-kit
https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/release-bc5df8c40e6e686b4db9c27c7b0385ab-2020-nissan-leaf-press-kit

Interesting... I wonder if it's a matter of trying to keep S trim prices and costs low or forcing upsell into higher trims for those who want heated seats. Or, newbies to EVs may not understand the value of heated seats and steering wheel and might've been turned off into paying for it (having it standard or seeing cars on the lot w/the all weather package).

Does anyone know which apps are available on the 16/17 S? The head unit has an apps button, and pressing it displays a message that a NissanConnect subscription is required.

Driver8 said:

...It would be nice if Nissan pointed that out in a few more obvious places (like in the app, where I registered my S vehicle....). Instead I just get an error message.

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I was in the same situation when I got my 2018 Leaf S. I researched more online and figured it out later on. But, I realized that I didn't need or miss it.

henrydehoja said:

I was in the same situation when I got my 2018 Leaf S. I researched more online and figured it out later on. But, I realized that I didn't need or miss it.

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I would definitely like to have it, as it's a little annoying to have to go out and turn the car on to check how much my trickle charger has left to go (as we haven't gotten a level 2 charger yet (and might not).
Just kind of annoyed that the salespeople were hyping it up so much at the dealership, even though the car we were going to get didn't have access. Honestly there is a good chance they didn't know, as I don't think this particular Nissan dealership does a TON of Leaf sales. They had one or two new ones on the lot, but....

My other minor complaint is that there isn't an easy way to figure out how much battery charge you have when it's plugged in (unless I"m missing something). Nissan seems to have picked some really odd fractions for some of their battery indicators (12 bars for capacity?? 3 charging lights on the dash??).

You can scroll through the menu button on the dash and there is a % SOC available that displays increments of 1%. My dash is permanently set to this because it is by far the best way to gauge the SOC on a 2017 S.

Also, the trickle EVSE will provide a fixed amount of power per time so you can do some simple arithmetic to estimate the SOC. On a 30kWh pack that comes with a 2017 S you can figure very roughly 4% SOC per hour using L1 at 12A. So a 13hr overnight charge session should provide a roughly 50% increase in SOC. You can get more exact by trial and error if needed but this usually close enough for my uses as I like to have the SOC at 80% when finished so some error isn't a big deal.

Driver8 said:

My other minor complaint is that there isn't an easy way to figure out how much battery charge you have when it's plugged in (unless I"m missing something). Nissan seems to have picked some really odd fractions for some of their battery indicators (12 bars for capacity?? 3 charging lights on the dash??).

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I can't relate too much there. I have my car in the garage, so I can head there easily to check up on things.
But, I know the annoyance of having to turn the car ON just to get an accurate reading of charge %. I wish I could get that charge % from just opening the door and viewing the display.

For public chargers, I typically use networked ChargePoint or EVgo stations, so I use the their app to check the charge status.

Driver8 said:

My other minor complaint is that there isn't an easy way to figure out how much battery charge you have when it's plugged in (unless I"m missing something). Nissan seems to have picked some really odd fractions for some of their battery indicators (12 bars for capacity?? 3 charging lights on the dash??).

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From the later reply, I guess you haven't used the rest of the trip computer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj-HF1NfP9A.

FWIW, the '11 and '12 Leaf did NOT have a % SoC display. It only had the GOM and the 12 battery bars. % SoC display didn't arrive until model year '13. This is why before '13 Leaf existed, drivers were building stuff like the original gid meter: https://saxton.org/tom_saxton/2012/01/leaf-soc-meter-build.html.

cwerdna said:

Driver8 said:

My other minor complaint is that there isn't an easy way to figure out how much battery charge you have when it's plugged in (unless I"m missing something). Nissan seems to have picked some really odd fractions for some of their battery indicators (12 bars for capacity?? 3 charging lights on the dash??).

Click to expand...

From the later reply, I guess you haven't used the rest of the trip computer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj-HF1NfP9A.

FWIW, the '11 and '12 Leaf did NOT have a % SoC display. It only had the GOM and the 12 battery bars. % SoC display didn't arrive until model year '13. This is why before '13 Leaf existed, drivers were building stuff like the original gid meter: https://saxton.org/tom_saxton/2012/01/leaf-soc-meter-build.html.

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Thanks. I have used the display, many times. I know that's where I can see my SOC% WHEN THE CAR IS ON.
My complaint is that I have to sit in my car and turn it on to get that screen to come up. Seems like they could have very easily just made it so that pressing that button by itself (even without the car "on") would just show your SOC%. Basically what Henry is suggesting above. Just open the door and see the charge %.