Leaf too big

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TomT said:
On what do you base this? This is an electric car and the consideration of transmission ratios is very different than it is with an ICE... A two speed transmission would buy you VERY little in an EV...

groingo said:
Too tall of gear ratio for city driving, needs two speed trany, low range for up 50 m.p.h. and high for open road driving.
Again, this is all a matter of opinion. Personally I never even use the full torque of the motor as it is unless I'm showing off. So having another gear would be just extra useless weight.
 
groingo said:
The longer I own it the more annoying these problems become.
1. Thick windshield pillars and useless pillar windows make corner visibility difficult.
2. High roofline (fully 6 inches taller than my 03 Crown Vic), makes washing and cleaning a real pain.
3. Rear view mirrors cars aren't closer, they simply don't show when beside you.
4. Car is a rolling blind spot with high doors, small side windows.
5. Guess-O-Meter is very aptly named.
6. Fabric padding on door panels and console wears quickly.
7. Too tall of gear ratio for city driving, needs two speed trany, low range for up 50 m.p.h. and high for open road driving.
8. Far too heavy....weighs just 300 pounds less than my 03 Crown Vic.

Good points:
1. Am learning what to look for in my next electric.
2. Don't need to use wipers in moderate rain over 40 m.p.h. as windshield blows clean without wipers.
3. It is more efficient at current gas and electric prices but just barely over my Metro.
4. Learning all about momentum driving.
5. Fun car to just sit with and study to try and figure why they did what they did.
6. It's paid for and a good learning experience.

I hear THAT!! Too many damned buttons too, particularly on the STEERING WHEEL!! Can't even one handed steer while parking without BREAKING SOMETHING, normally my CD playing! :-(

John Kuthe...
 
groingo said:
8. Far too heavy....weighs just 300 pounds less than my 03 Crown Vic.
We are dealing with some basic physics here. You can't very well have an electric car without a battery pack. And the fact is that the LEAF accelerates quite well from a standing stop. It also handles well because of the low center of gravity. I'm not understanding why the weight of the LEAF an issue.
 
Maybe Nissan will eventually do with the Leaf like Toyota did with the Prius; make different models around the same idea.

It would be nice to have a subcompact economical 4 seater for those who want something small and practical for simple commuting. Don't expect a big battery for long trips though.

I like the Leaf size. It's kind of a medium. But a bit bigger with a three row front seat would be handy.

Although not popular, I think a station wagon Leaf would be very practical for many people.

Then throw in microvans, minivans, midsized vans, fullsized vans, and for those who don't like vans, SUV's and crossovers. A BEV pickup would be nice too. But it would probably be a good idea to rename those, leaving the name "Leaf" to the lineup of BEV cars by Nissan. Maybe we could do "Branch", "Trunk", "Twig", etc. for names in those vehicles.
 
IssacZachary said:
Maybe Nissan will eventually do with the Leaf like Toyota did with the Prius; make different models around the same idea.

That was Nissan's original plan. It had announced the Infiniti LE during the early days of the Leaf. They they put it on the shelf, bring it out again, then put it back on the shelf. Last I heard the car was going to be for China only.
 
groingo said:
In Washington State the price of gas keeps bouncing around $2.80 a gallon with more increase in gas taxes due in July.
Electricity is climbing as well as PSE just increased rates for the third time in 2017 with another on its way.
Currently when you figure the cost of electricity, basic fee and sundry taxes on electricity and the cost of gas to go the same distance electricity it comes to $1.34 gas vs 0.89 for electric for a 22 mile round trip.

I don't know how you're figuring that cost? Since April 2017 I'm paying $0.076872 / kWH in Tacoma, which works out to be $2.30 to go 100 miles, if my calculations are correct.
 
Leaf too big?? Hah!!.. I would like it even bigger. A HOMERUN people mover EV car would be the Leaf with the body size of the Mazda 5 mini minivan, that seats 6 people (2x2x2). with a sliding side door.... That would be a hot car in the market and a hit with soccer moms, who never put gas in the car anyway.... :)
 
powersurge said:
That would be a hot car in the market and a hit with soccer moms, who never put gas in the car anyway...

Bingo. 60kwh battery, hauls groceries and the neighbors kids, Dad recharges the damn thing on Saturday's instead of driving to Arco and checking the oil.
 
powersurge said:
Leaf too big?? Hah!!.. I would like it even bigger. A HOMERUN people mover EV car would be the Leaf with the body size of the Mazda 5 mini minivan, that seats 6 people (2x2x2). with a sliding side door.... That would be a hot car in the market and a hit with soccer moms, who never put gas in the car anyway.... :)
>>NISSAN! LOOK! PLEASE! THIS!<<
And I'm not even a soccer mom!
And please make the 7 seat option available in the USA unlike Mazda.
 
So basically a Tessa Model X for the rest of us. ;-)

If you think the LEAF is too big, there are some more compact alternatives such as the Chevy Spark, Chevy Bolt and the BMW i3. I was particularly smitten with the i3 after an extended test drive (was sad to turn it back in), but a number of other factors pushed me to the 30 kWh LEAF.
 
IssacZachary said:
Although not popular, I think a station wagon Leaf would be very practical for many people.
Actually the Prius V form factor for the Prius has turned out to be quite popular. I don't know why a variation of the LEAF with an extended cargo area would not be equally so.
 
Dooglas said:
IssacZachary said:
Although not popular, I think a station wagon Leaf would be very practical for many people.
Actually the Prius V form factor for the Prius has turned out to be quite popular. I don't know why a variation of the LEAF with an extended cargo area would not be equally so.
I was referring to the general decline in popularity of station wagons. Station wagons used to be much more prevalent. My parents owned a station wagon when I was a child. But back then they were largely replaced by minivans, which in turn have largely been replaced by crossovers, even though there has been a lot of practicality lost in the name of popularity.

I thought this quote from Car and Driver was interesting:
Station Wagon: Station wagons have perhaps the worst reputation of any body style on the market, but we’re fighting to change that. They offer the best attributes of a car without the trade-offs of larger crossovers and SUVs. The Mazda 6 wagon actually had more passenger and cargo volume than the Mazda CX-7 crossover, was quicker, and got better fuel economy. It was so immensely unpopular that it was discontinued last year, and a forthcoming CX-7 promises a weaker engine in an effort to reduce fuel consumption.

Those that have considered buying a Prius V were likely already thinking outside the box. They probably wanted a fuel sipping hybrid, yet at the same time more room. And from a practical standpoint it only makes sense to keep the vehicle's profile low if you're trying to achieve fuel mileage. Although not a direct comparison, a Toyota hybrid Highlander only gets 28mpg whereas the Prius V gets 42mpg. A Prius V just makes more sense. Also perhaps the newer generation of people no longer associate the station wagon with "uncool" things like Harry and the Henderson's or Grandpa's fishing car. So some of the push away from the those soccer-mom-image minivan might very well be steering larger families towards station wagons, especially those that are thinking about fuel efficiency.
 
IssacZachary said:
arnis said:
IssacZachary said:
And please make the 7 seat option available in the USA unlike Mazda.

You are talking about availability of e-NV200 in US? Aka "the big Leaf".
YES!!

Just read up on the e-NV200, I would buy/drive one of these in a hot minute with a 30 kWh battery configured like a cargo van ( chevy city express ).
 
I wish I had known that they had the nv 200 before I bought the Leaf. That is a more useful vehicle, however a car produced in small numbers is a liability... Nissan should push the nv 200 as a family mini minivan...
 
groingo said:
3. Rear view mirrors cars aren't closer, they simply don't show when beside you.
4. Car is a rolling blind spot with high doors, small side windows.

I have a different way of setting side mirrors. I first learned of it listening to Car Talk. Most people can see the side of their own car when the look in the mirror. This just gives you 2 extra side-mounted rear-view mirrors that overlap with your center rear view mirror. You need to set your mirrors to see further out to the side so they are a true side view mirror. Here is an explanation:



http://www.cartalk.com/sites/default/files/features/mirrors/CarTalkMirrors.pdf


It takes a little getting used to, but I've driven like this for 12 years now and I could never go back.
 
powersurge said:
I wish I had known that they had the nv 200 before I bought the Leaf. That is a more useful vehicle, however a car produced in small numbers is a liability... Nissan should push the nv 200 as a family mini minivan...
As someone who's been waiting for the eNV-200 for 4+ years, I'm glad I purchased a Leaf 3+ years ago and quit waiting. Sure Europe and other more advanced locations than North America have had the eNV-200 for many years, we have yet to have it offered to us :x
If it ever does make it to this side of the pond, I'll gladly trade my Leaf for one but I've basically given up on it, along with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, the #1 selling eVehicle in Europe, not available in in N. America, where SUVs rule all other vehicle types :roll:
 
jjeff said:
I wish the Leaf was bigger :)
I'd prefer it to be taller, dislike having to sit down in the seats, I like the seating in something like a Rav4 or CRV.
I'd MUCH prefer the rear seats and cargo to be bigger. I can get by with the front seats but especially cargo area is woefully small.
Weight is OK, heavier is generally better for a decent ride. My old light(1650 lbs) Geo Metro got great mileage but drove very light, also basically a death trap, but I survived ;)
IMO the Leaf has too much low end power now(I never venture out of ECO) can't see why I'd want it geared lower :? High end seems OK, easily does 80 and I have no real need to go faster.
Never use the GOM and I agree about blind spots, MUCH worse than my Metro or Scion Xb. I removed the rear seat headrests for a bit better view.

All cars are a compromise, in my case being a BEV was #1 priority, I overlooked many things to attain that, if you like a smaller/lighter BEV then maybe an i3? I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting an iMe, although it is smaller and lighter :lol:

I agree with you.. I prefer a bigger LEAF and taller roof, and more room inside. I like sitting higher, rather than low on the road...
 
My wife is 5'-2", so I shimmed the driver's seat in our SV for her, which raised it up about 1" higher -it's very easy to do. The main downside for me is that, if I leave the seat in the fully raised position, I have to skooch down to see traffic lights and the rear view mirror is an even worse blind spot than usual.

However, I usually just lower the driver's seat most of the way down when I drive and then try to remember to raise it again for my wife ;)
 
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