SV or SL

[philipscoggins]

There's a 2011 SV demo & a 2012 SL at my local dealer.

The SV had a chadmo on it.

They are never charged and just sitting in the lineup, so batteries shouldn't be all beat up. Wonder what kind of deal they would give on the demo. It's got about 1000 miles on it & the 2012 has about 200, mostly put on during my extended test drive.

Philip

 

[mwalsh]

There's a 2011 SV demo & a 2012 SL at my local dealer.

The SV had a chadmo on it.

That's strange. The 2011 SV was never supposed to come with CHAdeMO, not even as a factory add-on. What leads you to think it's an SV?

 

[philipscoggins]

I drove by the dealership yesterday to drool while I wait...

I could swear it was a SV, but guess I could be wrong. It was definitely a 2011 & has demo stamped on the window paper & was about $5000 less on the msrp than the 2012, with the chadmo.

What's the difference between a 2011 & 2012 SL other than the heated seats?

Philip

 

[DaveEV]

What's the difference between a 2011 & 2012 SL other than the heated seats?

Cold weather package is standard on the 2012 - later 2011's it was available as an option.
The low-speed/reverse noisemaker no longer has a button to disable it.
The glovebox light seems to be MIA.

That's it!

 

[philipscoggins]

Ok, you made me drive back by and figure it out...

The 2011 is an SL also with no cold weather package. Msrp $35k ish.

So, I'm just outside on Nashville & we have a good 2 solid months of below freezing days. Lows last week were around 32. So if they offer me an amazing deal on the 2011 should I pass anyway?

Philip

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Ok, you made me drive back by and figure it out...

The 2011 is an SL also with no cold weather package. Msrp $35k ish.

So, I'm just outside on Nashville & we have a good 2 solid months of below freezing days. Lows last week were around 32. So if they offer me an amazing deal on the 2011 should I pass anyway?

Philip

tough call. other than the CWP, there is no real difference. how much is difference in price? also, I would want to get a "real" battery health check on the 2011 first but at the same time, if they offer a much better deal, well there are other ways to deal with the cold

http://daveinolywa.blogspot.com/2012/10/battling-winter-range-degradation.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[TonyWilliams]

For 32F/0C degrees, I would want the heated steering wheel and seats for comfort, and vehicle range (by not needing so much energy for the cabin heater). I've owned both a 2011 and 2012, and that cheap plastic steering wheel on the 2011 isn't even nice to hold.

If you're handy, you can put in your own heated seat in the 2011.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I love the heated steering wheel. I thought it would be odd, but it's wonderful when it gets cold. That plus the heated seats will dramatically increase the effective winter range for you. Unless, like me, you have kids in car seats who cannot benefit from heated seats, you will very rarely need the heater.

 

[philipscoggins]

I have 3 kids, one will ride up front & 2 in boosters in the back.

I think I'll go with the CWP, I plan to use the LEAF as my only car & just keep my 98 Accord in the back storage building waiting for my 13 yr old to take it over when she's 16. It get's really hot in the summer & really cold in the winter here in Tennessee. Not like great lakes area, but still very cold January & February.

Which makes me wonder about the back seats & the seat warmers. Do they only heat the seats or does it also heat the backs?

Got 2 years before the 6 year old will be out of the booster in TN & another year & a half beyond that for the youngest.

Have to brag, my 5 year old can explain what makes the LEAF special (it doesn't use any gas) and then explains that since it doesn't use gas you just plug it in to charge it up like her barbie motor cycle.

Philip

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I have 3 kids, one will ride up front & 2 in boosters in the back.

I think I'll go with the CWP, I plan to use the LEAF as my only car & just keep my 98 Accord in the back storage building waiting for my 13 yr old to take it over when she's 16. It get's really hot in the summer & really cold in the winter here in Tennessee. Not like great lakes area, but still very cold January & February.

As far as I know, it does not heat the back (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Your children will not benefit much from the heated seats until they're out of the boosters.

Up here, in the dead of winter, even heated seats can't save you from needing the heater. In my recent experiments, using the heater (with pre-heating) has dropped my mileage from about 4.5 miles/kWh to about 2.5miles/kWh. It's a good thing I almost never go more than 50 miles/day.

Have to brag, my 5 year old can explain what makes the LEAF special (it doesn't use any gas) and then explains that since it doesn't use gas you just plug it in to charge it up like her barbie motor cycle.

Philip

Gotta love getting the next generation to appreciate electric cars! My 3-year-old looks forward to opening the two charge doors and "giving Daddy's car some car-juice".

 

[dcxplant]

An SL was the only car on the lot.

I probably would have leased an SV....

As it turns out, I'm very happy with the backup camera and the quick charger.

The camera has already gotten me out of a tight spot with a ton of kids (daycare center) with no drama VS backing up in my old ICE car with no camera which was always a daily worry. Those toddlers do get around FAST!