SV Owners: Report in

[kubel]

Just curious how many SV owners (or soon-to-be SV owners) there are now and why you chose the SV over the SL.

Any regrets?

 

[Stoaty]

I have 2011 SV, very happy with it after 10 months. Haven't ever seen a QC station, so I don't figure I am missing much. I decided that for my use (40-45 mile round trip commute 4 days a week, sometimes 100 mile round trip on weekend with 6-7 hours L1 charging available at the midpoint) that I probably wouldn't need the QC. So far, I have been correct. The other things available with the SL seemed like a lot of fluff for my purposes, so I decided to save the money.

 

[garsh]

I have a one-week old 2012 SV. The SL extras just weren't compelling to me. I don't expect QC charging to be available in my area anytime soon, and even if it were I can't imagine I'd ever have a reason to use it with L2 charging available at work and my L1 charger for overnight charging at home.

 

[ENIAC]

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[KennyLewis]

I have a 2012 SV and have no regrets. There are no QC locations anywhere near me and may never be any in the near future. So far I have only charged on L2 GE Wattstation at home. The Leaf is garaged at home and work so I have no use for a solar panel. With the price increase for 2012, fog lights, auto headlights, and homelink are not worth the difference. I am glad to have the cold weather package and believe it is needed here in Ohio. The outside air temperature seems to have the most effect on range, so I wish Nissan could have done more to keep the main battery warmer when it gets down below 32 degrees.

 

[surfingslovak]

I have 2011 SV, very happy with it after 10 months. Haven't ever seen a QC station, so I don't figure I am missing much. I decided that for my use (40-45 mile round trip commute 4 days a week, sometimes 100 mile round trip on weekend with 6-7 hours L1 charging available at the midpoint) that I probably wouldn't need the QC. So far, I have been correct. The other things available with the SL seemed like a lot of fluff for my purposes, so I decided to save the money.

+1

Well put, John. Had the QC port been available as an option on the SV trim, I would have purchased it.

 

[mkjayakumar]

I have a 2011 SV and didn't even bother with an L2 at home. So far perfectly happy with L1 and will go for an EVSEupgrade shortly. I believe this is the most cost effective and best suited model for someone in the Dallas area.

The things that SL offers doesn't excite me that much for the extra $3K.. I have had at least 3 of my friends looking actively for a 2011 SV with an after rebate price of $24.5K - a price point where I believe there is no premium built in for an EV. That means my ROI and the gas savings of real dollars saved, kick in from day 1.

Nissan should continue to offer this model for an MSRP of $25k after fed rebates.

 

[planet4ever]

So far I have only charged on L2 GE Wattstation at home. The Leaf is garaged at home and work so I have no use for a solar panel. With the price increase for 2012, fog lights, auto headlights, and homelink are not worth the difference.

I ordered a 2011 SV and got switched against my wishes to an SL. After a year I have still seen no value in any of the things you mentioned, or in the cargo cover (which I actually removed). The one thing I have found useful is the backup camera. I might use the quick charge some day, on rare occasions. Even so, I wish Nissan would have let me save the money.

Ray

 

[adric22]

Well, I ordered an SV model, but by a strange set of circumstances that I won't bore you with I ended up with an SL model. However, my SL model has no QC port. So it is similar to the SV except I do have a backup camera, solar panel, and the nice rear-view mirror.

Having said that, I assume the main interest people have in asking about the SV model is lack of QC port. And since my SL lacks it, that puts me in the same camp. I have no regrets. No QC stations around here. There's one over on the far side of Dallas, but it is an EVGo station which I'll NEVER pay for because it requires a monthly subscription. Can't see that business model ever working for me.

 

[Stanton]

I didn't really want ANY of the SL options, and when I realized how much extra it would be PLUS the QC port, I decided I would probably never use it anyway. After seeing all the BS with plug standards, along with the fact that there aren't any QC stations (and I never PAY for a charge), I have no regrets. Even without a QC port, the Leaf is the greatest EV out there.

 

[rick1rick2]

I took delivery of my SV last week. I don't have the need for the level 3 quick charge and there aren't any around my area anyway. So other than that I didn't think it was worth the cash for the backup camera.

 

[gergg]

Do the 2011/2012 SV models have cruise control? I read somewhere that the 2013 SV will not have cruise control, thought that was kind of strange.

 

[garsh]

Do the 2011/2012 SV models have cruise control?

Yes.

 

[gergg]

Is it the 2011 heater that was not so good, and they fixed it on the 2012 models? Any other reasons to purchase a 2012 vs a 2011? There are still quite a few 2011's available.

 

[HighDesertDriver]

Is it the 2011 heater that was not so good, and they fixed it on the 2012 models? Any other reasons to purchase a 2012 vs a 2011? There are still quite a few 2011's available.

The 2012 cabin resistance heater remains unchanged from 2011. However, the 2012 now includes heaters in the steering wheel, seats, and side-view mirrors. (Note: some late 2011 models may have been delivered with this heater package as an option.) The 2013 model is reported to be switching the cabin heater to a more efficient heat pump.

 

[mkjayakumar]

In the end the difference between 2011 and later models is all in the heating and few frills. If you live in an area where the climate doesn't get too cold often and don't care for how efficient the heating is, I would suggest save yourselves a couple grand and go for the 2011 model.

Again if you don't care for the QC port, you can go for the 2011 SV model - the least expensive Leaf out there, and get your cost down to $25K or less after the Fed credit. Best bang for buck.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Do the 2011/2012 SV models have cruise control? I read somewhere that the 2013 SV will not have cruise control, thought that was kind of strange.

Not much is known for certain about the 2013 models but there has been some suggestion of a three models: S, SV, and SL. I think it was the base S model that is supposed to not even have cruise control.

I'd like to dump the nav system, bluetooth, and all that stuff, but no cruise? That feature is actually useful. We will see how the 2013 models and options shake out in a few months.

 

[dgpcolorado]

In the end the difference between 2011 and later models is all in the heating and few frills. If you live in an area where the climate doesn't get too cold often and don't care for how efficient the heating is, I would suggest save yourselves a couple grand and go for the 2011 model.

Again if you don't care for the QC port, you can go for the 2011 SV model - the least expensive Leaf out there, and get your cost down to $25K or less after the Fed credit. Best bang for buck.

At this point, one downside of buying a 2011 model is that the battery is a year older. If you are leasing, no problem. If buying, it is something to consider. The speculation is that the battery capacity will decline with age, not just use/charge cycles.

 

[MikeD]

Can anyone detail what parts, wiring, etc are different between the QC SL and the SV? I am curious what might be the technical reason(s) why Nissan has said the SV cannot be upgraded to have a QC...

 

[kubel]

Can anyone detail what parts, wiring, etc are different between the QC SL and the SV? I am curious what might be the technical reason(s) why Nissan has said the SV cannot be upgraded to have a QC...

Nissan won't admit it (and neither will the fanboys here) but CHAdeMO is dead as a standard here in the US. If you can source a CHAdeMO port and wiring harness and have the labor and time to disassemble your car, I suspect the biggest hurdle would be if they use a different charger or different firmware. I don't think it's economically worthwhile to upgrade an SV, though.

There is no infrastructure in my area so I didn't feel it was wise to buy into it at this point, so I went with SV. This LEAF probably won't be a long term purchase for me. I'll wait until Nissan or Ford release an EV with a QC port that is part of the J1772 standard, then I'll get one for the long term.