What's the thing you hate most about your Leaf?

[EatsShootsandLeafs]

Winter range. The other things I don't like such as the patently worthless navigation system are only small nags. I like most of the car, i still love how it drives. The winter range is basically a deal breaker for me, though. This winter has forced me out of the car and I won't replace it come lease end.

 

[Valdemar]

While agree with most of the points above the thing that annoys me most on a daily basis is the shifter. It is so vague and there is no any sort of tactile feedback, and it often fails to switch to the desired mode when you need to react quickly. Hate it.

 

[favguy]

It's just so ugly to look at!

 

[CayenneSJLEAFy]

+1 for tomkludy.

The Fast Degradation is by far the biggest thing that I hate most about my former LEAF. Which is the reason why I traded it in.

If it weren't for the degradation, I would have kept our LEAF.

But in a temperate climate like San Jose, CA, with 44K miles, I've lost 22% in 29 months. That is just ridiculous.

Otherwise there are many things I did like about our '11. The car was very smooth, reliable, and comfortable.

Yes, I hated the clown horn, didn't care for the exterior appearance, and hated pressing "OK" on the nag screen at every startup.

But with the range degrading so quickly, I figure it's best to just take the hit now and move on.

It's going to be interesting on how these cars will be viewed in the used car market. Without LeafSpy, LEAF DD, or 3rd party tools, how can any prospective buyer really know how much the battery has truly degraded? Truly a buyer-beware situation. Eventually most non-Nissan dealers will figure that this car will be too much of a bother to deal with.

 

[sparky]

They try and make it drive like a gas car. I would like more extreme regenerative braking and I hate the creep forward when not giving it gas. It is electric! There is no reason for this.

Since Nissan didn't make creep/no creep a driver setting, I'm glad they went with creep. Tesla has made it settable and after a month of no creep (coming from a stick) I changed to creep mode and haven't gone back.
Like @dgpcolorado, I find it useful in navigating out of my garage where I have a very slim 4 inches to the front wall.
Also, on occasion, I use a valet service and I'm more comfortable with those drivers having the car behave like a standard automatic especially in parking situations.
Lastly, my wife and I switch between a few cars all with different shifting mechanisms and varying degrees of "cueing". There's plenty of opportunity for confusion, especially when in a hurry. So, creep should be settable but if not I'm glad it's enabled on the LEAF.

My only real dislike is like @mwalsh's; the surprisingly bad battery life and Nissan's deceptive communication about pack life and range. Omitting the nit-picky stuff I've noticed, everything else seems as good or better than any ICE I've owned.

 

[springbank]

I find that there are too many posts in my sight-line. Makes for dangerous driving (esp. for pedestrians) early morning or night driving esp. with fog.


BTW - go HAWKS!

 

[mbender]

I find that there are too many posts in my sight-line. Makes for dangerous driving (esp. for pedestrians) early morning or night driving esp. with fog.

+1, and I'd add slow, curvy "river" roads (which I have to deal with) to the list.

 

[shikataganai]

Updated list of likes and dislikes:

Dislikes:

- A-pillar and rear view mirror block the car to my right at four way stops thanks to my long torso/high viewpoint
- not enough headroom in rear to sit up straight, and it's generally a dark place back there with the rising belt line
- minor head toss from short wheelbase
- klunky address entry in Microsoft based navi

Likes:

- Around View Monitor remains awesome
- cheap to own and run, and in my new state of Colorado ($6k rebate!) comparable in total cost of ownership with a gas beater!
- heated steering wheel
- dedicated EV parking at work
- snappy below 30 mph

 

[JohnBike]

My biggest disappointment has been the excessive number of trolls and/or ignoramuses (ignoramusi?) that clutter this forum with nonsense and inaccuracy. Fortunately, I've found a few really smart people here who do their homework. I have to wonder how many people are not getting the real benefits of LEAF ownership simply due to misinformation. We get enough junk ideas from the dealers; we don't need to add to it ourselves.

Again, thanks to all of you who provide accurate and useful commentary, warnings, ideas, and support.

 

[johnrhansen]

People on here generally don't let a incorrect comment go unchallenged very long. Hopefully there are enough smart people out there to keep things worth reading here.

 

[mgs333]

People on here generally don't let a incorrect comment go unchallenged very long. Hopefully there are enough smart people out there to keep things worth reading here.

Yes, I agree with John. Compared to other car forums, this place is one of the better communities in terms of people being civil and a low ratio of trolls. You guys should try visiting the forums of cars that attract a much younger demographic if you think this place is bad.

 

[LeftieBiker]

While agree with most of the points above the thing that annoys me most on a daily basis is the shifter. It is so vague and there is no any sort of tactile feedback, and it often fails to switch to the desired mode when you need to react quickly. Hate it.

How many times do you shift this one-speed car on a typical drive? ;-) On a related note, I hate how long it takes the car to get into ready mode when I'm running errands and want to hop in and *just leave, already* when I get back in.

 

[johnrhansen]

While agree with most of the points above the thing that annoys me most on a daily basis is the shifter. It is so vague and there is no any sort of tactile feedback, and it often fails to switch to the desired mode when you need to react quickly. Hate it.

How many times do you shift this one-speed car on a typical drive? ;-) On a related note, I hate how long it takes the car to get into ready mode when I'm running errands and want to hop in and *just leave, already* when I get back in.

The fix for that is easy, always park on a downhill slope with no car in front of you. You can shift into N immediately and start coasting forward in the 5 to 10 seconds the car takes to boot up. You will get an extra 20 feet that way before it allows you to shift between n and d.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Um, no thanks. Back when I was Poor, though, I once drove a Volvo 145 wagon with a weak battery. I always parked that at the top of a hill or grade, and roll-started it.

 

[alanlarson]

On a related note, I hate how long it takes the car to get into ready mode when I'm running errands and want to hop in and *just leave, already* when I get back in.

In case you haven't tried it, turning off the start up sound cuts the start up time. I now can get in, brake pedal + start button, fasten seat belt, and it is ready when I am.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Thanks. I'll try that.

 

[RonDawg]

On a related note, I hate how long it takes the car to get into ready mode when I'm running errands and want to hop in and *just leave, already* when I get back in.

In case you haven't tried it, turning off the start up sound cuts the start up time. I now can get in, brake pedal + start button, fasten seat belt, and it is ready when I am.

I don't necessarily wait until the chime is done before shifting into R or D.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Whenever I shift before the chime is done, the car goes into neutral.

 

[RonDawg]

Whenever I shift before the chime is done, the car goes into neutral.

If you do it too quickly after pressing the power button, then yes it will go into neutral. Then again, it also happens if I shift too quickly even if the chime has long stopped sounding. But after a bit of experimenting, it seems that if you shift just before the second set of chimes begins, it won't go into neutral, and will interrupt the chime if you shift into R (but not D for some reason).

Like alanlarson, I usually turn the car on before putting my seatbelt on. By the time my seatbelt is on, the second part of the chime has often not started yet, and rarely has completed, but the car is already in "gear."

At least that's the way it is on my 2012, Nissan could have changed it for your model year.

 

[johnrhansen]

The order for me is power on, seat belt, hold shifter in the D direction until it goes!