Don't know if you can love LEAF long-time? Rent first!

Connell Nissan in Costa Mesa, CA has a rental LEAF available, to see if the car will fit into your lifestyle. Normally it is $99 a day but for fans of their Facebook page it is $49 a day with a three day maximum rental (I'm not sure at this point if the maximum rental period also applies to full rate rentals). Of course, renters will probably only have the benefit of L1 charging, so those without their own L2 units will have to think some about the time needed to L1 at home and/or public L2 charging. But it seems like a cheap way of getting a real feel for the car to me!

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great idea....

Guess the $197 I paid for 48 hours to Hertz on Demand to rent their NYC LEAF was not out-of-line...

i think a Nissan sponsored rental program is a win-win. i talk to people nearly every day who discount the Leaf for its range not realizing that leaving every morning with a "full tank" really makes it inconsequential how far a tank will take you.

studies show that people who live in urban areas tend to overestimate the distance they drive from 20-40%. people who live in outer suburban areas or the country, tend to underestimate their driving by 10-15% but they also tend to get gas with at least a quarter tank left. with the former; 25% get gas with less than 1/8th tank left.

what we currently have a is a HUGE market prevented from considering a Leaf due to their inflated perceptions of driving distances

DaveinOlyWA said:

i think a Nissan sponsored rental program is a win-win.

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It could also scare off customers when they see the estimated range indicator lose 20 miles a block after you leave your house in the morning.

Herm said:

DaveinOlyWA said:

i think a Nissan sponsored rental program is a win-win.

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It could also scare off customers when they see the estimated range indicator lose 20 miles a block after you leave your house in the morning.

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Hopefully.

Herm said:

DaveinOlyWA said:

i think a Nissan sponsored rental program is a win-win.

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It could also scare off customers when they see the estimated range indicator lose 20 miles a block after you leave your house in the morning.

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Education is key. A test drive with the dealer with an emphasis on the GOM and how it works should be mandatory for every prospective renter.

Herm said:

It could also scare off customers when they see the estimated range indicator lose 20 miles a block after you leave your house in the morning.

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There is an easy fix - that would work in most cases. The GOM after recharge should show range based not on last 5 miles - but on the entire travel with the last charge.

Remember the poster who complained (in the original Hertz NYC rentals thread) that the Hertz rental was a "marketing activity" and that he'd be shocked if Nissan would allow such an activity before the 20,000 original reservation holders had their cars? I resereved in 2010 and still won't have my LEAF until spring 2012 but I'm glad I could benefit from the rental as far back as April 2011...

The Hertz NYC rental is an early VIN (<300); both times I drove it we're with the original Guess-O-Meter firmware. The first time, in early April, I admit being a bit worried as the mileage melted away with a 500 ft elevation gain, but I understood it when I saw the 500 ft elevation loss with very little mileage usage on the return trip. The second time I rented, in late June, I had no problem with the GOM; I mostly ignored the mileage estimate and concentrated on the bars-of-charge...