Goodbye Nissan Leaf, hello Kia Soul EV

Well, it has come to this. I have traded in my '11 Leaf for Kia. It was just an innocent "let's go take a look at that Soul" kinda Sunday thing.

After defending Leaf for a long time I had to concede defeat and throw in the towel. I had no other choice due to its shaky battery-swap future, inferior heating, slow 3.3 charging, and particularly in view of the fact how much superior Kia Soul is. That would be superior in ALL aspects of what a good and relatively inexpensive EV should be. Inexpensive as a lease of course. I learned my Leaf lesson well. Thank the lord I resisted the urge putting leather in that car.

So upon considering permutations of all available options we traded in our Leaf - sight unseen, if you can believe that - at Santa Rosa Kia for 11,500 and got a 15,000 mile lease deal for mid 300s. It doesn't get any better than that, fellow Leafers. Two years left on Leaf payments have been wiped out, and with it the my age of innocence in electrounatics.

First day of Soul driving, mostly freeway, Marin hills and all: trip + miles remaining = 105. Kia is serious about that 93 range claim. This was, of course, B mode in Eco. Folks, I cannot be happier. I can actually make it to work and back (84 miles), something I could only dream about my 2011 "100-mile" Leaf. Charging at 6.6, TMS, my phone instantly recognized as soon as I turn the power on (something Nissan never fixed, even though I griped about it right from the start) is only the icing on the cake.

Because what really sold me on Soul was when I saw that the car not only has heated all seats, front and back, and cooled front seats (yes, that would entail fans inside them) but also that there are 3 levels of the above. Yes, that's 3 levels of heat and cool inside the front seats. Wow! Low, medium, high. This is one Cadillac of EVs to be had for 300+ bucks with a hypermile potential of WAY over 100 miles. It doesn't get any better than that.

So, goodbye Leafy. You served us well for 56,170 miles. We moved you over so we can move on, on our continued electronaut journey on Northern California roads.

PS: Santa Rosa Kia is VERY MOTIVATED to move the metal. Talk to the sales manager. Don't bother with the staff for too long. I gave you all pertinent numbers. Cut to the chase, bring your Leaf with you, get the deal... :mrgreen:

good for you!, gen 2 is always better than gen 1, gen 3,4,5 and beyond will even be better

My impression of the Kia is that they studied both the Leaf and the drivers to make something that's remarkably better.

I didn't even know the Soul EV was officially even available in the USA yet. How is the acceleration? On paper, the Soul EV seems like a slouch. (especially after having driven the i3 for the past 3 days)

I get an extended test drive of it tomorrow and I'm thinking that it may well be the replacement for the Leaf for me too... That or less likely the MB ED...

ILETRIC said:

Well, it has come to this. I have traded in my '11 Leaf for Kia. It was just an innocent "let's go take a look at that Soul" kinda Sunday thing.

Click to expand...

adric22 said:

How is the acceleration? On paper, the Soul EV seems like a slouch.

Click to expand...

Let me put it this way. It's better than my '92 Accord.

Ultimately it's all the same to me. With 100% torque - you can't go wrong with any of these cars, except the lazy MBB. Range and comfort is what matters. And the cost. It all came to head, and it worked out really well.

i3 has not enough range for us. That's Leaf level. And the i3 extender can't climb hills as of late annoucement. I think that Soul is the "it" car now.

ILETRIC said:

Well, it has come to this. I have traded in my '11 Leaf for Kia. It was just an innocent "let's go take a look at that Soul" kinda Sunday thing.

After defending Leaf for a long time I had to concede defeat. I had no other choice due to its shaky battery-swap future, inferior heating, slow 3.3 charging, and particularly in view of the fact how much superior Kia Soul is. That would be superior in ALL aspects of what a good and relatively inexpensive EV should be. Inexpensive as a lease of course. I learned my Leaf lesson well. Thank the lord I resisted the urge putting leather in that car.

So upon considering all options we traded in Leaf - sight unseen - if you can believe that at Santa Rosa Kia for 11,500 and got a 15,000 mile lease deal for mid 300s. It doesn't get any better than that, fellow Leafers. Two years left on Leaf payments have been wiped out and with it the my age of innocence in electrounatics.

First day of Soul driving, mostly freeway, Marin hills and all: trip + miles remaining = 105. Kia is serious about that 93 range claim. This was, of course, B mode in Eco. Folks, I cannot be happier. I can actually make it to work and back (84 miles), something I could only dream about my 2011 "100-mile" Leaf. Charging at 6.6, TMS, my phone instantly recognized as soon as I turn the power it on (something Nissan never fixed, even though I griped about it right from the start) is only the icing on the cake.

Because what really sold me on Soul was when I saw that the car not only has heated all seats, front and back, and cooled front seats (yes, that would entail fans inside them) but also that there are 3 levels of the above. Yes, that's 3 levels of heat and cool inside the front seats. Wow! Low, medium, high. This is one Cadillac of EVs to be had for 300+ bucks with a hypermile potential of WAY over 100 miles. It doesn't get any better than that.

So, goodbye Leafy. You served us well for 56170 miles. Now we moved you over so we can move on; on our continued electronaut journey.

PS: Santa Rosa Kia is VERY MOTIVATED to move the metal. Talk to the sales manager. Don't bother with the staff for too long. I gave you all pertinent numbers. Cut to the chase, bring your Leaf with you, get the deal... :mrgreen:

Click to expand...

Our 2013 LEAF SV lease is $205/mo.
We can get >100 miles if driving 45mph.
It has heated front and rear seats. Two level, low and high.
Includes 6.6kw charging with CHAdeMO.

I'll be convinced the Kia Soul is more than just another compliance car when I see it sold nationwide. Otherwise its another base level car with the engine ripped out and an electric motor stuck in its place.

I'd love to see real competition for the LEAF, but I haven't seen it yet.

dm33 said:

I'd love to see real competition for the LEAF, but I haven't seen it yet.

Click to expand...

Then, sorry to say, run to your local Kia dealer to take a look.

You can probably get >150 on the Soul driving like that... :lol:

dm33 said:

We can get >100 miles if driving 45mph

Click to expand...

+1

ILETRIC said:

dm33 said:

I'd love to see real competition for the LEAF, but I haven't seen it yet.

Click to expand...

Then, sorry to say, run to your local Kia dealer to take a look.

Click to expand...

dm33 said:

Our 2013 LEAF SV lease is $205/mo.
We can get >100 miles if driving 45mph.
It has heated front and rear seats. Two level, low and high.
Includes 6.6kw charging with CHAdeMO.

I'll be convinced the Kia Soul is more than just another compliance car when I see it sold nationwide. Otherwise its another base level car with the engine ripped out and an electric motor stuck in its place.

I'd love to see real competition for the LEAF, but I haven't seen it yet.

Click to expand...

Yep. There were many improvements made w/the '13+ Leaf (e.g. the above, hybrid heater w/heat pump portion, puts out warm air by the time I've backed out onto my driveway) and the heated seats got added as standard on the '12.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1061942_2012-nissan-leaf-heated-seats-wheel-battery-as-standard" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://insideevs.com/2013-nissan-leaf-rated-at-75-miles-but-84-miles-using-the-old-system/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://sfbayleafs.org/commentary/2013/09/2013-vs-2011-nissan-leaf-whats-new-whats-gone-whats-changed/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://sfbayleafs.org/news/2013/01/2013-nissan-leaf-product-highlights/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://sfbayleafs.org/news/2013/01/2013-nissan-leaf-model-overview/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And yeah, the Soul EV is only available in CA initially w/rollout to a few more states later. Who knows when it'll be available in NC where dm33 is?

The leaf wasn't available nationwide at the start...

We took a look at the Soul EV and trunk space is small compared to Leaf. Passenger space seems smaller even though specs say it is bigger, perhaps because of more headroom.

- dm33 -

"I'll be convinced the Kia SoulVisit the Soul Forum is more than just another compliance car when I see it sold nationwide. Otherwise its another base level car with the engine ripped out and an electric motor stuck in its place."

Well said!

"Because what really sold me on SoulVisit the Soul Forum was when I saw that the car not only has heated all seats, front and back, and cooled front seats (yes, that would entail fans inside them) but also that there are 3 levels of the above."

And cooling fans located in the seats, please! How could I have not waited for the Soul, given that feature?

And, let's see what kind of reliability it has over the next year.

TMS on the SEV?
For us, the range on the Leaf wasn't so much the issue as the disappearing bars.

Regarding cars with "the engine ripped out and an electric motor stuck in its place" I'm not going to get all hung up on this. To begin with, the only thing that really needs to change is the bottom stamping to optimize placement of a battery pack instead of a fuel tank, exhaust system etc. If basing an EV off an existing platform makes the program viable for a manufacturer that's a good thing. God forbid somebody actually make a profit selling an EV. Not to mention a few years down the road when you're looking for a fender, tail light, power window motor or any of hundreds of other non-EV-specific parts, those million or so ICE Souls out there will be your friend.
It also takes the styling question off the table. You may or may not like the look of the Soul, but apparently a lot of folks do, as they sell a ton of them.

LTLFTcomposite said:

TMS on the SEV?

Click to expand...

It's my understanding that there is a fan unit, in the void where the spare tire would normally be, that blows cabin air into or around the battery to provide cooling. The presumption being, I think, that if the cabin is comfortable enough for people it's comfortable enough for the battery. There are also heating elements in the battery pack.

With regards to using an existing ICE platform - it's not so much using an existing vehicle, it's how half-assed they do it. For example, KIA did modify the chassis somewhat to accommodate the battery, unlike the Focus EV which just wedged it into the trunk and under the rear seat, which compromises the vehicle's cargo room. That, to me, makes all the difference.
=Smidge=

Blowing air from the cabin around the battery might be effective while the car is in use but presumably most degradation is happening during the 95% of the time the car is parked.
Either because carb compliance doesn't require it or an expectation that technology will move so quickly that nobody will care, it seems we are on course to have a long stream of cars that are either throwaway or need costly battery replacement every few years.

Yes, in my Ford Fusion Energi, the battery and fans take up part of the wheel well where you would normally put a spare. The battery takes up 1/2 of the trunk, making it difficult for a family overnight trip. Interesting engineering. We've heard a lot from Nissan, GM and others about what is forthcoming, but Ford has been very quiet, although they have the most plug-in models and there was a rumor of a Focus Energi, although that may not happen given the recent $6,000 price reduction on the Focus EV.

for people buying it this is very nice perk

10-year/100,000-mile EV System Warranty (includes battery pack)