DesertSprings
Well-known member
Just finished a test drive of a 2018 Nissan Leaf SV. I was told it was car #3 of the 6 that are street legal in the US. I also purchased a 2017 Chevy Bolt LT last week and have spent a number of hours driving it. I'm a current owner of a 2015 Leaf which I have to return in a few weeks (already did the end of lease inspection). He was unable to provide any guidance on when the 2018's would be available in the US, saying the big Detroit Auto Show is were that is likely to be announced.
I found myself liking the 2018 Leaf a lot more than I thought I would. It is no secret that I feel for my driving habits I need the larger driving range the Bolt offers, but after driving the 2018 I've got to say if it was actually available to drive I'd need to rethink that decision.
Things I like with the Leaf vs the Bolt:
- Bigger. Wider. Bigger trunk.
- Softer ride
- Nicer fit and finish. It just feels like a higher grade car.
- Sunglasses holder
- I liked pro-pilot. The Bolt gets close, but the lack of adaptive cruise control in the Bolt is really unfortunate. We tried it out in some bumper to bumper traffic on the 91 and it worked great. I drive in rush hour traffic a lot and was shocked at how well Propilot dealt with it.
- CHAdeMO. At least around here, there's a lot more CHAdeMO chargers around, with most evGo locations having 2 vs 1 CCS.
- The price. SV with Pro Pilot is less and a Bolt LT.
Things I like in the Bolt vs the Leaf.
- Bigger dash screen. Really handy for Waze navigation with Android Auto. I was surprised that the 2018 SV still had such a small screen.
- The one pedal driving felt better on the Bolt in L mode than it did on the Leaf. This is totally subjective though.
- The range. The range on the Bolt has been really life changing for me. No more need to keep a second ICE for weekend driving, no more having to plan my routes in advance (for my typical drives) or having a trip ruined because I forgot to plug in Friday night. The Leaf is a step in the right direction and probably more than enough for most people who don't drive all over the IE, OC, and LA counties on weekends.
- TMS. I have been checking the Bolt boards, and it seems after a year no one is seeing any capacity losses.
If the 2018 Leaf offered a 60kW battery, it would be a no brainer for me and I'd just drive around my old ICE until they were available, but it sounds like it won't be until next summer or later until that will be available. I'm not willing to do that for a 150 mile 2018 Leaf.
I found myself liking the 2018 Leaf a lot more than I thought I would. It is no secret that I feel for my driving habits I need the larger driving range the Bolt offers, but after driving the 2018 I've got to say if it was actually available to drive I'd need to rethink that decision.
Things I like with the Leaf vs the Bolt:
- Bigger. Wider. Bigger trunk.
- Softer ride
- Nicer fit and finish. It just feels like a higher grade car.
- Sunglasses holder
- I liked pro-pilot. The Bolt gets close, but the lack of adaptive cruise control in the Bolt is really unfortunate. We tried it out in some bumper to bumper traffic on the 91 and it worked great. I drive in rush hour traffic a lot and was shocked at how well Propilot dealt with it.
- CHAdeMO. At least around here, there's a lot more CHAdeMO chargers around, with most evGo locations having 2 vs 1 CCS.
- The price. SV with Pro Pilot is less and a Bolt LT.
Things I like in the Bolt vs the Leaf.
- Bigger dash screen. Really handy for Waze navigation with Android Auto. I was surprised that the 2018 SV still had such a small screen.
- The one pedal driving felt better on the Bolt in L mode than it did on the Leaf. This is totally subjective though.
- The range. The range on the Bolt has been really life changing for me. No more need to keep a second ICE for weekend driving, no more having to plan my routes in advance (for my typical drives) or having a trip ruined because I forgot to plug in Friday night. The Leaf is a step in the right direction and probably more than enough for most people who don't drive all over the IE, OC, and LA counties on weekends.
- TMS. I have been checking the Bolt boards, and it seems after a year no one is seeing any capacity losses.
If the 2018 Leaf offered a 60kW battery, it would be a no brainer for me and I'd just drive around my old ICE until they were available, but it sounds like it won't be until next summer or later until that will be available. I'm not willing to do that for a 150 mile 2018 Leaf.