mtndrew1
Well-known member
Nissan brought a 2018 Leaf by my house this afternoon as part of their launch promotion. It was a red SL with all available features and arrived with a 57% SOC showing 98 miles of predicted range with an average of 4.4 mi/kWh on the current charge.
I currently drive a 2013 Leaf S + QC as an interim car between my expired Kia Soul EV lease and my upcoming Tesla Model 3.
The 2018 Leaf is very clearly a tarted-up version of the old car but the designers and engineers did a good job with the lipstick. The interior door panels, climate controls, rear bench seat, floor pan, windshield pillars, etc, are identical to the 2011-2017 cars. The steering wheel still doesn't telescope which is disappointing.
The interior is still made of inexpensive materials but Nissan did a nice job making things much more conventional and, by association, more upscale in appearance than the previous car. The front seats felt firmer and more supportive than the seats in my '13, and the power seat adjustments mitigated the lack of a telescoping wheel a bit. In my old Leaf I'm between two seat track notches which are either too far or too close to the steering wheel and the power seat allowed me to split the difference and not have crazy outstretched arms. The analog speedometer didn't bother me at all and the LCD adjacent to it was very colorful and had very high resolution. There were myriad screens to cycle through for every vehicle parameter imaginable. If anything the screens could be consolidated a bit but there is no shortage of information available. I was very concerned about the little plastic wings between the console and the dash as they rubbed up against my left leg when I was in the passenger seat of a display model in Santa Monica a few months back. Fortunately the wings were asymmetrical and the one on the driver's side is less obtrusive but they were still really unnecessary.
The wind and road noise have been reduced substantially in the new car. I know sound measurements are logarithmic but I'd say it's a 25% improvement or so. The chassis of the car was noticeably stiffer than the old car with fewer reverberations over rough pavement or potholes, even with the 17" wheels (I have 16" steelies). Simultaneously the suspension was far more supple and when these attributes were combined the car felt more substantial and comfortable to me. It was a very pleasant car to spend time in.
Power was upgraded a lot, particularly at midrange speeds. At 50 MPH with eco and e-pedal disabled the car really squirted forward when I pushed the accelerator in a way the older Leafs don't. You won't mistake it for a Tesla or even a Bolt, but the improvement was noticeable and welcome. E-pedal, by the way, was quite nicely implemented and accomplished similar performance to the Bolt in L + steering paddle but without having to futz with the paddle. I would probably use e-pedal 95% of the time.
I drove the car for about 45 minutes and came away impressed with how much they improved an existing car. Coincidentally a white Model 3 pulled in behind me on the freeway while I was testing ProPilot (it's fine, perfect for inching along in rush hour) and the guide remarked on it and how it was the first one she's seen. Then we pulled up next to a silver Model 3 on the offramp and we discussed it a bit because she thought they hadn't delivered any yet.
I came away thinking the new Leaf is very bad news for the existing Bolt, at least in mild climate markets. I can't see buying a Bolt for eight grand more with far fewer features, a cheap interior, and back-breaking seats. The new Leaf is going to chip away at the Bolt, eGolf, and Ioniq buyers on the economical end of the spectrum.
Warranty aside: The rep confirmed that the battery capacity warranty is "below nine segments within eight years or 100,000 miles." Small segments have been added to the screen with the battery health gauge so I take it to mean that it's very similar coverage to the 30 kWh cars. The rep also had a spiel to read about better battery chemistry and such improving degradation but she insisted on reading from a script on that part.
Nice car, it should sell very well in my opinion.
I currently drive a 2013 Leaf S + QC as an interim car between my expired Kia Soul EV lease and my upcoming Tesla Model 3.
The 2018 Leaf is very clearly a tarted-up version of the old car but the designers and engineers did a good job with the lipstick. The interior door panels, climate controls, rear bench seat, floor pan, windshield pillars, etc, are identical to the 2011-2017 cars. The steering wheel still doesn't telescope which is disappointing.
The interior is still made of inexpensive materials but Nissan did a nice job making things much more conventional and, by association, more upscale in appearance than the previous car. The front seats felt firmer and more supportive than the seats in my '13, and the power seat adjustments mitigated the lack of a telescoping wheel a bit. In my old Leaf I'm between two seat track notches which are either too far or too close to the steering wheel and the power seat allowed me to split the difference and not have crazy outstretched arms. The analog speedometer didn't bother me at all and the LCD adjacent to it was very colorful and had very high resolution. There were myriad screens to cycle through for every vehicle parameter imaginable. If anything the screens could be consolidated a bit but there is no shortage of information available. I was very concerned about the little plastic wings between the console and the dash as they rubbed up against my left leg when I was in the passenger seat of a display model in Santa Monica a few months back. Fortunately the wings were asymmetrical and the one on the driver's side is less obtrusive but they were still really unnecessary.
The wind and road noise have been reduced substantially in the new car. I know sound measurements are logarithmic but I'd say it's a 25% improvement or so. The chassis of the car was noticeably stiffer than the old car with fewer reverberations over rough pavement or potholes, even with the 17" wheels (I have 16" steelies). Simultaneously the suspension was far more supple and when these attributes were combined the car felt more substantial and comfortable to me. It was a very pleasant car to spend time in.
Power was upgraded a lot, particularly at midrange speeds. At 50 MPH with eco and e-pedal disabled the car really squirted forward when I pushed the accelerator in a way the older Leafs don't. You won't mistake it for a Tesla or even a Bolt, but the improvement was noticeable and welcome. E-pedal, by the way, was quite nicely implemented and accomplished similar performance to the Bolt in L + steering paddle but without having to futz with the paddle. I would probably use e-pedal 95% of the time.
I drove the car for about 45 minutes and came away impressed with how much they improved an existing car. Coincidentally a white Model 3 pulled in behind me on the freeway while I was testing ProPilot (it's fine, perfect for inching along in rush hour) and the guide remarked on it and how it was the first one she's seen. Then we pulled up next to a silver Model 3 on the offramp and we discussed it a bit because she thought they hadn't delivered any yet.
I came away thinking the new Leaf is very bad news for the existing Bolt, at least in mild climate markets. I can't see buying a Bolt for eight grand more with far fewer features, a cheap interior, and back-breaking seats. The new Leaf is going to chip away at the Bolt, eGolf, and Ioniq buyers on the economical end of the spectrum.
Warranty aside: The rep confirmed that the battery capacity warranty is "below nine segments within eight years or 100,000 miles." Small segments have been added to the screen with the battery health gauge so I take it to mean that it's very similar coverage to the 30 kWh cars. The rep also had a spiel to read about better battery chemistry and such improving degradation but she insisted on reading from a script on that part.
Nice car, it should sell very well in my opinion.
