I have owned a LEAF (2012) for just about 3 years now. My 2 biggest issues with the car are detailed below. Does anyone know if there are any plans to address these in future models? Thanks!
1) Real world range. As some might be aware, the initial number Nissan gave on the LEAF was 100 miles per charge. That was later reduced to 73. In my experience there are 3 main things that bring this number down even further:
• Highway driving (ala 65-70 mph.. which I believe is a realistic speed).
• Winter/cold. I live in Chicago. Last year in particular was brutal, but it is common to have temperatures in 0-30 degree range (Fahrenheit) for multiple months here.
• Use of climate control (heat) during winter. This is a double whammy. The LEAF heating guzzles the battery.
When the above is taken into consideration, the “actual” range can drop by another ~50% depending on what you are doing.
2) Once the car is started and the heating activated, it takes 5-10 minutes for the actual heat to come out of the vents. Very poor and makes shorter winter drives pretty miserable (which is really all the LEAF is good for…the irony.. LOL). To be clear, I am not talking about having the entire cabin warm or reach a certain temperature…just for warm/hot air to start coming out of the vents.
1) Real world range. As some might be aware, the initial number Nissan gave on the LEAF was 100 miles per charge. That was later reduced to 73. In my experience there are 3 main things that bring this number down even further:
• Highway driving (ala 65-70 mph.. which I believe is a realistic speed).
• Winter/cold. I live in Chicago. Last year in particular was brutal, but it is common to have temperatures in 0-30 degree range (Fahrenheit) for multiple months here.
• Use of climate control (heat) during winter. This is a double whammy. The LEAF heating guzzles the battery.
When the above is taken into consideration, the “actual” range can drop by another ~50% depending on what you are doing.
2) Once the car is started and the heating activated, it takes 5-10 minutes for the actual heat to come out of the vents. Very poor and makes shorter winter drives pretty miserable (which is really all the LEAF is good for…the irony.. LOL). To be clear, I am not talking about having the entire cabin warm or reach a certain temperature…just for warm/hot air to start coming out of the vents.