auto pilot reliability

[jjdoe]

I've had a 2018 Leaf for ~a year. The auto pilot is terrible! On maybe 10% of the bends in the road, going the speed limit or 5 or 10+ - it doesn't make the turn. I have to take control. Is this normal? And it is so cumbersome to engage. With the Tesla, we understood it on the test drive. My wife always uses it on the Tesla, and never on this car. With the Leaf, the steering seems to come and go on its own.
The same with ACC - with the Tesla, you pull the stalk down once. The car knows the road speed. With the Leaf, I have to hit 3 buttons, and adjust the speed. And re-do much of that if I touch the brakes. Way too messy! And both of these cars were ~$45k, new. Plus, the Leaf feels like an econobox. Similar to the Bolt we test drove - and rejected.
I wish we could have purchased another Tesla for the 2nd car, but they hold most of their value. After 3 years, the Leaf SL was selling at half the original price. More in line with what I'd pay for a car that is rarely driven. We also had a 2015 SL, which my wife loved. At this point, I doubt if I will get another one.

 

[Ital74]

I think you get what you pay for
I mean the 2022 Nissan leaf is probably 10k cheaper than a tesla new and on top of that you get another $7,500 from the government. Thus you need to put everything in prospective.
I just picked up a 2022 Leaf SV plus. The pro pilot assist seems to work well but its not supposed to be like the tesla where it can drive it self.
The Nissan system is there to only gently nudge and help you stay in line, not to take over, and if the lines are clearly marked on the ground. It just uses cameras to do it and not GPS

I've been enjoying the ride of the Leaf very smooth and comfortable, but I have not driven a tesla, but from what I read the ride is not as comfortable and more stiff like a sport sedan, and that is was not what i was looking for at this time at least.

 

[jjdoe]

Thanks. So this isn't unusual?
Both cars were the same price when new, and I guess our rebate was factored into the used car price. And it's the pecking order? The Leaf isn't a Tesla, which isn't the 13 year old Lexus I finally sold, replaced by the newer Leaf. When my wife retires in the spring, it will be driven even less.

 

[frontrangeleaf]

Leaf Pro-Pilot is a hands-on driver assistant only. The list of limitations is considerable, and highly dependent on conditions.

If you're cameras are obscured or blinded by sunlight, it won't work.
If the lane markings aren't perfectly clear, it won't work.
Etc.

Read up on the features, it's not intended to drive the car for you, especially on a 2018. We have a 2019. It works as expected, but my expectations aren't particularly high either.

You also can't go by MSRP. What were the prices AFTER incentives? When we bought our Leaf, it was $13k cheaper after incentives than any model 3 we could have taken delivery on. Vapor ware doesn't count.

 

[cwerdna]

No Nissans have ever shipped with something called "auto pilot" or "autopilot".

I've had a 2018 Leaf for ~a year.
...
And both of these cars were ~$45k, new.

Not sure how you came to that price. If I take the MSRP of '18 SL + SL technology package + $895 dest charge = $37,745 (see pricing tab of https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/release-77b5f147884a4439bd10c4d9207f2237-us-2018-nissan-leaf-press-kit). And, Leaf was and still is eligible for $7500 Federal tax credit. So, with at least $7500 Federal tax liability, if someone purchased it new, that'd be another $7500 savings. I also doubt folks were paying MSRP once '18 Leafs were shipping for awhile.

I don't know which other Tesla you're talking about and when you got it... Tesla has changed their prices constantly and the tax credit has gone thru phaseout to $0 (https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxevb.shtml).

Why "And re-do much of that if I touch the brakes"? Can't you press resume?

 

[LeftieBiker]

I drove a Bolt in 2018, along with a Kia Soul, before leasing a Leaf. They are about as similar as any three cars with the same number of doors. The Bolt did drive like an econobox, but the Leaf is more like a Corolla or Camry than an Escort. (The Soul drove like a comfortable little truck that was set up for paved roads.) The ride is compliant without being mushy (although the steering can be too soft if the car has Ecopias inflated below 38psi), and the Leaf is much more comfortable on the freeway than the shorter-wheelbase Bolt. OP, try raising the tire pressure to 40psi on your Leaf! I suspect it is sitting around 36psi.

 

[Triggerhappy007]

I've had a 2018 Leaf for ~a year. The auto pilot is terrible!

That's because the Leaf doesn't have Autopilot. You shouldn't expect it to behave like a Tesla when it's not.

If you've had it for a year, it's probably worth more than what you bought it for. You should sell it and get a Tesla then.

 

[johnlocke]

I have a '22 Leaf SV+. Pro-pilot works OK on well marked freeways. So-So on well marked two lane or four lane main roads. Not worth a damn on county roads or any road with sharp bends (not bright enough to slow for turns). Since most of my driving is local, it's a feature I don't use a lot. Think of it as a glorified cruise control with some self steering for lane keeping.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Think of it as a glorified cruise control with some self steering for lane keeping.

And Automatic Emergency Braking. For roughly $500.

 

[johnlocke]

Think of it as a glorified cruise control with some self steering for lane keeping.

And Automatic Emergency Braking. For roughly $500.

Haven't used the emergency braking yet. I have seen it slow down and speed up to match traffic conditions while on the freeway. I also haven't used it in really slow traffic. I don't trust it to stop in time so I'd deactivate it in those situations.

 

[LeftieBiker]

The slowing to maintain a fixed following distance is called Adaptive Cruise Control. It will stop the car safely in traffic, but unless it can start the car moving again within 3 seconds after a stop, it deactivates. You can reactivate it to move again by pressing "Resume."

 

[Learjet]

The slowing to maintain a fixed following distance is called Adaptive Cruise Control. It will stop the car safely in traffic, but unless it can start the car moving again within 3 seconds after a stop, it deactivates. You can reactivate it to move again by pressing "Resume."

Resume or press the accelerator pedal

 

[LeftieBiker]

The slowing to maintain a fixed following distance is called Adaptive Cruise Control. It will stop the car safely in traffic, but unless it can start the car moving again within 3 seconds after a stop, it deactivates. You can reactivate it to move again by pressing "Resume."

Resume or press the accelerator pedal

I didn't realize that. Thanks.