LeftieBiker said:Having been on the Leaf/Bolt fence for many months, I put a deposit on a 2018 Leaf today. I'm not here to crow, though: I'm not happy with the choices and compromises I've had to make, and I'm really, REALLY not happy with the choices that Nissan has made with the 40kwh battery. I'll be envying the Bolt's TMS for years to come, I fear. I do expect to have a comfortable ride, anyway.
Congratulations? Or condolences? I have a rule wherein I don't buy things (especially $30,000 or $40,000 things) that make me 'really really' not happy, or that are defined by 'dick moves'.LeftieBiker said:Having been on the Leaf/Bolt fence for many months, I put a deposit on a 2018 Leaf today. I'm not here to crow, though: I'm not happy with the choices and compromises I've had to make, and I'm really, REALLY not happy with the choices that Nissan has made with the 40kwh battery. I'll be envying the Bolt's TMS for years to come, I fear. I do expect to have a comfortable ride, anyway.
LeftieBiker said:First, I leased it. Second, the Bolt would likely turn to be the "dick move" for me, because of the harsh ride and poor seats. Third, if I do grow to like the Leaf, I'll be able to afford to buy it off lease, unlike the Bolt. Finally, since I have to turn in my $17k residual (plus tax) 2013 Leaf (which I love except for the range), I do have to drive something. Sometimes there is no great choice.
Laughed out loud. Filter updated? Really? Oh well.LeftieBiker said:Filter updated.
Anyway, just to make it a little clearer, this really was an agonizing choice for me. What it came down to in the end was that with a Leaf I could get everything I wanted in one car - except cloth seats. The "new" Leaf has very adequate power, handles fine for me, and has a better driver assist suite. With the Bolt there would be no way to fix the ride, or the cabin layout I don't like. Nissan really made some, er, Dick Moves with the 'Leaf Too' but in the end, with good custom fit seat covers, I think I'll be happier with the Leaf... if the battery doesn't degrade quickly. If it does, and if GM comes out with a Bolt-powered CUV, I may be sailing the other way in three years.
I'll still look at this forum occasionally, when the Leaf forum is slow, but now that I've bought my ticket I'll be sailing off in another direction. Feel free to wish me Bon Voyage.
You live in upstate NY, which has a cold climate.
GetOffYourGas said:I've never been 100% happy with a car either. I think the only way to get your perfect car is to build it yourself. But I have neither the skills, time, nor money for that. So I too just take the option with the fewest compromises. I strongly considered the "Leaf Too" (love the nick-name; it's very fitting). I have different priorities than you, and a Bolt was a much better fit. For my next car, though, Nissan is anything but off the table.
I suspect you will be just fine with your Leaf battery. The degradation ordeal at MNL is blown out of proportion by a very vocal minority. You live in upstate NY, which has a cold climate. I had a 2012 Leaf for 5.5 years, and lost about 20%. But it seemed stabilize once I stopped charging in the heat of the day during the summer months. With a bigger battery, that's even easier to do (even evening errands could be run on a single charge, without having to top off in the afternoon). Also, Nissan has been working their chemistry to make the battery more heat tolerant over time. I hope that the 40kWh battery holds up, although we don't yet have enough data to know for sure.
The bad part is those that are uninformed about what they may face with a car that has a bad battery reputation.
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