Very harsh review on the Nissan LEAF.

[DonC]

The 100 mile range claim was always bogus. Nissan's approach of over-promising and under-delivering is coming back to bite them in the butt. They could have avoided all problems by just going with the EPA number. It's obvious that, as voltage692 said, they decided that demand for a 73 mile range EV might not be enough so they just came up with the 100 mile range. Nice.

[stuart22]

The 100 mile range claim was always bogus. Nissan's approach of over-promising and under-delivering is coming back to bite them in the butt. They could have avoided all problems by just going with the EPA number. It's obvious that, as voltage692 said, they decided that demand for a 73 mile range EV might not be enough so they just came up with the 100 mile range. Nice.

Well DonC, you know what I've said about Nissan/Ghosn from way back. To them it's always been about marketing and grabbing the spotlight, not about sincerity about being green. However, I think it's paid off for them in that they are the one Japanese company who has seen a sales gain in the USA since the earthquake. The Altima is doing very well, filling some of the void created by plummeting Camry and Accord sales.

I really don't think Nissan really cares about the LEAF itself; it's really just a tool they've used to their advantage. They were a total failure with hybrids and needed something that would keep them from falling off the radar screen in a car market shifting towards the green side. The LEAF drew the media spotlight back towards them, and whether or not it was well conceived, the LEAF has bought Nissan time to eventually come up with something more in line with where the market will be headed.

[voltage692]

In the general public's eyes, Nissan is going to take down the Volt with the Leaf. Only 1 in 10 know that the Volt is not a BEV. If the Leaf ruins BEV's rep, we'll be guilty by invalid association.

Well DonC, you know what I've said about Nissan/Ghosn from way back. To them it's always been about marketing and grabbing the spotlight, not about sincerity about being green. However, I think it's paid off for them in that they are the one Japanese company who has seen a sales gain in the USA since the earthquake. The Altima is doing very well, filling some of the void created by plummeting Camry and Accord sales.

I really don't think Nissan really cares about the LEAF itself; it's really just a tool they've used to their advantage. They were a total failure with hybrids and needed something that would keep them from falling off the radar screen in a car market shifting towards the green side. The LEAF drew the media spotlight back towards them, and whether or not it was well conceived, the LEAF has bought Nissan time to eventually come up with something more in line with where the market will be headed.

[bonaire]

Wait until the Leaf is 6 years old after maybe 800-1000 full recharges and see what the range is. I wonder if he'll keep it that long.

[wainair]

As one commenter said "Oy vey! Such kvetching!".lol! I really think the writer didn't research the car very well. Hills can really kill range too so if he is in hill country he is going to see another range loss. I really think Nissan did push the 100mile range too much seeing as Nissan says it is not recommended to regularly charge the battery to 100% to try and get that range. They would have been better off marketing it as a 60-70mile range car. They wouldn't seem like they are misleading people then.

[tboult]

I would say they should have marketed it as a 50-100m car (just as GM says 25-50 for the Volt). They covered their bases, say very clearly YMMV, give hope to the hopeful without over promising. Does not help them that their range estimator is poor, if they car kept telling him you have 60m (rather than 80+) there would hav been far less kvetching. Its not just that the marketing people lied to him; its that every day the car kept lying to him! You get over one lie easily, but 100 lies and you loose faith/hope. For everything I've read the really need a software upgrade with a new estimator.

[DRBRUCE]

this guy is jewish and didn't read the small print? somethings fishy!!

Being Jewish has nothing to do with it. I am Jewish and I would not buy a Leaf either. I bought a Volt for the same reason everyone else on this site did.

[DarkStar]

The 100 mile range claim was always bogus.

On a typical day I can easily get at least 100 miles on my Leaf on a single charge. The problem is that Nissan's range "guess-o-meter" is horrible and extremely inaccurate. Using a proper state-of-charge gauge and the odometer are key in realizing the actual range.

[scottf200]

On a typical day I can easily get at least 100 miles on my Leaf on a single charge. The problem is that Nissan's range "guess-o-meter" is horrible and extremely inaccurate. Using a proper state-of-charge gauge and the odometer are key in realizing the actual range.

I have no reason at all to doubt you but based on my EV driving of the Volt I know there are many factors that effect EV range.

Can you please describe the temp and general location,
types of roads and travel distances on them,
your actual speeds,
exact climate control settings used,
and if you are being extra careful on your acceleration and braking techniques?

Again that is helpful for a frame of reference as I can pretty drastically change my Volt's EV range from day to day based on the above.

[MTN Ranger]

When I went to the Nissan Leaf Tour in my area, they really pushed the 100 mile range. The presenter even said that 120 miles were attainable if you drove lightly.