So I went for a test drive at a Nissan dealership near me and they brought out a 2005 Nissan Leaf SL (top model). Unlike Kia, Nissan actually had a few of the Leaf's at the lot and had one available for test drive. I have never driven an EV but I have test drove a regular Kia Soul.
There were a few things that turn me off once I set in the Leaf. First, the ugly GPS looks like 3rd party aftermarket unit with pretty bad glare from the sun 'cause it is angled slightly towards the top and it doesn't seem adjustable. Then there is a gear selector that is way too futuristic but it looks and works more like a toy joystick, and it's just not that much of a joy to use. I do not like the foot-operated emergency brake neither.
Their icon for ready-to-go on the dashboard is the same as the Kia Soul EV, i.e. a vehicle with horizontal double-arrows below. It's sort of ugly but I guess it's the standard? Since I have watched almost every Soul EV YouTube video reviews, I know the car is ready-to-go, so I tried shifting to R to back up from the parking but I couldn't figure out how, so I asked the salesperson sat next to me to shift for me. The rear view camera works fine, and the Leaf also features the surround-view camera, which I found rather useless. I couldn't hear any artificial noise while moving slowly around the parking lot from the cabin. Once I started driving away however, I thought it would be totally silent as advertised, but it wasn't. The motor whines was pretty noticeable and it is borderline annoying day-to-day. I am not sure if many would hear it, but my hearing is known to be quite sensitive.
Driving around the block, I really appreciate the almost-instant low-end torque. While it does not come on as responsive as some of the well-tuned V6's, but compare to I4's the low-end torque rushes to the tires much sooner. There was a slight lag but it was not too bad considering there were no actual gear shifting needed. The Leaf does handle like a car and while the big bumps could be felt, the small to mid bumps were soaked up quite well. The roof is higher than most regular sedan, and outward visibility is pretty good. I found the leg room for the driver to be slightly smaller than the Kia Soul, mostly because of the seat height is lower and less upright. I didn't find the regenerative braking to be anything weird or non-linear. Towards the end of the test drive, I switched from D to the B mode. With no throttle, the car slowed down to close to regular rolling speed. I don't think I would mind driving in the B mode as it does not brake aggressively once throttle is lifted.
The dash looked a little dated, and I couldn't find any EV-related screen on the infotainment unit. A/C worked well enough. The little info screen shows 3.3kW charges 2:30 to full and 6.6kW charges 2:00 to full. I'm not sure why they only differ by 30 minutes, but the battery was at ~80% full.
While I haven't test driven the Soul EV, I think I will like the Soul EV better because its size is more practical for small families, its design overall, and its tech toys are more modern and funky. If it can match the Leaf's power and handling with less whining noise from the motor, I will pick the Soul EV over the Leaf. I am still patiently waiting for the Kia Soul EV to arrive at the dealership...
There were a few things that turn me off once I set in the Leaf. First, the ugly GPS looks like 3rd party aftermarket unit with pretty bad glare from the sun 'cause it is angled slightly towards the top and it doesn't seem adjustable. Then there is a gear selector that is way too futuristic but it looks and works more like a toy joystick, and it's just not that much of a joy to use. I do not like the foot-operated emergency brake neither.
Their icon for ready-to-go on the dashboard is the same as the Kia Soul EV, i.e. a vehicle with horizontal double-arrows below. It's sort of ugly but I guess it's the standard? Since I have watched almost every Soul EV YouTube video reviews, I know the car is ready-to-go, so I tried shifting to R to back up from the parking but I couldn't figure out how, so I asked the salesperson sat next to me to shift for me. The rear view camera works fine, and the Leaf also features the surround-view camera, which I found rather useless. I couldn't hear any artificial noise while moving slowly around the parking lot from the cabin. Once I started driving away however, I thought it would be totally silent as advertised, but it wasn't. The motor whines was pretty noticeable and it is borderline annoying day-to-day. I am not sure if many would hear it, but my hearing is known to be quite sensitive.
Driving around the block, I really appreciate the almost-instant low-end torque. While it does not come on as responsive as some of the well-tuned V6's, but compare to I4's the low-end torque rushes to the tires much sooner. There was a slight lag but it was not too bad considering there were no actual gear shifting needed. The Leaf does handle like a car and while the big bumps could be felt, the small to mid bumps were soaked up quite well. The roof is higher than most regular sedan, and outward visibility is pretty good. I found the leg room for the driver to be slightly smaller than the Kia Soul, mostly because of the seat height is lower and less upright. I didn't find the regenerative braking to be anything weird or non-linear. Towards the end of the test drive, I switched from D to the B mode. With no throttle, the car slowed down to close to regular rolling speed. I don't think I would mind driving in the B mode as it does not brake aggressively once throttle is lifted.
The dash looked a little dated, and I couldn't find any EV-related screen on the infotainment unit. A/C worked well enough. The little info screen shows 3.3kW charges 2:30 to full and 6.6kW charges 2:00 to full. I'm not sure why they only differ by 30 minutes, but the battery was at ~80% full.
While I haven't test driven the Soul EV, I think I will like the Soul EV better because its size is more practical for small families, its design overall, and its tech toys are more modern and funky. If it can match the Leaf's power and handling with less whining noise from the motor, I will pick the Soul EV over the Leaf. I am still patiently waiting for the Kia Soul EV to arrive at the dealership...
I don't know when the 6.6kW drops to 3.3kW, besides, it not only depends on the particular battery chemistry but it also depends on age of the cells and the temperature of the pack. That is why most quick charging only goes to 80% SOC (State of Charge) because the charging has to start slowing down. I believe I read that the Soul EV charges to 83% SOC on quick charge so apparently its batteries can handle a higher charge rate than some other EVs.
