Automotive

Upgraded 2012 model Nissan LEAF sees popular options standardized

Upgraded 2012 model Nissan LEAF sees popular options standardized
Nissan's all-electric LEAF will now come with DC fast charge and cold weather features as standard in the U.S.
Nissan's all-electric LEAF will now come with DC fast charge and cold weather features as standard in the U.S.
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Nissan's all-electric LEAF will now come with DC fast charge and cold weather features as standard in the U.S.
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Nissan's all-electric LEAF will now come with DC fast charge and cold weather features as standard in the U.S.

Nissan has announced it will expand the U.S. availability of its all-electric LEAF to the Southeastern U.S. and Illinois markets. The 2012 model year (MY12) LEAF will also see a number of features previously available as optional extras now become standard, including a DC fast charge port and cold weather features such as a battery warmer, heated steering wheel and front and rear heated seats.

The company says it has moved to make the DC fast charge capability standard because the vast majority of buyers of the 2011 model have chosen that option. It allows the LEAF's battery pack to be charged at 480V, which reduces the time taken to charge from completely flat to 80 percent to under 30 minutes. Nissan said the continuing increase of DC fast charging stations across the U.S. was another factor in its decision.

Meanwhile, the standardization of cold weather features is a result of rolling out the vehicle to markets with colder climates.

The company says it will open up the ordering process to customers with existing reservations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington on July 25, 2011, with deliveries of the first 2012 LEAFs to begin in the fall.

Nissan will then start taking orders from existing and new reservations in Connecticut, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York in the fall, with Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island joining the list before the end of the year.

The SV trim level 2012 LEAF will retail for US$35,200, while the SL trim level model will retail for $37,250. Monthly leasing prices begin at $369.

7 comments
7 comments
Bobby Boogie
Love this car, saw one recently on the streets of my city. The one thing that they didn\'t improve on the new model is the most important thing of all...MILAGE.
venusvegasvada
Signed up for one about a year ago and expected to have one by now. Not yet. No info either on anything from them. Looks like a bait and switch at this point. I live in Nevada. Last time I went over to the dealer was a few months ago to find out if they had ANY information (again) and they did not. I just walked out of the store. No bait and switch for me. They could\'nt tell me anything about them. NOTHING. It was as if these things didnt\' even exist. Very frustrating and frankly, I\'m getting a little tired of waiting. Nissan is doing a poor job of keeping people in the loop. They should consider giving a discount based on the amount of time you\'ve been patiently waiting for one. According to this, Nevadans will be able to move forward at the end of the year and be able to actually order one? Right.
bradleydad
Nissan is really silly, raising the price of a car that\'s already too expensive by adding options most folks don\'t need.
California is the largest market for electric cars. They can\'t be driven very far from home. So what the heck do we need cold weather gear? Why make us buy an option we don\'t need. The price is now close enough to a Chevy Volt to make that a better option. I can drive a Volt as far as I want by adding gas or around town on electricity like a Leaf.
Perhaps it\'s the residual effects of radiation affecting their reasoning. I think Nissin has made a Leaful mistake.
phydeaux
This car is the best thing to come around in a while and Nissan is right on target in being a mainstream auto manufacturer AND first mover in this market.
Their big mistake, however, is styling. Just because a car has a unique drive line and power system is DEFINITELY NOT a reason to style it like it was an escape pod with those big fugly headlights and quirky smiling intake grill. It is bad enough that Nissan whacked the Juke with the biggest ugly stick they could find. They should have spared this model from the same fate.
Paul Higginbotham Sr.
At the same price point as a Volt, it is still better in that you can put three children in the rear. I do not feel that being all electric is any detriment to me, as if I wanted, I would get a VW that was wrecked, and use the nose to make a pusher trailer. You could run it with boating wireless controls, and besides backing up, you would not even know it was there. Just a little ingenuity, that used to be the hallmark of Americans, now a welfare police state. Still the best in the world, but for how long? Stop the wars, make the banksters pay for living here, by giving loans they were bailed out to do. We are on the cusp, and this car will not pull you through if society collapses, but at least ya\'ll wouldn\'t have to buy gasoline, just need a few solar panels. paul
Adrian Akau
I agree with Bobbie. The mpg could be raised if the aerodynamic were improved and the weight reduced. It would not take much to:
1. Place a small air divider in the front.
2 Taper the front top to back a bit more
3. Cover the back wheels (farthings)
4. Cover the bottom of the car

It would take more effort to:
1. Taper the sides of the car going to the back by 12-15 degrees or design grooves on the sides which deepen and widen from the front to the back of the car
2. Lighten the car by several hundred pounds
voluntaryist
Paul: Good point about the collapse. Most people overlook the prospect of fuel shortage and hyperinflation. Getting fuel from solar panels is one more way to be independent. However, Nissan has NOT given us a good effort. The platform is too heavy and drag too high. That\'s why I am waiting for the Aptera with drag of .15 and about 1700 lbs.
Adrian: You got it buddy. This has been know for over 20 years. Why can\'t we find just one major car manufacturer that will give us a serious \"hypercar\"?