LT1 or LT2? Is the leatherette pretty good?

[JeremyW]

I'm a current Leaf owner who is debating getting one of these little rocket cars when my leaf lease is up.

I've test driven I think just the cloth ones at various plug in events and the LA auto show. I'm curious to hear from owners who have the LT2 and LT1. I'm not too concerned about not having leather seats (I don't have it right now) but I do wish that the LT1 had the leather wrapped steering wheel too. For those who've had their LT2 for a while, how's the wear looking?

Thanks,

Jeremy

 

[Nashco]

I've had my leatherette for 15 months. It seems to have no visible wear. As you said, the wheel is much nicer, and I personally don't care for the goofy pattern on the cloth seats. Also, keep in mind there is the option of silver or baby blue interior panels depending on which interior package you get, which is huge. In 2014 the only option was baby blue, which I can't stand!

Bryce

 

[Chaconzies]

Had mine since May last year. I wanted the fast charging port and the dealer only had 2LTs with that. I haven't seen the 1 LT interior in person.
I do like the leatherette wrapped steering wheel. I didn't initially (it seemed too grippy) but I have come to like it a lot. It is always a nice temperature even when it's hot or cold outside.
On the other hand, I'm not a huge fan of the seats. They don't wear, but they feel more rubbery than leather and don't breathe well at all. On hot days even with the AC on my back and thighs can get warm and sticky. I would say go into a dealer and check them out. Especially one that's been parked outside in the sun and is nice and warm to experience it for yourself.

 

[DarrenDonovan]

I'm a current Leaf owner who is debating getting one of these little rocket cars when my leaf lease is up.
Jeremy

Just curious, are you also considering another Leaf? If not why not?
I've only had my car for a couple months, so no long term opinion on the leatherette. It feels great so far. I do wish for more lateral support like in my Volt.

 

[SparkMoore]

I hate the leatherette. That's what they had at the dealer when I got my Spark EV, but I would have preferred the cloth. The leatherette is not nice enough to even have "leather" in the name. The steering wheel is good, but the seats are horrible. Sticky, rubbery, hot on hot days, freezing on cold days. Perhaps the only good thing I could say about the leatherette is that nothing sticks to it, other than your skin. You can wipe it clean pretty easily. I bought cloth seat covers for the front seats and have enjoyed sitting in the car much more since I got cloth.

 

[cwerdna]

I'm a current Leaf owner who is debating getting one of these little rocket cars when my leaf lease is up.
Jeremy

Just curious, are you also considering another Leaf? If not why not?

I don't want to put words in his mouth, but I think http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=17045 really soured his thoughts on Nissan.

For context, the Leaf originally had no battery capacity warranty at all. Nissan made a whole bunch of statements both in literature, manuals and video as to how much capacity loss owners should expect. Then, in the middle of their 2nd summer, was when '11 Phoenix Leaf owners and others in hot climates were noticing MUCH worse capacity loss than we were led to believe (capacity bars lost). TonyWilliams conducted a range test of some of the capacity losers: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=228326.

More info at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=9694.

Someone also independently (IIRC), unbeknownst to us, filed a class action lawsuit (referenced at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=18905). Some folks opted out (I never qualified anyway as I have a '13) and I believe at the time, it wasn't stated what the consequences would be.

Apparently, it seems Nissan adding a battery capacity warranty (http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=13192) was something that came out of the above lawsuit.

Well, fast forward and we found out that those who opted out would be EXCLUDED from the capacity warranty: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=17045. Lots of people were thinking "WTF?!?" I haven't been following closely (as I don't care much as it doesn't affect me)... but things have been fluid. I believe they can re-opt back in now.

I'm guessing he's looking for EVs w/active battery thermal management. Leaf has no battery thermal management at all, other than a lame heater that does most Leafer drivers little/no good (https://www.cars.com/articles/2011/06/2012-nissan-leaf-battery-warmer-more-details/).

 

[JeremyW]

Just curious, are you also considering another Leaf? If not why not?

I've experienced an alarming amount of battery degradation. What was once a "75+ mile" car is now a at most "50 mile" car in less than three years and 33k miles. Further, the increase in internal resistance has slowed down fast charging, which makes the situation more painful.

I've rented both a 2013 and 2015 leaf when on business trips and I don't care for the removal of a noticeable amount of torque vs the 2011-2012 models. I also don't like the dark interior choice, and the light interior has worn out quickly in my case.

I originally was thinking of going with the i3, but I've seen them plagued with issues and I think the range is not good for the price. I'd want the range extender but the carpool stickers for it are going to run out very soon before I can get one.

Anyway my lease is up in September so I've got plenty of time. I should call Nissan finance to see if I could end my lease in June. I don't want to pay registration for only 3 months of use! (seriously never do a 39 month lease, what was I thinkin!?)

Thanks for the replies! I think cloth may be the better choice for me, I seem to sweat a lot from my back (ahh tmi, right?!) so it doesn't sound like it the vinyl will be for me. Saves me some $$ too. I'm thinking of going to Camino Real Chevrolet tomorrow just to compare...

PS: I'm the same JeremyW on the leaf forum, so expect some CAN hackin' when I do get my paws on one of these suckers!

 

[JeremyW]

I'm guessing he's looking for EVs w/active battery thermal management

Absolutely! Yes I'm pretty soured from Nissan, especially after meeting some of their top dogs. They made some bad engineering and marketing decisions that I strongly disagree with. I didn't really care too much about losing the warranty because I leased, but at the same time living with the loss I already have... I don't think I could stand this car with any more loss.

It's like having a volt size battery without a range extender. Seriously. It sucks.

The only thing I don't like about the spark is the 3.3 kW charging. In the past it was a deal breaker (I worked very hard to bring it to my 2012 leaf). BUT my current place only has wiring that will accommodate 16 amp L2. Further, I've seen a good amount of expansion on the CCS chargers in southern California, so I'm less concerned about it being a limitation. The car will mostly be a rocket commuter anyway.

 

[cwerdna]

I'm thinking of going to Camino Real Chevrolet tomorrow just to compare...

I've never dealt with them by Rydell Chevrolet AFAIK is a popular Volt dealer. A Priuschatter I know who converted to Volt (!) has sometimes sent me some Volt deals from them.

PS: I'm the same JeremyW on the leaf forum, so expect some CAN hackin' when I do get my paws on one of these suckers!

Hehe. Cool. If you go this route, I'm sure many folks here will benefit.

It always seems like certain types of cars are able to attract enough engineers/tinkerers to do stuff like this. This held true w/the Prius and Leaf. I believe the Volt is in this camp too. If you get a fringe/not very popular vehicle, good luck. I can safely say this is the case w/the Altima Hybrid (my mom has one). Can barely find anyone who knows squat, let alone tinkerers.

 

[Nashco]

PS: I'm the same JeremyW on the leaf forum, so expect some CAN hackin' when I do get my paws on one of these suckers!

Great! We've got a few of us already hacking away at this thing, it'd be great to have more hands on deck!

For what it's worth, there are some smoking deals going right now. At least here in Portland there are $140-160/month deals with zero down on 3 year leases, which is a steal IMO. I suspect with the $2500 credit down there you're in even better territory. Hard to ignore that kind of value for such a well performing car!

Bryce

 

[emv]

Back to the upholstery. One year and 12K miles later we've had no problem with the leatherette. Cold in winter hot in summer? That pretty much comes with the territory, sheepskins would take care of the cold, or use the seat heaters. No signs of wear at all. I'm sure it's more durable than the cloth, easier to clean too. I will grant you that nobody would ever try to call it "Rich Corinthian Leatherette" and it's not even close to genuine Naugahyde, but remember that the Spark EV starts out life as a really cheap car. Still love it and am waiting for the Bolt.

 

[ezryder]

Back to the upholstery. One year and 12K miles later we've had no problem with the leatherette. Cold in winter hot in summer? That pretty much comes with the territory, sheepskins would take care of the cold, or use the seat heaters. No signs of wear at all. I'm sure it's more durable than the cloth, easier to clean too. I will grant you that nobody would ever try to call it "Rich Corinthian Leatherette" and it's not even close to genuine Naugahyde, but remember that the Spark EV starts out life as a really cheap car. Still love it and am waiting for the Bolt.

Ditto, exactly. I find the seats more comfortable than I expected. My biggest gripe is not having a left arm-rest for my passenger side seat. I mean, really? I need to find a way to buy one from Chevy for an English seat, where they sit on the right, and have it installed on my passenger seat. No one has complained, but it's not a selling point to see my friends hugging their chests while sitting in my car...

 

[GeekEV]

I hate the leatherette. That's what they had at the dealer when I got my Spark EV, but I would have preferred the cloth. The leatherette is not nice enough to even have "leather" in the name. The steering wheel is good, but the seats are horrible. Sticky, rubbery, hot on hot days, freezing on cold days. Perhaps the only good thing I could say about the leatherette is that nothing sticks to it, other than your skin. You can wipe it clean pretty easily. I bought cloth seat covers for the front seats and have enjoyed sitting in the car much more since I got cloth.

I'm betting you're not a fan of real leather seats for the same reasons... We have the leatherette and like it well enough. It's not leather by any stretch, but conveys most of the same benefits.

 

[SparkMoore]

You're right. I'm not a big fan of leather either.

 

[brunoylupe]

I do not like the plastic seats; but, i do like my Spark EV.

 

[nozferatu]

One thing that I'm really pleasantly surprised about this car overall is the sheer lack of squeaks and rattles. Many people have complained about the sea of plastic inside and I tend to agree there. But frankly it's a well put together car.

Yes it's an economy car underneath as are many cars...including my past Fiat 500 Sport. But the Fiat in contrast had so many squeaks, rattles, and loose sounding components it was ridiculous.

This car is very quiet. I partly chalk this up to the soft suspension not banging the car around much as over time a harsh suspension can really loosen up a car.

As far as the leatherette, I don't like leather for a number of reasons...one being the fact that it doesn't appeal to me to sit on dead cow skin. But also I just prefer high quality cloth.

 

[Nashco]

This car is very quiet. I partly chalk this up to the soft suspension not banging the car around much as over time a harsh suspension can really loosen up a car.

It's not the suspension. Mine is modified with stiffer springs and even with my low profile tires, my Spark EV has fewer rattles than my (stock) Mercedes-Benz B class! I agree, GM did well getting the rattles out of this car.

Bryce

 

[ezryder]

This car is very quiet. I partly chalk this up to the soft suspension not banging the car around much as over time a harsh suspension can really loosen up a car.

It's not the suspension. Mine is modified with stiffer springs and even with my low profile tires, my Spark EV has fewer rattles than my (stock) Mercedes-Benz B class! I agree, GM did well getting the rattles out of this car.

Bryce

I agree. The Spark EV rides better than my C230 MBZ.