Former LEAF owners?

[DeimosEV]

I'm just wondering if there are any former LEAF owners that have upgraded to the i3. I have some questions I would like to ask about your experience with the i3. There are some pet peeves on the LEAF that I have and I wondered if they are an issue on the i3, specifically:

The rear visibility on the LEAF is not good, the rear seat headrests block about 2/3s of the rear window. Although an easy solution is to just remove them.
The A pillars are very thick, so they also give you bad visibility when turning corners.
The sun visor on the LEAF is terrible, it barely blocks anything.
The winter range on the LEAF is significantly degraded when using the heater.. and by the way its not that good of a heater. Especially when its -25 C.
How does the real world range compare between the two cars.

The only drawback I see on the i3 from the pictures is that its basically a 4 seater car while the LEAF is a 5 seater.

 

[tiburonh]

I'm just wondering if there are any former LEAF owners that have upgraded to the i3. I have some questions I would like to ask about your experience with the i3. There are some pet peeves on the LEAF that I have and I wondered if they are an issue on the i3, specifically:

The rear visibility on the LEAF is not good, the rear seat headrests block about 2/3s of the rear window. Although an easy solution is to just remove them.
The A pillars are very thick, so they also give you bad visibility when turning corners.
The sun visor on the LEAF is terrible, it barely blocks anything.
The winter range on the LEAF is significantly degraded when using the heater.. and by the way its not that good of a heater. Especially when its -25 C.
How does the real world range compare between the two cars.

The only drawback I see on the i3 from the pictures is that its basically a 4 seater car while the LEAF is a 5 seater.

Hi Deimos- I'm not a Leaf Owner (nor yet an i3 owner), but I have ridden in a Leaf and have driven the i3. Here's my attempt to answer your questions:
1. Rear visibility in the i3 is not great either, but at least the rear headrests fold flat with the simple push of a button.
2. I didn't feel any problem with the A pillars in the i3 -- and there are no B pillars (because of the "suicide door" arrangement); so I found front and side visibility in the i3 to be very good.
3. Yeah, the sun visor in the i3 is pretty dinky and not much use either.
4. Re range, sorry, I couldn't say.
5. Yes, the i3 is definitely a 4 seater, unless your fifth person is a small person who doesn't mind sitting on the rear seat cup holders

Cheers.

 

[Mike74jcw]

I have a LEAF but will be moving to an i3 (hopefully):

1. Visibility is very good in all directions, no issues to the rear. Lots of glass. My car also has the backup camera.
2. A-pillars are not bad. Again, no issues.
3. Yes, sun visors could be bigger/better
4. Heater works well until it gets VERY cold. Pre-heating is the best when car is attached to the charger. I preheat with my iPhone 4. LEAF also has heated seats (like i3) and heated steering wheel. Range is definitely much worse in the winter versus summer and when HVAC is running.
5. I expect range to be slightly better in the i3 compared with the LEAF

 

[ultraturtle]

...There are some pet peeves on the LEAF that I have and I wondered if they are an issue on the i3, specifically:
...
The A pillars are very thick, so they also give you bad visibility when turning corners...

We had the Leaf on preorder ~4 years ago, and had to cancel based solely on the lack of visibility out the A pillars. My vertically challenged wife could not see safely out either side during the preview test drive event a half year before they came to market in the US. Not sure if the production vehicle fixed the flaw (the demo vehicle did not have vertically adjustable seats), but it was undriveable to her. Sad to say we did not purchase it, because visibility to me (6'3") was fine, and it was to be primarily my car, but she would need to drive it now and then. Happy to report that she absolutely loved the i3 during our brief test drive, to include visibility and the incredible range of seat and steering column adjustment. Just hope I can snag it from her to drive now and then, as it will be primarily her car.