2018 Bolt EV US order guide is now available.

So the 2nd gen Leaf while having less range (initially), will have a cheaper price tag, propilot semi-autonomous driving tech, and power seats. I suspect folks that are cross shopping between the two will gravitate towards the Leaf if range isn't the primary concern. If range is the primary concern, then you could wait until later next year when Nissan releases the 60kwh pack that will be good for 225mi.

I love my Volts, but GM is getting left behind in regard to driver assistance technology. I hate to say it, but the Leaf wasn't on my radar before, now it is.

Steverino said:

I prefer the lack of an aggressive battery thermal management system in a Leaf. Who needs a long lasting battery when I can save some money instead? And then there is the way Nissan handled resulting battery degradation...by denying it. That's the kind of company I want to buy a car from.

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Steverino, you go after Nissan like Bro goes after Tesla! I leased a 2015 Leaf that had their upgraded battery cell chemistry for 3 years and never experienced any noticeable degradation. Although I lived in east Tennessee at the time, so the mild climate probably didn't tax the battery at all. I live in western North Carolina now and it is basically the same climate, so I doubt the climate here would tax the new Leaf battery either. Nissan has said the Leaf 2.0 battery chemistry has changed again to make it even more robust than before.

From their official press release...
"Another key engineering improvement for the lithium-ion battery pack is the use of enhanced electrode materials with revised chemistry, resulting in higher power density while contributing to greater battery durability upon charge and discharge."

Steverino said:

lol, yes, based on how Nissan handled the battery degradation issue and based on their less than robust battery cooling. More robust than not very robust is an improvement of some degree, sure. I had a Nissan when they were called Datsun. To me, it doesn't look like they have changed much over the years. I also avoid Dodge/Chrysler due to reliability issues with several company cars I drove.

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I agree with the Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep sentiment. The Pacifica PHEV is very appealing to me, but because it's a Chrysler I'm terrified of the future mess. Dodge/Chrysler/Jeeps are frequently on top 10 worst reliability lists. That very early recall of the Pacifica PHEV doesn't help the image either.

DonC said:

Having leased a Leaf I think he's amazingly restrained. While you may not have seen any battery degradation I saw a huge amount. Moreover the Leaf was so badly built that I would never ever look at another Nissan, which isn't hard for me to say since my wife would have me committed if I did. She hated the car more than I did because it was such a substandard vehicle. Nissan specializes in making a car that looks good but has the worst build quality imaginable. Things weren't helped by what was a horrible dealer experience, and this was from a leading Nissan dealer which moved a lot of Leafs.

So I'd always expect a Leaf to be lower priced and lower quality. That's what Nissan does.

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I agree with the dealership sentiment, the Nissan dealer I dealt with was pretty lousy and knew nothing about the Leaf. After they pushed back on me when I declined a $50 oil change, I never went back. I never found another Nissan dealer that really seemed to know what they were doing in regards to the Leaf. Luckily, I never had any issues in the three years of ownership with it other than a blown tire which I didn't have to go to a dealer for, just went to a Discount Tire. No other maintenance to speak of.

Maybe you had an earlier model, but the 2015 I had gave me no problems and I felt the quality and fit and finish to be just fine.