My First ProPILOT Experience, + Comparing The 2018 Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model 3, Chevy Bolt, & BMW i3
As we turned out of the dealership for my second 2018 Nissan Leaf test drive, I touched the ProPILOT Assist button. That little press of the button put me on high alert. Yes, that is the opposite of what it is for — but with self-driving technologies, don’t we all have nervous beginnings? It is my first time driving towards our autonomous future, the future that I seem to read about several times a week now.
ProPILOT Assist in the 2018 Leaf does require that you keep your hands on the wheel, which I personally don’t mind or even prefer. This approach better keeps the driver’s attention. Even at that, it was slightly unnerving as a first time driver of a semi-autonomous car. I was unwilling at first to stop and trust the ProPILOT. I set my speed at 40 mph, the speed limit on a busy two-lane street in midday Sarasota. There was ample space in between the car in front of the Leaf and me, and an impulse made me step on the brake. All I had to do was take my foot off the pedal — er, e-Pedal — and I would have slowed dramatically. The car would have stopped itself (probably very smoothly) behind the car in front of us. But I braked. I was ridiculous to do so.
So, the next time the traffic slowed, I held back, and sure enough, the car slowed with as much caution as I would like and no braking from me. The ghostly ProPILOT took over, and I let go of my reluctance.
I became less fearful of the self-driving ProPILOT suite. As the drive/ride continued and it performed flawlessly repeating its smooth performance reliably — unlike a moodier human — I grew fond of the feature. The potential for safer streets and highways became more tangible for me — an added set of eyes and reflexes in each car is valuable.
Since listening to CleanTechnica Director Zach Shahan (my son) and BNEF’s Ali lzadi-Najafabadiat discuss pros and issues from implementing semi-autonomous driving technology, I am more familiar with some of the nuances of this long transition toward fully autonomous cars. There is great concern for keeping the driver’s attention on the road, and the challenging possibility of inattention when using the self-driving feature. Nissan’s decision to make drivers keep their hands on the wheel at this stage seems sensible.
The fresh new ProPILOT Assist system has been tuned explicitly for US roads and drivers. Nissan Technical Center North America (NTCNA) in Michigan led the development — with more than 50,000 miles on roads across the United States. My conclusion is that ProPILOT Assist is a perfect transition for those a bit nervous about self-driving features but ready to start benefiting from them.
In modern times we find this question of trust and technology elsewhere. There are people choosing surgeries via autonomous technology. I know someone who did. She claims she trusts that tech more than a seasoned surgeon who might show a capacity for human shifts of mood and rhythms. Its true — some days we are on, while some days we are less focused on our task at hand and more focused on others. So, for the unfocused day when attention is not top notch, you can have ProPILOT support you.
The 2018 LEAF offers other improvements beyond ProPILOT, and almost three times the range of the 2015 LEAF I’ve been driving for almost 3 years. The dash is similar. The windows are similar. I missed the poppier style of the 2015, which I appreciate. But the 2018 LEAF has an image in the side-view mirrors that lights up to warn you that a car is coming up behind in your blind spot. I find this feature incredibly helpful. I am sure it makes for fewer accidents. The Chevy Bolt has it as well.
Zach took a turn at the wheel and, even accustomed to a Tesla Model S and BMW i3, he admits there is something deliciously smooth about the new LEAF, similar to the 2015 LEAF. Yes, for this grandma, who does not care about speed and loves smooth driving, the LEAF’s torque presents all the power I need when I want to get ahead of other drivers or get out into traffic quickly. Zach’s comparison of the same cars — “2018 Nissan LEAF vs. Tesla Model 3 vs. Chevy Bolt” — points out more comprehensive details regarding difference aspects of the cars. My review here describes the experience from another generation’s, gender’s, and personality’s point of view.
Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution!
I also test drove the Tesla Model 3 the other day. That was a cerebral experience — what a quiet zone. In the Model 3, I did not do anything other than peacefully synthesize the soothing experience of spacious minimalism and torque at the touch of the foot. In a Tesla, you think you are going 10 miles per hour and look to find it is 50 miles per hour — the acceleration is so soft and yet so strong. I think you have to set the speed limit warning before driving to avoid speeding.
The Model 3’s dash, compared to busy plastic dashes (which you find everywhere), is indeed minimalistic. It is still a car, yet I felt in a way that I was in a minimalistic living room.
The Model 3 offers Autopilot, of course, but I didn’t use it. Another day.
The back seat of the 2018 LEAF is roomier than the Bolt but not as spacious as the back seat of the Model 3. That said, it has a little hump on the floor in the middle of the car, like in a gasmobile, an antiquated lump that you don’t find in the Model 3 or Bolt.
Another significant use for the Model 3 is supplying superheroes some safe resting space while they plan their approach to saving the earth: My team of superheroes loved using the Model 3 with its rear seats down for an impromptu meeting of the minds. They seem to prefer it over a gas vehicle’s trunk and back seat for earth-saving missions. Ruby, one of my four beautiful granddaughters, aspires to be a superhero. She assembled her cousin Lily and her sister Zoe to aid her in a recent mission. Perhaps they will team up on the quest again further down the road.
When living in a city, I like a small car. Despite all the positive features of the choices above, I’d choose the BMW i3 as my urban EV of choice. I love the inside feel of the front seat. The windows have been my favorite in all of my many test drives over the past three years. The BMW i3 view of the traffic cannot be beaten. The perky style is light, energetic, and adept. The technology is keen, the recycled dash is lovely and swoops down in an elegant way where others go up — which seems immeasurably better as a design to me. My daughter Mira dislikes cars in general due to their smell — that toxic car smell — but she believes the smell is less toxic and offensive in the BMW i3. The BMW i3 seems that much cleaner, fresher, lighter. It may be due to the recycled materials and eucalyptus (if you get that trim).
I once thought that for two children with car seats, a family should get a car with a larger back seat. Now I grasp that the tinier back seat works well for two of my granddaughters, Julia and Lily, who always want to be in action and feel they are part of the parents’ (or grandma’s) driving experience.
The Chevy Bolt is a nice EV, in my opinion, offering perky spirit and good range. The 2018 LEAF offers a softer, smoother drive with what feels like a more spacious interior. It also offers a helpful beginning in self-driving technology, ProPILOT. The Tesla Model 3 provides even more space, vast range, unbeatable technology, and a meeting space for superheroes protecting the earth. The BMW i3 offers tiny exterior size, a surprisingly expansive view from inside, and a winning overall package for the city. I like the style inside and out.
Of course, any of these EVs are well worth the time of a test drive. YMMV. The important thing is they are all zero-emissions vehicles.
Related Stories:
10 Uses For A Silent Nissan LEAF
BMW Is A Thoughtful Automaker — Comparing BMW i3 With Nissan LEAF For A Second Time
2018 Chevy Bolt Seems A Fine Fit For Mountain Exploring & Other Edge Cases
2015 Nissan LEAF Long-Term Review
2018 Tesla Model 3 Long-Term Review
2018 Tesla Model S Long-Term Review
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Latest CleanTechnica.TV Video
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
