It seems like yesterday but is in fact eight years since Nissan unveiled the Leaf to general approval. Arguably, the first truly successful electric car of the modern era, the EV has proved to be a popular seller globally, much to the relief of Nissan executives no doubt.
There is a market for these cars today and the Leaf is tried and tested. A second-generation car was launched in 2017 making the original model an excellent buy on the used car market as we have discovered.
Let's get the old range issue out of the way first. The fact is that, in the real world, on a majority of days of the year, we don't really drive very far at all. Even in America, where they prefer to drive everywhere, they still only travel on average 33 miles in a day. The original Leaf will average 84 miles in a day. That's actually Nissan's figure but it seems fair because they are allowing for the multi-various aspects of driving that can affect range. In short, they are not making overtly exaggerated claims.
Charge At Home And Away
Charging a Nissan Leaf at home is easy with a Nissan 240-volt home charging dock (this may vary depending upon global location). All you have to do is plug it in. It takes about five hours to go from empty to a full charge with the on-board charger and you don’t have to wait for the battery to be completely drained to charge it. The car also comes standard with a 110-volt charger (location variable) that plugs into any regular power outlet and which takes around eight hours for a fill-up. After all, you can't drive when you're sleeping.
Chargers are getting faster every year and of course costs are low.
The Outer Leaf
The Nissan Leaf is smart and presentable without being in any way flash. It's shape is defined by what it is. This front-wheel drive hatchback uses a dedicated EV platform with the batteries housed in the floor for optimum vehicle packaging and weight distribution. The body design includes a rigid-mounted battery frame, which helps provide greater body rigidity compared to a conventional compact car. It does make a difference and, out on the road, it is surprising just how well the car handles: not exciting necessarily but it does inspire confidence and has a decent turn of acceleration.
Select drive, release the foot-operated parking brake and performance is instant. Gears are a thing of the past to the Leaf driver. Acceleration can be very brisk although your right foot needs to be governed by the clear and concise power, regeneration and range readout on the dashboard. On test, brakes were crisp and well modulated.
Electric cars are eerily quiet, we all know that, but Nissan have decided that if the car is hushed then the occupants don’t want to be bothered by supplementary noise from around the vehicle. Thus some clever windscreen wipers are deployed so that nobody has to suffer that irritating ‘whip-whap’ noise. Further, to minimise wind noise the Leaf sports some clever aerodynamics which Nissan have chosen in the past to call ‘smart fluidity’. This is apparently a fusion of sophisticated aerodynamic management and aerodynamic acoustics with the freedom provided by the EV layout. The bonnet is low, rising through the sculpted shoulder character line and on toward the large rear spoiler.
This distinctive Leaf look is characterized by long, up-slanting headlights. The headlights cleverly split and redirect airflow away from the door mirrors, reducing wind noise and drag. It works. At motorway speeds there is barely a whisper of wind around the mirrors. At the back, the slim aero LED tail-light design and crisp corners combine with the aerodynamic rear bumper and a rear diffuser to manage the aerodynamics of the rear end without compromising rear interior roominess. Not sexy perhaps but very efficient.
The Inner Leaf
Moving the batteries to the floor means that the deep boot will now swallow an a decent 370 litres, although with a high lip, it has to be said. Certainly there is room for the family luggage and this roominess extends to the back seat as well. It's one of the benefits of designing this car from the ground up that passengers are well served. Thanks to the absence of a conventional engine the cabin is very roomy. With the driver’s seat set for a tall person, passengers are able to sit very comfortably behind the driver with legroom to spare. The Leaf is a genuine five-seater.
The car comes in various specifications and at reasonable prices. See our Japanese used car stock to see cars for sale todaay. The model tested had very comfortable leather seats and, as mentioned, handled well on the road. The central cascading dashboard had all the usual features with Bluetooth and climate control on board.
Verdict On The Leaf
Forget emissions because there aren't any. Also, early worries about battery life can now be dismissed, even after a few years very little charge is lost. Nissan are understandably keen to point out the low running costs and convenience of this all-electric vehicle. Maybe the Nissan Leaf still remains a slightly more expensive proposition than conventional internal combustion cars but fuel costs are lower so it is up to prospective buyers as to how they want to invest in the future.
