By Karl Peskett.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are now here to stay. And electrified vehicles? Well, they’re going to become the norm. Just look at how many Camry Hybrids are being sold currently and you’ll understand that many people are very happy to reduce their fuel consumption.
But having a longer range (by using less fuel) and a usable electric range are two very different things. Changing the mindset to something that needs to be plugged in overnight is also a challenge. So, until we get real world range (we’re talking 250km and above) from a single charge, EVs aren’t really going to take off.
Which is why the new Nissan Leaf should change a few minds. Upon collecting our press vehicle from the Nissan representative, the indicated range on the dash was 285km. That means at least a week’s worth of running around for most people before you have to worry about plugging it in. Not having to do it every night is a relief.
It also looks and drives like a car, minus the engine noise. And it’s as practical as a car is as well.
There are a couple of odd things about it. On cold mornings, you can’t use the A/C button, because that will only cool the cabin. Instead, you’ll need to use the Heat button and dial up the right temp. And if you want somewhere in between, such as 22 degrees, you have to press both buttons and adjust the temp to suit.
Electric cars don’t get their heat from an engine, which is why the need for two separate buttons – there’s a separate heating and cooling system.
Another annoyance will be found by back seat passengers. There’s nothing wrong with the seats, which are beautifully trimmed and padded. It’s just there’s zero foot room under the front seats (which forces your feet under your knees) and the headroom is pretty tight as well. This is a car designed for two adults and two small kids, not four adults.
What is good is the new infotainment system. It’s much clearer than Nissan’s usual offering, a lot faster, feels more intuitive (despite looking a little more complex initially) and the screen is larger as well.
There are certain active safety systems that react a little differently to normal, though. The parking sensors are a lot deeper in pitch, and the lane departure warning has a high-pitched screech that makes you jump the first time you hear it. You definitely won’t be wanting to wander out of your lane, but when lanes merge it also activates which is a reminder not to forget to use your indicator.
The Leaf has an interesting switch called E-Pedal, which negates the use of the brake pedal by simply ramping up the regenerative braking to the point where you can modulate how hard it brakes by lifting off the accelerator. It’s very easy to get used to, and isn’t dissimilar to the system in the BMW i3. Soon, you’ll only be relying on the E-Pedal and jump into another car and have to relearn the two pedal (or three, how quaint) system.
The steering is very light, a bit short on feel, but the wheel is natural enough in turn-in response, and the electric motor produces 110kW and 320Nm. That’s enough to do 0-100kmh in 7.9 seconds. Off the line it can feel a fraction underdone, but when rolling it surges forward when given a bootful. It’s particularly entertaining at 80kmh and above where overtaking is done silently and very swiftly.
Of course, the quicker you go, the more you’ll drain the battery, which will give you around 260km in normal usage. Charging up via a normal wall socket takes around 24 hours from dead flat, which it would never be, whereas using the fast charge system takes 7.5 hours for the same charge. Apparently, a wall box to facilitate quick charging is around two grand.
Or you could take advantage of the many free charging stations in carparks around the country. There’s also the advantage of charging from your work (if they let you) and if that’s from solar, then it’s a pretty efficient way of getting around.
As a full electric offering, it’s cheaper than the Hyundai Kona (with less range), but a fraction more than the Hyundai Ioniq (but with more range). That means Nissan has positioned it well, being in the middle of the two. We feel it’s probably around $5K more than it needs to be to gain a wider acceptance, but it’s still a good second effort from the Japanese carmaker. Certainly it’s a lot kinder to the hip pocket than any current Tesla.
