It's 100% electric and it should be your second car.
The only "shock" you will get is by how good this car actually is!
This is a first for "New Budget Cars 101", a review of a 100% electric, battery operated car. It is not a hybrid; there is no tailpipe, there is no gas tank, and there is almost no noise. Yup, the Nissan leaf is the best selling "highway capable" electric car on the market right now. Available in Japan and the USA in 2010 and then most other countries by 2011, it looks quite similar to the Versa Note on the outside but the inside has been changed quite a bit.
Take a look:
Different Styles:
The Nissan Leaf comes only as a 5-door hatchback. Due to the nature of electric motors, it only has a 1 gear automatic transmission. It technically has a zero L, zero cylinder engine. The battery size is a 24 kWh battery pack. Depending on the year and the trim level it either has only a normal charging port, a normal port and a quick charge port, or an updated normal port and quick charge port.
Styling and Comfort Impressions:
Not gonna lie, this car has a bit of an odd look to it. It's sort of futuristic, but at the same time looks just a normal hatchback. I don't think you could say it looks bad, but it's definitely not to everyone's taste. If you do like hatchbacks then this should fit with you well. It has nice proportions. The windows are large, the wheels not too small, and the lights in front and back have enough style to give it a little something...
It is designed to be very aerodynamic so a long sloping nose and roof line continue to a sloped rear. The design of the back does limit the size of the cargo area a bit, but its not too much.
I actually really like the look of the rims on the Leaf. They look good with the 2 tone silver and grey metal.
Going inside the car seems to have a bit of a futuristic feel to it. It doesn't look exactly like a fancy spaceship, but more like one of its escape pods. There are curved, smooth lines everywhere and the media unit looks like it's extending forward for you to use it. Everything is very streamlined and simplified and the two zone dash is nice because you don't need to look far down while driving for the speed. The colour scheme is nice and clean in either bright grey or black.
Take a look:
Take a look:
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The media units are pretty simple and easy to use with enough large buttons to keep it user-friendly (other new media units in other cars are starting to go all touchscreen). The sound system is ok. It's not super loud or with great bass (unless you get the upgraded Bose system) but its not that bad either; obviously to save some of the energy from the battery. The front seats provide good head and leg room. The rear seats have ok head and leg room and the seat backs are soft so that helps with the knees. Overall the seats are pretty comfortable with enough support for long trips. They don't have enough side support for aggressive driving but you won't be doing any of that with this car. Some nice features are standard front and rear heated seats with a heated steering wheel. Heated steering wheels are definitely something you want in colder climates. A back up camera is also standard.
Finally onto the trunk. The weird trunk. Because Nissan has put the battery in the floor of the Leaf,that means you get more passenger room instead of it going up the middle (like the Chevy Volt) or in the front. It also means you have a better center of gravity. The battery pack does bulge up underneath the rear seats which means the seats sit a bit higher than normal. Nice for visibility but bad for when they are folded down flat. The main reason why they are higher when folded down flat is due to the fact that the Leaf has no fuel tank or exhaust. This means the floor of the trunk is lower than in a normal car, which combined with the higher rear seats means that there is a literal cliff that is created when the seats are down. Nissan has somewhat addressed this issue in a few ways. For the older models (2011-2013) you can get cargo divider bins that when closed are at the same level as the folded down seats. The other way is just to get a newer Leaf in which the plastic cliff is cut into to have a small section in the middle that is more flush.
Take a look:
Driving Impressions:
It's not what you would initially expect. Unless you expected it to drive like a normal car, then yes, it's exactly that. The car accelerates pretty nicely due to the instant available torque of an electric motor. The motor also helps slow down the car (like in a manual transmission) which means your brakes will last longer and it helps put electricity back into the battery pack. The ride is very smooth and cornering is pretty good due to the center of gravity being very low because of the battery pack (skinny tires don't help though...). There is an Eco setting you can put the car into that lowers the output of the climate control to save energy and it also forces the car to accelerate slower and regenerate harder. This will help you get the farthest range from the battery pack. While driving in the winter it's best to use the heated seats and wheel as they draw less power from the battery than the cabin heater. During really cold weather you could expect the range to drop to about two thirds of the normal amount. The battery needs to be in a certain temperature range to run at its most efficient levels.
You may have noticed I haven't said anything about how loud the engine is. Well it's because it doesn't make any sound at all. It doesn't idle like a normal gas engine would; under normal acceleration you wouldn't know it was there and even under hard acceleration all you hear is a bit of a futuristic turbine sound that dies down once at speed. The car is also very aerodynamic so even at highway speeds the car is very quiet compared to other compact hatchbacks.
Charging:
Wouldn't it be great to wake up every morning knowing that your car's tank was full? That is essentially what you will get with the Nissan Leaf (depending on what plug you use and what year you have). Depending on the year and trim level the car will essentially have 3 different ways for you to charge it at your home. From 2011-14 the car had a 3.6kW on-board charger as standard, with a 6.6kW unit available on the highest trim as well as a quick charge port for higher amp systems. In 2014 in Canada, the 6.6kW unit became standard on all trims while the base trim in the USA still uses the 3.6kW one. A normal plug (110/120-Volt) with the 3.6 unit installed will take up to 21 hours to charge the battery to full from dead. A 220/240-Volt line will take about 8 hours. The quick charge about 30 mins. For models with the 6.6 unit, on a normal plug, the same amount of time. The 220/240-Volt line will now charge it in as little as 4 hours. If you are going to get any electric car, you really do need at least a 220-Volt line where you will be charging it.
Public charging ports are popping up all over the place now. They are in parking lots for malls, some stores and restaurants, as well as parking lots for public transit stops. These stations are sometimes free to use, if not, its usually not much more than a few dollars for a few hours of charge using a 220/240-Volt system. This is usually good to top people off to complete their driving for the day.
Overall:
The Nissan Leaf is a great first step toward an affordable, fully electric car future. It doesn't cost as much as competitors but it still provides a useful amount of range from one charge and can fit 4-5 people and some stuff. It drives like a normal car unlike some other electric cars that feel like under-powered golf carts. It looks basically like a normal hatchback with a slightly futuristic interior. It also has extremely low maintenance costs because it completely lacks most wear and tear components of a normal car. There are no oil changes, no transmission or clutch changes. No timing belts, exhaust systems, fuel or water pumps to change. However, this is not a car for everyone. This should probably not be your first car if its the only car you have access to and you live outside of a major city/ your work is a far commute ( more than an hour) or if you live in an old apartment building (as it may be difficult to get a 220-Volt plug installed for your parking spot). However, you should definitely get this car if:
- If your daily drive is a very predictable 120 km or less
- You can install a 220/240-Volt line where you park
- You live in or very close to a large city (meaning more public charging ports available)
- You have access to other cars to use for longer trips
- If you want to save a lot of money because the cost of electricity is literally a small fraction of what a tank of fuel costs. You will also save due to the lack of regular maintenance that needs to be done on fully electric cars.
- If you want to take a step forward into a more environmentally-friendly future (assuming that battery packs will be properly recycled once they eventually do fully die)
- If you want a small (somewhat inexpensive) car that accelerates very nicely due to instant torque
Facts/ Figures:
Price (for mid trim level): was about $28,000+
FWD
Max HP: 107
Max Torque lb/ft: 187
MPG (approx*): 126 city; 101 highway.
Cargo room (approx*): 24 / 31 CuFt
Length: 175"
Width: 70"
Tank Size (gal): 0 (or 24kw of battery)
Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 85
Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $17,000+
* when I say "approx" I usually am using the numbers given by the actual manufacturer or Consumer Reports, minus 1 to be a bit more realistic.
**No pictures featured are my own, they have been taken either from Google images or the manufacturer's website and their rightful owners should get any credit for them. This review featured all pictures from the manufacturer's websites ( some through Edmunds.com).
Price (for mid trim level): was about $28,000+
FWD
Max HP: 107
Max Torque lb/ft: 187
MPG (approx*): 126 city; 101 highway.
Cargo room (approx*): 24 / 31 CuFt
Length: 175"
Width: 70"
Tank Size (gal): 0 (or 24kw of battery)
Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 85
Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $17,000+
* when I say "approx" I usually am using the numbers given by the actual manufacturer or Consumer Reports, minus 1 to be a bit more realistic.
**No pictures featured are my own, they have been taken either from Google images or the manufacturer's website and their rightful owners should get any credit for them. This review featured all pictures from the manufacturer's websites ( some through Edmunds.com).
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