Leaf can now travel faster and further

Nissan EV boosts range to 235 miles

IT’S eight years since I first drove a Nissan Leaf. I remember the experience well.

It was a similar time of year to now – cold with snow recently melted. Nissan promised a range of 100 miles in that car, but with heater and windscreen wipers in constant use the range turned out to be considerably shorter.

On one journey, the range looked like it wasn’t enough for me to get home so I had to drive with the heater off and minimise use of the wipers. I got home with yards to spare – and very cold toes.

Now we have an all-new Leaf for 2018 that ups the battery range by 50%, with a motor that’s 40% more powerful and produces 25% more torque.

The official range on the NEDC testing cycle is 235 miles. You’ll struggle to get that in the real world but you shouldn’t have any trouble getting 160 miles out of a full charge – we managed it.

Some extra good news is that the new Leaf is around £1,500 cheaper (depending on trim level) than the outgoing model. Our test car is in top-of-the-range Tekna spec and costs £28,415 on the road after you take away the Government’s £4,500 grant.

For starters it’s pretty quick off the mark. Nissan quotes 0-62mph in 7.9sec – almost hot hatch performance – going on to a top speed of 89mph. But the numbers don’t tell the full story because it’s the electric Nissan’s eagerness off the line and instant torque that

0-62mph in just 7.9sec is almost hot hatch territory

makes the car so pleasant in town.

You sit quite high up because underneath your backside is part of the drive battery.

The ride is refined and the handling is as good as it needs to be. The extra power and performance is really felt on the motorway where the Leaf now easily keeps up with all traffic.

The system by which braking feeds juice back into the battery has always been a feature of the Leaf, but now something called ePedal has been fitted.

Activated by the flick of a switch, or programmed in to be the default setting, ePedal considerably reinforces the regenerative braking system and in practice means that you hardly need to touch the brakes at all. When filtering in traffic, even downhill, the car will slow to a stop as you lift off the accelerator pedal. It takes a bit of getting used to but it does make city driving easier.

When charging, the Leaf takes a mere 40-60 minutes to go from empty to 80% full if you connect it to a 50kW fast charger. Nought to 100% takes 7hrs 30mins on a wall box charger and a lengthy 21hrs if you plug your Nissan into a domestic socket.

Although it’s not cheap, the new Leaf costs no more than a premium hatchback such as an Audi A3 but is more sprightly.

The only snag is that the Nissan doesn’t boast top rank quality when you step inside. The plastic and materials are a bit too cheap when you consider the price.

There’s no question the electric revolution is underway. But the charging network is still inadequate and for many of us who have no off-street parking – that includes me – or even dedicated parking on the street outside, an EV is not a practical proposition.

And how about the national grid – would it cope if we all started plugging cars in?

The Nissan Leaf will always be remembered as a pioneer, as significant in its own way as the VW Beetle or Model T Ford.

Test drive one. I guarantee you’ll love the sound of silence as you motor around town.