Range detracts from good package
DRIVING IMPRESSION/ Mark Smyth put the new Nissan Leaf though its paces ahead of its possible introduction in SA
The first-generation Nissan Leaf was exactly that, meaning there was much room for improvement. Yes it was a decent fivedoor family hatchback, but its only real selling point was its electric powertrain.
It didn’t excel in terms of design, comfort or space and it certainly didn’t rate well in terms of capital outlay. It was an early-adopter’s car, particularly in SA.
The Leaf is nevertheless the world’s best-selling electric car, with more than 340,000 having been sold since it was launched in 2010. Earlier in 2018, the second generation went on sale in many markets and we lived with it for a week in the UK recently.
The new Leaf is a big jump from the original. The design is edgier and far less bland than the first generation. Nissan has made a car that looks appealing but it has also tried to engineer it with more everyday appeal courtesy of a 40kWh battery pack.
That gives it a claimed range of 260km, but good luck achieving that. We tried very carefully but to no avail and you can read more about our charging exploits elsewhere on the page. In range terms, it falls short of many rivals and that is a concern in Europe but even more so in SA.
It’s a pity because the new Leaf is a good package. The ride comfort is excellent and that instant acceleration is superb. It also has tech in the form of the e-pedal, essentially allowing you to accelerate and brake using only the throttle. Push down to pick up speed and let off to brake. It takes some getting used to and you still need to use the brake pedal occasionally but it becomes addictive as you try to get a bit of regenerative braking charge back into the battery.
DRIVER ASSISTANCE
The Tekna ProPilot also has a number of driver assistance features including self-driving capability in terms of lane keeping, adaptive cruise and others. It is not the best system that we have tested but in the current era before the arrival of proper autonomous cars it works well.
Interior space is good and we had no problem fitting in the family and all their stuff although ensure you pack away the charging cables properly otherwise they tend to take up a lot of space in the boot.
Fit and finish is great and the dashboard design, in fact the whole interior really has a feeling of being normal. It’s important because many designers have told us that they don’t want interiors of EVs to feel too different. They say customers are already nervous of making the switch to an EV so they want them to feel as though the interior space is familiar. They have done a great job in the Leaf in that respect.
It was certainly at home around town, the e-pedal doing its thing at every junction and traffic light. On the back roads it showed that the engineers have tried to make it slightly dynamic but you need to watch for understeer with all that instant torque on tap.
You should feel that an EV offers familiarity and to be honest the Leaf does do that.
But it does that at a price and that is possibly why Nissan SA has not introduced the new Leaf yet. The company says it is still considering its introduction in SA. In the UK, the Leaf we tested costs £32,890 but you can get a government grant back of up to £4,500. Even with the grant, it’s expensive and in SA there are no government incentives. You only have to look at the recently released pricing for the new Jaguar I-Pace to know that getting into an EV is an expensive exercise. It shouldn’t be like that if cars such as the new Leaf are to become the new normal.