LEADING THE CHARGE
Nissan’s trailblazing Leaf gets a radical overhaul, but can this car convince the masses to go electric?
On Tenerife’s southern shores, a few miles down the road from the island’s allyou- can- eat resorts, sits ITER, a research institute dedicated to sustainable living. Here, nestled in the island’s volcanic rock and surrounded by towering wind turbines and glistening solar panels, Nissan decided to launch its most important car to date – the new, all- electric Leaf.
The location illustrates Nissan’s ambitions for this car. The ITER site not only generates its own electricity for research, but actually funds itself, in part, by selling the excess electricity generated by its photovoltaic plants and wind farms. Nissan hopes that the new Leaf will be able to do the same: it won’t just be a set of wheels, but a ticket to a more sustainable lifestyle that might save you a few quid along the way. Could it possibly live up to the hype? ELECTRIC DREAMS
The first number you need to know is 258 miles (415km). That’s the reported range of the Leaf when you’re pootling around a city. That figure drops to 168 miles (270km) when the measurement combines ‘urban’ and ‘motorway’ driving. It’s enough range to drive you from London to Bristol without any anxiety, or as far as Exeter, if you’re brave. Regardless, the Leaf’s range is now approaching Tesla distances, which means that in our experience it’s more than enough to manage trips. The next key number is 40 minutes, which is how long Nissan says its car will take to charge from 10 per cent to 80 per cent battery on the newer 50kW quick chargers (which Zap-Map, a list of the UK’s charging units, tells me are in good supply, apart from in Wales). And finally the next most important figure is 26 per cent. This is the amount by which the torque has increased. In other words, the Leaf has got more powerful, managing 0- 60mph in a remarkable eight seconds.
The numbers tell an impressive story but there’s a lot of improvement inside the Leaf too. The standout innovation is the e-Pedal, which lets you drive the car with just the one pedal. It works simply: push the ‘gas’ pedal – I suppose that term seems a bit archaic now – to go, and lift up to brake. Lift off abruptly and
the car comes to a quick but measured stop; ease off the pedal gently and the car slows gradually. Any deceleration charges the battery back up and turns on the brake lights. In a sense there’s nothing new here. The previous Leaf and almost all other electric cars offer levels of regenerative braking. Once you pick your resistance level, the braking kicks in when you lift off, slinging you and your passengers into your seat belts on all but the lightest setting. But after a short learning period the e-Pedal becomes second nature, and after just half an hour, I’m a convert. It’s a simple bit of design that means you’ll drive more economically without even realising it. Don’t worry, the actual brakes are there for an emergency!
Of course, economy and sustainability were on the hymn sheet throughout the launch. If you can afford it, the Leaf lets you buy into an ecosystem of products that could potentially help you run your car for next to nothing . The idea is that you could pair your new all- electric car with some solar panels and a wall battery. You then charge your batteries either via sunlight, or from the grid, and sell extra energy in the car that you don’t need back to the grid at times of peak demand. It’s a brilliant idea, as long as you have your own driveway or garage. It’s worth mentioning that new Leaf customers will get a 7kW wall charger for free too.
SAFETY FIRST
The Leaf isn’t just being pitched as a smart ecosystem, it comes as standard with a host of intelligent safety systems too. Lane departure warning honks will blast out if you veer too far over the white lines. And if you keep going, the car will intervene by slowing down the inside wheels to pull you back on track. There’s also Cross Traffic Alert that’ll warn you if you’re about to get
“IT’S A SIMPLE BIT OF DESIGN THAT MEANS YOU’LL DRIVE MORE ECONOMICALLY WITHOUT EVEN REALISING IT”
side-swiped when pulling out at a junction. For an extra £400 you can get the Leaf equipped with ProPilot. This is a Level 2 autonomous system, which means the steering and speed can be controlled by the car, using a combination of radar and camera sensors, but the driver is ultimately considered in control of the vehicle. None of the kit is ground-breaking, but it’s great to see all this tech on an electric car at this price.
KERB APPEAL
The original Leaf suffered from a bit of a bulbous carriage. It had the kind of looks that owners had to apologise for. Mercifully, Nissan has smoothed out the Leaf’s bumps and sharpened its edges. At a glance, there’s little to signify that you’ve ditched the fossil fuel habit beside the missing exhaust, which has been replaced by a racy rear diffuser. The interior has also improved dramatically. The dowdy, worthy-looking innards have been upgraded, but the interior looks a little too ‘normal’ for our tastes. This might appeal to most motorists, but it left us wishing for something a little more futuristic.
Nissan’s infotainment system has had a bit of a facelift and comes installed with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is probably the most fluent way to connect your car and smartphone.
The Leaf’s cabin cocoons you from a decent amount of wind and tyre noise, and since there’s no engine to compete, the seven-speaker Bose sound system (which comes with the pricier Tekna model) outperforms what you’d find in more expensive cars.