"Model: Nissan LEAF
Bodystyle: five-door hatch
Engine: 80kw (108hp) electric motor
Transmission: automatic, front wheel drive
Date of test: July 2011
GALLERY: Nissan LEAF (2011 onwards)
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Green Car Guide
What is it?
There's sticking your neck out and then there's poking it through the bars of the lion enclosure with a couple of pork chops Sellotaped to it. You'd have to say Nissan is doing the equivalent of the latter with its LEAF electric car.
The LEAF is a purpose-built, mass-produced, electric car with a viable range and a broadly accessible price tag. Electric cars are nothing new but in its ability and the scope of its ambition, the LEAF is unique.
Innovation like this is the lifeblood of the car industry and manufacturers that get to market first with new technologies are generally rewarded with a sales bonanza - but there's a catch. By its very nature, the LEAF asks big questions of prospective buyers and makes real demands on owners to alter their driving behaviour. Are we ready for a change?
Where does it fit?
There are other full electric cars on sale but they're either low volume models with premium prices like the Tesla Roadster, tiny citycar oddities like the G-Wiz or modified versions of existing conventionally engined models like the Mitsubishi i-MiEV.
The LEAF is an electric car that's designed as such, being mass produced at locations around the world (which will eventually include Nissan's factory at Sunderland in the UK) and priced at vaguely affordable levels. It's also around the size of an everyday family hatchback (90mm longer and 90mm narrower than a Ford Focus) with seating for four/five and a realistic boot.
In short, the LEAF is an electrically powered car that could theoretically replace the petrol or diesel engined models being run by thousands of UK motorists. You can bet that there'll be more like it in the near future but for the time being, the LEAF is without direct rivals. By its presence alone, it gives car buyers a completely new decision to make but how difficult a decision is it?
Is it for you?
The idea of an electric car will appeal to a lot of people. In our heads they're futuristic, green and silent. They also hold out the possibility of a brave new world where we'd never have to set foot on another petrol station forecourt, unless the craving for chilled pastry products becomes too strong. It all sounds great but the reality may be somewhat different.
For a start, the maximum theoretical range of a Nissan LEAF is 110 miles. Research indicates that's well in excess of the average mileage that the majority of UK motorists do in a day but there will be lots of occasions when it just won't be enough.
Once depleted, the batteries can be recharged in 12 hours from a domestic socket but Nissan can install a charging box in owners' homes that will do the Job in 7-8 hours. Alternatively, the car can be charged to 80% in 30 minutes by a quick charging system of the kind that exists at Nissan dealerships and is springing up at various public locations across the UK.
What all this means is that the LEAF will only really work as a second car or for motorists who spend their time doing short trips - preferably in urban areas with a ready network of charging locations on hand. In the UK alone that's still a huge number of people but how many of them will want to spend £26,000 on a car that can't travel beyond a 50-mile radius of their house without a lengthy recharging break?
Ah yes, you may have spotted another potential issue there - the LEAF does cost £26,000. It would actually cost £31,000 were it not for the government subsidy that's offered on new electric vehicles but even the lower figure is a good £10,000 more than you'd spend on an entry-level Ford Focus.
Not that the LEAF could be called entry-level. It's very well equipped with automatic air-conditioning, rain-sensing wipers, keyless entry and start, a Bluetooth hands free phone kit, a rear parking camera and an advanced satellite navigation system that gives you the reachable area and local charging points. It's not just the powertrain that's high-tech.
What does it do well?
The LEAF is an extremely advanced vehicle that manages to massively simplify the act of driving. There really is nothing to it. You climb in with Nissan's Intelligent Key system automatically opening the doors, then you simply thumb the power button and the LEAF springs into life. This would happen silently were it not for a series of perky chimes that ring around the cabin and are guaranteed to get on your wick after a while.
There's a driving mode controller in place of a gear lever which can be slid into Drive, Reverse or Eco mode. The first two are your basic forwards and backwards, the third is an energy-saving setting that gives a duller throttle response and maximum brake energy regeneration to increase the car's range.
Until you get up enough speed to get the wind rustling and the tyres humming, the LEAF is almost completely silent. It's easy to understand where the safety concerns around EVs come from once you've sneaked up on a few pedestrians in car parks and you definitely need to bear in mind the fact that cyclists can't hear you coming. Extra care needs to be taken but it's a small price to pay for the tranquillity inside the car.
Tranquil doesn't mean slow. The LEAF has a rapid turn of pace away from the lights in Drive mode as the powertrain's beefy torque output comes into play. There's actually 206lb ft available right from the off and a 90mph top speed, so keeping up with traffic is never concern.
The set-up of the LEAF is ideal for the urban environment. The light steering and soft suspension make twirling through tight manoeuvres easy and take the harsh edge off the scarred city streets. Forward visibility is good with the huge raised headlights providing a visual reference point when squeezing through gaps. At the back, a reversing camera helps negate the blinding effects of the thick C-pillars and protruding boot.
What doesn't it do well?
On faster roads, the LEAF is less at home. The softness of the set-up contributes to body roll through corners and a tendency to get unsettled over sudden undulations. It's still a neat enough handler but the net effect of the car not devouring bends with the relish of a hot hatchback is that you're eased into a more sedate style of driving which does nothing but good for its maximum range. Everyone's happy.
What's it like to live with?
The LEAF's looks don't instantly scream "electric car" at you. It's the basic shape of a family hatchback with a few unusual flourishes, and inside, the cabin is familiar and practical. That's if you ignore the cream cloth trim on our model that is only going to end up looking like a chimney sweep's hankie after a few years' use.
The design and construction of the dash achieves a nice blend of high-tech and simplicity. The all-important range information is clearly displayed in a sci-fi instrument cluster that does without the traditional dials. Headroom is plentiful throughout, even for six-footers in the rear, and the LEAF could comfortably take four adults on a long journey. Well, one of 100 miles or so anyway.
How green is it?
The greenness or otherwise of the Nissan LEAF hinges on where the electricity you charge it with comes from. Owners who don't have a personal wind turbine or solar panels to make their LEAF a genuine zero emissions vehicle must charge from the national grid with its mix of power sources.
The best guess is that a LEAF will be responsible for around a third less carbon emissions than the average small conventional car. That's still a useful improvement and as the nation's electricity supply gets greener so will the LEAF.
Just as much of a draw as the LEAF's environmental credentials are its low running costs. Electric cars are the flavour of the month with the government and as well as the purchase subsidy, there's free road tax and free London congestion charge to factor in. The cost of maxing out the LEAF's batteries should be around £3 to £5 which makes it usefully cheaper than 100 miles worth of petrol.
Our extremely unscientific test showed that travelling 80-90 miles on a single charge in the LEAF should be easily possible. In Drive mode, 20 miles of town and B-road driving took 31 miles off the car's range indicator but in Eco mode, a similar 20-mile route saw the range fall by 26 miles.
Would we buy it?
Nissan's achievement in building the LEAF should not be underestimated. It's a fantastic vehicle that showcases the potential of electric cars in real style. Owning one today would require significant changes in the way most of us use our cars and that upheaval will deter many, but it should still leave enough adventurous souls to meet Nissan's modest sales targets.
The big list price and horror stories about what the battery pack might cost to replace in a few years' time need to be weighed up against the temptingly low running costs. Meanwhile, the debate over how green electric cars actually are will rage on.
If you're interested, take the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a LEAF. It's an eye-opening experience that might provide a clearer glimpse into the future than any other car currently on sale. "
Em: http://cars.uk.msn.com/reviews/nissan-leaf-2011-onwards