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DRIVEN: Electric Leaf Goes With Flow
Nissan's groundbreaking all-electric sedan provides drivability of a 'normal' car, though with some range anxiety.
The optional 'Zero Emissions'graphics leave no doubt about Nissan Leaf's environmental mission. (Photo: Nissan)
I hereby proclaim Nissan Leaf the first all-electric vehicle I’ve driven that can actually be used as an actual, everyday car. Far from being an urban golf kart, the Leaf is a full-fledged, four-door vehicle that can do anything a “normal” car can do. At least, within its range limits.
Best of all and unlike most hybrid vehicles and such, the Leaf is actually fun to drive. Acceleration is brisk in the Drive mode, with nearly silent and incredibly smooth performance. Leaf just glides swiftly toward highway speeds in a seamless, shiftless, noiseless and emissions-less swoosh.
It’s also fun and somewhat instructive to manipulate the Drive and Eco functions with the unique, round-ball shifter mechanism. The Eco mode dials back throttle response while increasing regenerative electric operation, creating a sort of engine brake that you can use while driving.
At lower speeds around town, you can drive around full-time in Eco mode, easily switching to Drive for a burst of acceleration. This is when Leaf does its best work at conserving its electric charge.
As a result, Leaf gets its best range in urban driving, where braking and decelerating return juice to the batteries. On the highway, the power use is total loss, and it’s here that Leaf uses up its charge fairly rapidly. Still, I was able to drive Leaf on a lengthy errand that involved about 30 miles of freeway driving without a problem.
On the highway, Leaf performs quite well, like a well-tuned compact powered by a strong four or V6 engine. The only sound that it emits, even while hard on the throttle, is a soft whirr from the electric motor that is hardly discernable. Road noise and a bit of wind roar are more evident because of the lack of engine sound.
Range anxiety is genuine, however, and you have to monitor the electronic gauges carefully to make sure you will reach your destination and return again to the safety of the electric plug-in. It takes all of 14 hours to fully recharge the batteries from conventional 110-volt electric service. A 220-volt recharge takes about eight hours.
I bit of irony, here: the electric cord with its transformer is kept in a hard, zippered bag in the cargo area. The only other thing in the bag is a screw-in tow hook, which is not really confidence inducing.
My local newspaper just ran a story about a guy who has outfitted his pickup truck with a powerful DC charger, which will boost Leaf nearly full in about 15 minutes through its separate quick-charge port. His business plan is to be available for road calls to stranded electric-car owners. Seems like a smart idea.
DC chargers in more permanent locations could become a regular part of the landscape as electric car takes hold. Or not.
I was able to drive Leaf throughout the weekend on a bunch of normal trips and errands, charging overnight or whenever the car was parked in the driveway without getting anywhere close to running out of power. This included a few other highway trips in the Phoenix metro area as well.
Leaf’s styling is indeed different. There was an obvious effort to give it a look that would set it apart, and that they did. All I can say is, it looks odd enough to be French. Kind of cute, really, but it’s going to be hard to get macho guys to favor it over a roaring muscle car, not matter how good it is.
With its ecology graphics and unique design, Leaf attracted plenty of attention everywhere it went. People were very curious about its range and performance. There’s plenty of pent-up demand for something like this, especially now that gas prices are climbing high.
The price tag is a bit off-putting, though, especially considering that Leaf would do best as a second vehicle for commuting and around-town errands, with a gas car waiting in the garage for longer trips and such. There are still some federal rebates available, though they are dwindling from the $7,500 offered last year. Some states also offer incentives, so you should check them out if Leaf is on your shopping list.
Best of all and unlike most hybrid vehicles and such, the Leaf is actually fun to drive. Acceleration is brisk in the Drive mode, with nearly silent and incredibly smooth performance. Leaf just glides swiftly toward highway speeds in a seamless, shiftless, noiseless and emissions-less swoosh.
It’s also fun and somewhat instructive to manipulate the Drive and Eco functions with the unique, round-ball shifter mechanism. The Eco mode dials back throttle response while increasing regenerative electric operation, creating a sort of engine brake that you can use while driving.
At lower speeds around town, you can drive around full-time in Eco mode, easily switching to Drive for a burst of acceleration. This is when Leaf does its best work at conserving its electric charge.
As a result, Leaf gets its best range in urban driving, where braking and decelerating return juice to the batteries. On the highway, the power use is total loss, and it’s here that Leaf uses up its charge fairly rapidly. Still, I was able to drive Leaf on a lengthy errand that involved about 30 miles of freeway driving without a problem.
On the highway, Leaf performs quite well, like a well-tuned compact powered by a strong four or V6 engine. The only sound that it emits, even while hard on the throttle, is a soft whirr from the electric motor that is hardly discernable. Road noise and a bit of wind roar are more evident because of the lack of engine sound.
Range anxiety is genuine, however, and you have to monitor the electronic gauges carefully to make sure you will reach your destination and return again to the safety of the electric plug-in. It takes all of 14 hours to fully recharge the batteries from conventional 110-volt electric service. A 220-volt recharge takes about eight hours.
I bit of irony, here: the electric cord with its transformer is kept in a hard, zippered bag in the cargo area. The only other thing in the bag is a screw-in tow hook, which is not really confidence inducing.
My local newspaper just ran a story about a guy who has outfitted his pickup truck with a powerful DC charger, which will boost Leaf nearly full in about 15 minutes through its separate quick-charge port. His business plan is to be available for road calls to stranded electric-car owners. Seems like a smart idea.
DC chargers in more permanent locations could become a regular part of the landscape as electric car takes hold. Or not.
I was able to drive Leaf throughout the weekend on a bunch of normal trips and errands, charging overnight or whenever the car was parked in the driveway without getting anywhere close to running out of power. This included a few other highway trips in the Phoenix metro area as well.
Leaf’s styling is indeed different. There was an obvious effort to give it a look that would set it apart, and that they did. All I can say is, it looks odd enough to be French. Kind of cute, really, but it’s going to be hard to get macho guys to favor it over a roaring muscle car, not matter how good it is.
With its ecology graphics and unique design, Leaf attracted plenty of attention everywhere it went. People were very curious about its range and performance. There’s plenty of pent-up demand for something like this, especially now that gas prices are climbing high.
The price tag is a bit off-putting, though, especially considering that Leaf would do best as a second vehicle for commuting and around-town errands, with a gas car waiting in the garage for longer trips and such. There are still some federal rebates available, though they are dwindling from the $7,500 offered last year. Some states also offer incentives, so you should check them out if Leaf is on your shopping list.
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