Nissan LEAF 2012 Review

If peace and quiet is your idea of relaxed motoring, the Nissan LEAF holds unique appeal. It's one of the quietest cars we've tested and not just because it's well insulated – it also doesn't have an internal combustion engine.

Instead, the LEAF is powered by an electric motor that ensures the only sound you hear while driving is a muted whine that rises in tandem with your speed.

The motor kicks out a modest 80kW but a muscular 280Nm, which ensures the Mazda 3-sized hatch accelerates with vigour, strong enough to give occupants a gentle shove back into their seats on full throttle.

While the LEAF’s powerplant might be unlike almost everything else that’s on the road, in operation it’s not really any different – just step on the accelerator and away you go. At both suburban and open-road speeds the LEAF delivers satisfying throttle response, with overtaking performance that’s both effortless and smugly satisfying.

We did note, however, that while the LEAF was capable of accelerating from rest to 0-100km/h in a brisk 8.0 seconds, doing so drained its battery at a much higher rate than when cruising.

Another bugbear was the width of the A-pillar, which is thick enough to compel the driver’s head to perform a 'pigeon bob' to see either side of it when checking for traffic at intersections. Otherwise, vision fore, aft and crossways is good due to the LEAF’s large windows.
Tipping the scales at a Ford Falcon-like 1795kg, the LEAF packs large-car kilos in a small- to mid-sized body. Fortunately, the electric motor’s ability to deliver all of its torque instantly means it never feels heavy from a standing start.

Firm suspension settings ensure the LEAF remains composed when making turns and navigating bends. It's never going to beat a Toyota 86 through a chicane, but it handles better than a Corolla.

While the LEAF’s chassis is a good one, its ultra-light steering doesn't really encourage driving that might explore the car’s cornering potential. The speed-sensitive electric power steering is, however, well suited to city driving.

The LEAF gearbox ostensibly has just one gear, but in operation feels little different to driving a regular automatic or CVT-equipped hatchback.

Shifting between reverse, drive, park and neutral is slightly different than in a conventional automatic. Rather than pulling straight down through the latter’s PRNDL arrangement, the LEAF requires you to move a small computer mouse-like device forward to go backward and backward to go forward. Sounds odd but it’s intuitive and more-or-less the same arrangement Toyota uses on the Prius.
The selector also offers an 'ECO' mode, which in comparison to the Drive mode consumes less power for the traction motor, heater and air-conditioner, extending vehicle range. ECO is selected from the D (Drive) position by pulling back on the aforementioned selector lever a second time.

When you do select the ECO mode of operation, you change the mode of the accelerator pedal to be less responsive, offering greater physical resistance, which in turn helps conserve power. Flooring the accelerator sees the system resort to full power.

ECO mode also provides an increase in brake regeneration, whereby when you step on the brake to slow down the car, part of the mechanical energy is captured by the electric motor and converted to electricity which is then stored back in the battery.

The Leaf uses hybrid-style regenerative braking, where the brake pedal modulates the regeneration and the braking rate, giving the feel of regular braking. In ECO mode the LEAF decelerates more quickly, with a more pronounced braking effect from the electric motor.

The brake feel is not as good as the best pure mechanical systems but is better than some hybrids we’ve tested and the braking performance is fine, slowing the LEAF's mass easily.

Instead of a fuel tank the LEAF has a 4kWh Lithium-ion battery pack, made up of 48 modules located under the floor and rear seats. Considering all the extra technology it carries, the Nissan EV is well packaged with all the storage cubbies and passenger room you might reasonably expect.

The location of the battery pack does mean the rear floor is higher, however, so rear seat leg room is tighter than in conventionally-powered hatchbacks of a similar size. Boot space is pretty good at 330 litres.

Though the jury is still out on the exterior design, the interior is pleasant, welcoming and mildly futuristic in appearance. Light tones predominate, with a cleanly-styled grey-on-cream two-tone dash helping create a refreshing interior ambience.

The futuristic theme is carried on in the dash design which is unusual in having no dials – not even for the radio volume controls. Aside from this and the aforementioned shift device, other major controls are conventional in operation and located where you’d expect to find them, including cruise control, Bluetooth streaming, audio and climate controls.

The seat upholstery is of a premium cloth-type material that has a soft, terry towelling texture. Together with supple seat cushions and the light colour scheme this helps ensure the LEAF is a comfortable place to spend some time.

The dashboard and instruments have a suitably hi-tech look and feel, with a centrally-mounted LCD touch-screen that acts as the car’s epicentre.

The high-resolution screen is easy-to-navigate and reacts well to even light touches but lacks some of the more detailed telemetry found on the rival Holden Volt.

In lieu of the latter’s pie-charts and animated flow-diagrams, the LEAF offers a single battery-energy analysis screen.

Each to their own, but if we were in the market for a high-tech EV, we would want a few more obvious indicators about what is happening beneath.

The instrument binnacle is about as unorthodox as it gets – in place of the usual tacho and speedo there’s a big LCD screen providing information on vehicle speed, battery level and a couple of throttle/power bars. There are also readouts for available range, plus instant and average energy consumption.

Unlike Holden’s Volt, the LEAF can't be plugged into a regular household 240v connection. Instead, it requires a special 15-amp home charger, which can be installed at a cost of between $250 and $500 by a registered electrician.

The charger does not require three-phase power, only standard household supply electricity, but you will need off-street parking.

A full battery charge via this home charger setup takes seven hours, and there are standard free chargers at each of the 13 Nissan LEAF dealerships Australia-wide. Depending on your location there may be other charging stations available; Melbourne currently has 16, for instance.

The other alternative is so-called ‘Quick’ recharging, which takes only 28 minutes but right now there’s only one unit in the country, and it’s in Adelaide.

We charged the LEAF three times during our test; on two occasions the battery was only half depleted and it took about four hours. The third recharge was left overnight and the battery was full by morning.

The technology within the LEAF is undeniably impressive and has few shortcomings, aside from one that could be a deal breaker for many people – the lack of range between charges.

The LEAF’s claimed 170km driving range becomes more like 130km unless you’re very careful and we found ourselves with precariously little remaining charge on a few occasions during our week with the car.

It’s an excellent commuter and ideal for short trips, but the associated range anxiety ensured it was left in the garage and on charge in favour of a 10-year-old petrol-powered family car when a 100km round trip beckoned.

For $51,500, you get a premium car with premium features, including capped-priced servicing. That’s expensive when compared to petrol-powered hatches of a similar size, but the LEAF offers cutting-edge zero emissions* driving in a friendly and very liveable format.

In short, the LEAF is a very good hatch, hampered only by its inability to cover large distances, and the costs associated with installing its power source.

As battery technology improves and cars like the LEAF can travel 300km or more, the humble internal combustion car will be nervously looking over its shoulder.

*When recharged with 'green' electricity.