Nissan LEAF 2019 Long-Term Test #2

It's going to take a little while to overcome the public's range-anxiety reservations concerning EVs. The 2019 Nissan LEAF long-term test vehicle now in the carsales garage will travel 70 per cent further between charges than the Mitsubishi i-MiEV carsales leased at the end of 2010.

But for many drivers, the LEAF's 280km theoretical range won't be enough – especially if you want to keep warm in winter and cool in summer while you're driving. Climate control makes that 280km range theoretical indeed.

Switching on the climate control to take the chill off the night air sees the LEAF's range on a full battery drop immediately to 249km. The LEAF posted a power consumption figure that hit the bullseye, matching the official energy-consumption rate published by the Green Vehicle Guide.

Detouring for a school drop-off on the way to work the next morning made the inbound journey longer. Traffic that first morning was unnaturally heavy and power consumption had increased by the time I arrived at work – despite the morning run being mostly downhill. Range had dwindled as well... considerably more than the distance travelled in actuality.

The range slump was probably made all the worse by colleague Matt Brogan driving the car before me – Matt's driving environment is mostly open-road and arterials. By comparison, my run is all give-way signs, pedestrian crossings, traffic lights and roundabouts.

So I had stepped into the new Nissan LEAF and immediately subjected it to stop-start traffic hell and an uphill run home to distort the average.

Casting aside the apologia, however, our findings from comparing the LEAF with the Hyundai IONIQ Electric in our comparison at the end of July revealed that the LEAF is at an energy-efficiency disadvantage against other green machines like the Hyundai.

I kept a log of energy expenditure, which appears at the end of this review, but be warned: it's heavy going...

The 2019 Nissan LEAF, as an EV, may not be as efficient as the Hyundai IONIQ Electric, but it does have a lot going for it, judged purely as a car. I like the convenience of the e-pedal, for instance, making the brake pedal almost redundant in heavy traffic. It also provides very fine braking for holding the LEAF at a set speed on a descent.

The same is true of the LEAF's cruise control. Since it lacks a 'stepped' transmission, but delivers plenty of torque (320Nm), the LEAF doesn't 'kick down' climbing a hill. It's eerie the way it will maintain its speed with no tell-tales other than inertia. There's useful performance on tap, despite the LEAF's complete lack of turbochargers and direct-injection fuel delivery systems. It's nippy for a car weighing nearly 1600kg and producing 110kW.

At cruising speed the LEAF is naturally very quiet. Only some road noise from the 215/50 R17 Goodyear tyres intruded. The tyres complement the comfortable ride and hold the road reasonably well. They can be overwhelmed on wet roads by the strong torque available, but credit to Nissan, the front suspension doesn't become flustered by the wheelspin, there's no torque steer present and the car's traction/stability control hold the LEAF on track quite well exiting from corners.

Brake pedal feel is alarming though, if you slam on the anchors for an emergency, and the LEAF does dart around a bit under heavy braking, as the stability control system modulates the braking effort in low-grip conditions. Steering is light, as we noted for the comparison with the IONIQ, but the long-term test LEAF points better at the straight-ahead than the previous Nissan reviewed, suggesting that the earlier LEAF may have suffered from some sort of front-end alignment issue.

At night the LEAF's headlights are a little dim for country driving – not that the countryside is the LEAF's natural habitat anyway. Another safety feature, lane departure warning, emits a low-volume tone that sounds like a dentist's drill played on an 80s pop synthesiser. It was startling initially, but the system was impressively adept at picking out lines even on wet bitumen at night, and quickly became part of the LEAF's dialogue with the driver. The LEAF's autonomous emergency braking is a little too cautious in the context of squeezing between cars turning left or right, but was slow to react to a car directly in front stopping suddenly.

As a package, the LEAF has been covered in some detail in the comparison with the IONIQ, but in brief, the Nissan features a deep boot, but the seats fold down to leave a step that won't allow larger goods to sit flush on the boot floor.

The Nissan comes with stadium rear-seat accommodation, and the seats are very comfy. However, the driving position leaves something to be desired. There's no reach adjustment for the steering column and the pedals are too close for the driver's right leg to be supported properly by the seat under the thigh. The seats are well cushioned for short journeys, but could use more length in the base.

There's no power adjustment for the front seats, which is unusual in a car costing close to $50,000, and the kids don't get adjustable vents for the rear seats. Little things detract from the LEAF's otherwise fine interior presentation – including the infotainment screen, which isn't a particularly cohesive fit within the dash, and is hard to read with glare reflecting off it.

Ergonomically, the LEAF has switchgear located in places that aren't entirely desirable – the indicator stalk on the left of the steering column, for instance, and the e-pedal switch and the power button in the centre console. Finally, to disconnect the charging cable from the car, it's necessary to press a separate button on the key fob, rather than just unlocking the car, as is the case with other EVs.

And we're in two minds about the Prius-like shift lever – it does grow on you – but there's no question the foot-operated parking brake lets the side down.

Nevertheless, we've warmed to the LEAF since conducting the comparison with the IONIQ. Driving dynamics are somewhat better than we expected and as a car for the city and inner suburbs it's comfortable and it can be efficient up to a point. Throw in a five-star ANCAP rating from last year and a five-year warranty (eight years for the battery) and the Nissan LEAF looks like a reasonably sensible car, even at just over $50,000 with metallic paint.

Here are some stats that are indicative of the ownership experience after a few days of commuting and a longer run into the country. Skip to the pricing and specification section if your eyes begin to glaze over:

Wednesday night
Evening commute home. 18.8km trip was mostly uphill, from close to sea level up to about 60m.
• Average energy use at end of journey: 17.1kWh,
• Range at outset: 279km,
• Range at outset with climate control turned on: 249km,
• Range remaining at end of journey: 213km.

Thursday morning
Commute to work next day; extra passenger and heavy backpack on board for 6km; distance of 19.5km travelled in total. Climate control was operating constantly and lights and wipers were in use for around 50 per cent of the time. Trip to work was mostly downhill.
• Average energy use at end of journey: 18.5kWh,
• Range at outset: 213km
• Range at end of journey: 186km,
• Range reduction since last full recharge: 93km
• Total distance travelled: less than 40km in urban environment.

Thursday evening/Friday morning
LEAF recharged in full at work and driven home Thursday night for an (increased) average power consumption of 19.1kWh. Lights, wipers and climate control were all operating for the uphill run home on Thursday evening.

Friday evening
LEAF not recharged at work on Friday.
• Average energy use at end of journey: 18.6kWh,
• Range at end of journey: 138km,
• Battery charge remaining: 58 per cent.

Saturday
Partial recharge (three hours) at home on Saturday using domestic 10-Amp outlet.
• Range rose by 40km to 178km,
• Battery charge increased to 62 per cent after one hour, then 69 per cent after two hours, and 75 per cent after three hours.

Sunday night
Driving limited to a 70km test course at night, incorporating freeway, suburban arterials, country roads and frequent elevation changes between 60m and 210m. Vehicle was not driven for efficiency; torque was frequently exploited fully. Lights, wipers and climate control were operating the entire time.
• Average energy use at outset: 18.6kWh, reset for test run,
• Average energy peak during drive: 23.4kWh,
• Average energy use at end of journey: 19.9kWh,
• Range at outset: 174km
• Range at end of journey: 63km,
• Battery charge remaining at outset: 75 per cent,
• Battery charge remaining at end of journey: 26 per cent.

Monday morning
Drive to work without climate control (seven to eight-degree morning).
• Average energy use at outset: 19.9kWh,
• Average energy use at end of journey: 18.2kWh,
• Range at the outset: 63km,
• Range at the end of the journey: 51km,
• Battery charge at outset: 24 per cent
• Battery charge at end of journey: 18 per cent.

Monday evening
Full recharge at work; climate control left off for journey home (12 degrees ambient temperature).
• Average energy use at outset: 18.2kWh.
• Average energy use at end of journey: 17.8kWh,
• Range remaining at outset: 257km,
• Range at end of journey: 242km,
• Battery charge at outset: 100 per cent
• Battery charge at end of journey: 94 per cent.

Tuesday morning
Drive to work and school drop-off for 19.5km trip; climate control operating.
• Average energy use at outset: 17.8kWh,
• Average energy use at end of journey: 17.8kWh,
• Range at outset: 242km,
• Range at end of journey: 187km,
• Battery charge remaining at end of journey: 83 per cent.

Tuesday evening (commute)
Drive home – 18.8km trip; climate control operating.
• Average energy use at outset: 17.8kWh,
• Average energy use at end of journey: 17.7kWh,
• Range at outset: 228km (with 100 per cent battery charge),
• Range at end of journey: 213km,
• Battery charge remaining at end of journey: 92 per cent.

Tuesday evening (other)
Return journey to meeting – 13.15km trip; climate control operating.
• Average energy use at outset: 17.3kWh,
• Average energy use at end of journey: 17.2kWh,
• Range at outset: 207km,
• Range at end of journey: 199km,
• Battery charge remaining at end of journey: 81 per cent.

Thursday morning
Drive to work and school drop-off – 20.0km trip; climate control operating.
• Average energy use at outset: 17.2kWh,
• Average energy use at end of journey: 17.2kWh,
• Range at outset: 182km,
• Range at end of journey: 153km,
• Battery charge remaining at end of journey: 62 per cent.

During the second week, the average energy consumption began to fall back to what the Green Vehicle Guide says it should be. An early start on the journey home Tuesday night and a later drive in the evening, after peak hour, made a significant difference to the average figure.

Also, I had driven the LEAF to work on the Monday morning without the climate control operating, out of concern the battery charge (24 per cent) and range (63km) might not be sufficient for the 19km run to work. The climate control was used three times – each time for about 10 seconds duration – to demist the windscreen.

With hindsight, the climate control could have been left to heat the cabin for comfort without any likelihood the LEAF would have run out of charge before reaching carsales HQ.

My range anxiety had clearly got the better of me. Next time I won't endure the hardships of a wintry Melbourne morning if the computer tells me I have over 60km range for a 20km trip!

How much does the 2019 Nissan LEAF cost?
Price: $49,990 (plus on-road costs), $50,085 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Motor: Permanent magnet synchronous electric
Output: 110kW/320Nm
Transmission: Reduction gear
Energy consumption: 17.1kWh/100km (Green Vehicle Guide), 17.1 to 23.4kWh/100km on test
CO2: 154g/km (Lifecycle emissions)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2018)