Nissan LEAF 2019 Long-Term Test #3

Over the past few weeks the Nissan LEAF’s range, charge life and general EV credentials have been put under the microscope by my colleagues.

I’d like to look beyond the zero emissions badge and investigate whether there’s more to the Nissan LEAF than its plug-in appeal – like normal car stuff.

Many hybrid-electric vehicles have been condemned for their unique approach to design. The Toyota Prius spawned many white-goods jokes, while the BMW i3 was proof that the prestige crew don’t always get it right, either.

The Hyundai Kona Electric falls somewhere in the middle, its quirky design a carry over from its combustion engine derivative. Meanwhile Telsa gave us hope that there was life beyond disfigured silhouettes and superfluous badges – at a price.

The Nissan LEAF appears to be taking a design road less travelled where EVs are concerned. It looks a lot like a ‘normal’ Nissan.

Aside from its zero emission badges, ‘I’m electric’ blue trimmings and some adjustment to the grille, the Nissan LEAF is comfortable to let its EV shine in other ways. At least this is the case where exterior design is concerned.

As it turns out, Nissan could not resist the obligatory quirk. But it’s light on.

The heated, manual-adjust leather and ultrasuede (part synthetic) seats are comfortable and offer good support thanks to some nice contouring. The contrast blue stitching is a nice touch, not only on the seats, but on other soft touch surfaces on the dash and doors; and the (heated!) steering wheel.

A mix of textiles, lots of soft touch surfaces and piano black finishes work nicely together. It’s a thoughtful palette and well put together.

The LEAF’s interior sticks mostly to a familiar design aesthetic, in as much as your instrumentation is front and centre (including some eco-specific data) and your other controls such as infotainment and heating and cooling reside in the centre stack.

You’ll find two cup holders in between the front seats and small oddment storage handily positioned forward of the gear shift, close to the USB, auxiliary and 12V outlets.

The front of cabin air vents are positioned high to allow for good air flow that targets your face, rather than your torso. It’s also better positioned to give some (heating or cooling) reprieve to the second row.

The second row is comfortable, but the LEAF proves quite the anomaly with the absence of directional air vents, but the addition of heated seats. However, it’s all or nothing heat with just one button heating the entire second row. As if children didn’t already have enough to squabble over.

Speaking of children, there are ISOFIX anchor points should you need them.

On the upside, there’s good storage with seat back pockets and sizeable in door storage and the 405-litre boot is fit for a weekend away. The 60:40 split folding stadium style seating offers good outward vision for second-row occupants.

There are some features (and/or lack thereof) in the Nissan LEAF that leave me wondering how a seemingly tech-savvy vehicle priced just shy of $50k fails on some of the simple things?

I’m not alone in my loathing of the foot-operated park brake – which you’ll find in the LEAF.

There’s also no tilt adjust on the steering column, which makes it harder to achieve the perfect driving position.

And then there’s the gear shift. Reminiscent of a 90s game console, the novelty of the joystick-style shifter quickly wears thin (think hours, not days). Nor was I convinced by the Hyundai Kona Electric’s button-style take on changing gears – so maybe it’s more about me on this one.

It’s size, shape and position also occupy some valuable real estate in the small cabin.

The Nissan LEAF ticks several of the modern conveniences we expect as a minimum at this price point, but there are certainly more extensive checklists to be found elsewhere… of particular importance if that’s your way of calculating value.

It’s likely that much of your infotainment will be controlled through Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity that works well. There’s also digital radio reception and a seven-speaker BOSE sound system.

You get in built satellite navigation and reversing cameras with front and rear sensors and guides, while keyless entry and push button start are always welcome inclusions.

Driver assist and safety technology include forward collision warning and emergency braking, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, blind spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert and clever traffic sign recognition.

Heated front seats and a heated steering wheel means the driver in particular will never feel the chill.

The Nissan LEAF is a comfortable car whose few shortcomings pertain to a lack of equipment (relative to its competitors) and ergonomic failings (or skimping).
Turns out the Nissan LEAF is all about its battery.

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)
CO2: 154g/km (Lifecycle emissions)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2018)