MikeBoxwell
Well-known member
I got my first test drive in the Nissan LEAF here in the UK today. I'll write up a proper 'first impressions' review later when I've had a chance, but I thought I'd share my first impressions now.
It's a very good car and in some ways it is better than I would have expected: after driving EV12, one of the test mules, earlier this year, I was concerned that the car could be dull to drive. Thankfully, that wasn't the case at all. It's certainly not a sports car, but it handles nicely, accelerates well and is generally a very entertaining car to drive. The car has very little body roll and rides nicely over pot-holes. In Europe, the current fashion is to have firm suspension settings, and the Nissan LEAF's suspension was a little firmer than I would have liked, but that is in common with most new cars. I suspect the American version will have softer settings and this will probably improve the car. When pushed, the car under-steered slightly under heavy acceleration, but responded well to sudden changes of direction (as if swerving to avoid an obstacle), helped in part to the lack of body roll.
Steering is lightweight and the ultra-smooth electric drivetrain makes driving the car utterly effortless. There is plenty of power in the car and we drove at speeds of up to 75mph quite happily. Low and mid range acceleration is very good, as you would expect. Accelerating above 65mph with four people in the car is maybe feels slightly sluggish, but is still perfectly acceptable and no worse than a lot smaller engined gasoline equivalents.
The controls are very easy to use and understand. There are quite a few gadgets and gimmicks to play with if you want to, but if you're not interested in any of that, you can just get in and drive. You don't need to know what they all do and they don't get in the way of the car.
This was just a first drive, so I can't tell you what the realistic range is likely to be. The car computer showed us a range of around 160km (100 miles) when we started and whilst driving slowly in heavy traffic, that went up as high as 200km (125 miles). However, put your foot down and that range can drop just as quickly as well. However, after a twenty mile drive on a variety of roads and driving in a mixture of conditions, the car was reporting a 126km range (78 mile range). And that was certainly not using eco-driving techniques all the time.
The car employs regenerative braking, including very light regenerative braking when you take your foot off the accelerator (which gives it a very similar feel to taking your foot off the accelerator on a normal gasoline car - the car slows down slightly due to mechanical friction, but not hugely so). As you apply the brake pedal, regen kicks in further, slowing the car down reasonably quickly. With some practice, you can drive this car without using the mechanical brakes at all.
At higher speeds, both road noise and wind noise is noticeable - moreso than a gasoline car, but that is just because normally when you're inside a gasoline car, those noises are being drowned out by the engine. The noise is certainly not obtrusive. Compared to a car like the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the LEAF had more road noise but less wind noise, but either way, it is certainly much quieter than a gasoline car. The electronic sound at low speeds can hardly be heard inside the car - we had to travel at around 3mph with the windows open to hear it at all. It's a low frequency buzzing sound with a very quiet higher pitch beep. When I first heard it, it made me turn around but it certainly didn't sound a yucky noise, so in that respect it does its job well.
Fit and finish of the car looked good, but the car didn't have quite the same premium feel as the show cars that Nissan were using a few months ago. Maybe that is simply because once you've got a bit of grime on the paintwork and some scuffs on the tires, it doesn't have that showroom feel any more, but when I saw the car a few months back, it felt like a match for a BMW, Audi, Lexus or Mercedes. This car didn't. This felt like a competitor for a Honda, Ford or Toyota: still very good, but not premium.
So how does it compare to a car like the Prius? Well, very positively in my opinion. The Prius has slighly more luggage space, but otherwise interior accommodation in both cars is similar. Both cars are easy to drive, with the Nissan being much the smoother and quieter of the two cars. The Nissan has better performance and handling whilst the Prius has better ride. Most of all, the Nissan is a far better drivers car. If you want to drive spiritedly, you can have fun in the LEAF. Do that in the Prius and it just feels uncomfortable.
My choice? I'd go for the LEAF over a Prius every time. Nissan have built a very good car.
It's a very good car and in some ways it is better than I would have expected: after driving EV12, one of the test mules, earlier this year, I was concerned that the car could be dull to drive. Thankfully, that wasn't the case at all. It's certainly not a sports car, but it handles nicely, accelerates well and is generally a very entertaining car to drive. The car has very little body roll and rides nicely over pot-holes. In Europe, the current fashion is to have firm suspension settings, and the Nissan LEAF's suspension was a little firmer than I would have liked, but that is in common with most new cars. I suspect the American version will have softer settings and this will probably improve the car. When pushed, the car under-steered slightly under heavy acceleration, but responded well to sudden changes of direction (as if swerving to avoid an obstacle), helped in part to the lack of body roll.
Steering is lightweight and the ultra-smooth electric drivetrain makes driving the car utterly effortless. There is plenty of power in the car and we drove at speeds of up to 75mph quite happily. Low and mid range acceleration is very good, as you would expect. Accelerating above 65mph with four people in the car is maybe feels slightly sluggish, but is still perfectly acceptable and no worse than a lot smaller engined gasoline equivalents.
The controls are very easy to use and understand. There are quite a few gadgets and gimmicks to play with if you want to, but if you're not interested in any of that, you can just get in and drive. You don't need to know what they all do and they don't get in the way of the car.
This was just a first drive, so I can't tell you what the realistic range is likely to be. The car computer showed us a range of around 160km (100 miles) when we started and whilst driving slowly in heavy traffic, that went up as high as 200km (125 miles). However, put your foot down and that range can drop just as quickly as well. However, after a twenty mile drive on a variety of roads and driving in a mixture of conditions, the car was reporting a 126km range (78 mile range). And that was certainly not using eco-driving techniques all the time.
The car employs regenerative braking, including very light regenerative braking when you take your foot off the accelerator (which gives it a very similar feel to taking your foot off the accelerator on a normal gasoline car - the car slows down slightly due to mechanical friction, but not hugely so). As you apply the brake pedal, regen kicks in further, slowing the car down reasonably quickly. With some practice, you can drive this car without using the mechanical brakes at all.
At higher speeds, both road noise and wind noise is noticeable - moreso than a gasoline car, but that is just because normally when you're inside a gasoline car, those noises are being drowned out by the engine. The noise is certainly not obtrusive. Compared to a car like the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the LEAF had more road noise but less wind noise, but either way, it is certainly much quieter than a gasoline car. The electronic sound at low speeds can hardly be heard inside the car - we had to travel at around 3mph with the windows open to hear it at all. It's a low frequency buzzing sound with a very quiet higher pitch beep. When I first heard it, it made me turn around but it certainly didn't sound a yucky noise, so in that respect it does its job well.
Fit and finish of the car looked good, but the car didn't have quite the same premium feel as the show cars that Nissan were using a few months ago. Maybe that is simply because once you've got a bit of grime on the paintwork and some scuffs on the tires, it doesn't have that showroom feel any more, but when I saw the car a few months back, it felt like a match for a BMW, Audi, Lexus or Mercedes. This car didn't. This felt like a competitor for a Honda, Ford or Toyota: still very good, but not premium.
So how does it compare to a car like the Prius? Well, very positively in my opinion. The Prius has slighly more luggage space, but otherwise interior accommodation in both cars is similar. Both cars are easy to drive, with the Nissan being much the smoother and quieter of the two cars. The Nissan has better performance and handling whilst the Prius has better ride. Most of all, the Nissan is a far better drivers car. If you want to drive spiritedly, you can have fun in the LEAF. Do that in the Prius and it just feels uncomfortable.
My choice? I'd go for the LEAF over a Prius every time. Nissan have built a very good car.
Nissan, just make the suspension the same as the European counterpart, please!! I do hope Nissan is not copying the suspension of a Prius, that thing is a boat.
