Nissan Leaf

Overview

Nissan Leaf  is a compact four-door hatchback vehicle powered purely by electricity, and its 40-kWh lithium-ion battery can be charged at home. Nissan's first electronically controlled shift-by-wire gearchange, delivers effortless driving performance. With a weight of 1,580 kg, the electric motor that replaces the conventional engine provides a completely different driving experience, with quiet and responsive acceleration. The activation of the push-button power switch will be accompanied by a soothing start-up sound, welcoming you to a new world of zero-emission mobility. 

History

The Nissan Leaf (stylized as "LEAF", stands for Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car) is a 5-door hatchback electric car manufactured by Nissan and introduced in the Japanese and US markets in December 2010. consumers in December 2010 for Japan and the United States, February 2011 for Ireland, and March 2011 for the United Kingdom. In November 2011, Leaf can also be obtained by consumers in Canada, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland. The Nissan LEAF's arrival in the Philippines was first announced on July 22, 2019. The Japanese company wanted to bring in a car that would spur the electrification of its lineup.

Price

In 2022, The Nissan LEAF price in the Philippines starts at P2,798,000.00.

Exterior

Nissan Leaf comes with a sleek and sharp form that describes a dynamic and aerodynamic car. That appearance is supported by Nissan's signature blue V-motion grille which also characterizes the Nissan Leaf. The headlights seem sharp with a boomerang-like shape on both the front and rear. Likewise, the presence of Daytime Running Lights (DRL) with LED technology.

The dynamic design is more pronounced when you look at the Leaf from the side. The two-tone color combination that is presented also looks beautiful from the side. As a complement, Nissan pinned 17-inch alloy wheels with Diamond-Cut Turbine. The display of lights resembling a boomerang is also present on the back of the Nissan Leaf. Nissan also added a blue accent on the back to indicate that this is an electric car. Do not forget the zero emission emblem is also embedded in the back.

Dimensions

Table shown a comprehensive list of dimensions for the Nissan Leaf including wheelbase, length width and height.

Interior

The cabin of the Nissan Leaf is the same as the outside, looks simple. There are no futuristic or future elements in the cabin of the Nissan Leaf. Maybe one thing that looks modern is in the instrument cluster. The MID is full TFT. In fact, when you start the car, the MID screen will display a silhouette of a Nissan Leaf followed by the words 'Zero Emission'. Apart from the MID, nothing else looks modern. The speedometer of the Nissan Leaf is still conventional. The majority of the materials used are hard plastic, but at some points, such as the arm rest and door trim, they have been coated with soft touch materials. Although using plastic material, the appearance of the Nissan Leaf dashboard still looks good.

Dashboard

The redesigned dashboard is now simpler in appearance, as the two-tier instrument cluster has been replaced with a centre stack that also holds a five-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It is paired to a four-speaker sound system and seven-inch Multi Information Display as standard. Air vents have been reshaped, with those in the centre now being much slimmer. Other notable features include automatic air-conditioning with a timer function, a multifunction steering wheel, keyless entry and start, as well as seats trimmed in leather/Alcantara. 

Space&practicality

Entering the cabin, a similar feeling is still felt. There is nothing 'weird' in the car, either from the dashboard design, air conditioning controls, seats, control panels, to the buttons to take advantage of various features in the car. It's just that the transmission lever model that is pinned is different, more futuristic with a blue accent which indicates that the vehicle is environmentally friendly. 

Then there is also an additional feature to save electricity consumption, namely e-Pedal. Nissan carries all-dark colors in the interior to add an elegant yet comfortable impression. Comfort is also provided by the Alcantara leather upholstery. Sitting inside is comfortable and quiet. Moreover, there is no noise generated from the engine when you are driving.

Boot

Boot space stands at 435 litres.

Features

Safety features

Nissan’s signature V-motion grille flanked by angular LED headlamps, giving the EV a rather aggressive face. The boomerang-shaped taillights blends in neatly with the two-tone tailgate. It comes with 17-inch ‘Turbine’ wheels, wrapped with 215/50 profile tyres. As for safety and driver assistance systems, the Nissan Leaf gets six airbags (front, side, curtain), Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), ABS, EBD, brake assist, Hill Start Assist, Forward Collision Warning (FCW) with Forward Emergency Braking (FEB), Around View Monitor (I-AVM) with Moving Object Detection (I-MOD), Driver Alertness (I-DA), Ride Control, Trace Control and Nissan Intelligent Safety Shield systems.

Comfort features

Standard and available comfort features that you can choose from across the many trim levels of the Nissan LEAF 2022 including passenger favorites such as automatic temperature control, start button, keyless entry, power windows and locks, 8-way power front seats, heated front. chairs, leather upholstered chairs, etc.

Infotainment features

The Nissan Leaf carries 12V, USB, and auxiliary connections, all of which are easily accessible. The bay beneath these inputs easily secures a connected smartphone. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto immediately spring to action and look excellent on the display. All the expected functions of both smartphone operating systems worked within the display, and sounded excellent through the Bose speakers. With the smartphone connected through CarPlay or Android Auto, we were unable to use the call answer/hangup button on the steering wheel. Pairing the phone with Bluetooth resolves it, but really shouldn’t be necessary. It’s odd given the voice control button on the wheel enables Siri or Google Assistant, and it’s possible to skip tracks.

Powertrain performance

The battery pack itself is mounted underneath the vehicle floor, and supplies power to an EM57 electric motor that drives the front wheels. The mill puts out 150 PS and 320 Nm of torque, which results in a zero to 100 km/h time of 7.9 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 155 km/h.

Easy Driving Using Only the Accelerator Pedal (e-Pedal)

The e-Pedal allows the driver to start, accelerate, decelerate and stop using only the accelerator pedal. For instant acceleration, press down hard on the accelerator pedal. Lift off the pedal and the e-Pedal mimics stepping on the brake pedal, allowing the vehicle to slow down and even come to a complete stop. By using only one pedal, tasks such as judging the distance between the car in front, decelerating and stopping when going downhill, and stopping for traffic lights, have been drastically simplified and become more convenient.

In stop-and-go city traffic, the e-Pedal greatly reduces the need to shift from one pedal to the other, making driving simpler and more comfortable. It even allows sporty driving on winding roads, making the process of driving more exciting.

Acceleration

Experience the powerful acceleration and throttle response of an EV.

Deceleration

Easing off the accelerator pedal creates a deceleration force (max 0.2G) comparable to stepping on the brake pedal. Thanks to its precise electronic motor management, the e-Pedal system can even deliver smooth automated deceleration while traveling downhill.

Stopping

After the vehicle comes to a complete stop, the hydraulic brake system is automatically activated to keep the car stationary. The system can keep the car stopped on a slope (of up to approximately a 30-percent steepness grade) in uphill and downhill directions.

Brake lamps

Like conventional vehicles, the brake lamps will light up when decelerating or stopping.

Battery Consumption

Nissan LEAF claimed operating range of 311 km on one full charge based on the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) test mode. The single-phase home wall box charger that comes as standard delivers 6.6 kW of single-phase AC charging power, and it will take approximately seven hours to fully charge the battery. When you go out, charging can be done with a quick charger, a 10-minute charge will allow you to drive an additional range of 50 km.

Nissan's lithium-ion battery realizes high energy density, lightweight compact design and reliability by adopting Ni-Co-Mn positive electrode material and laminated structure cells which allow a higher density of lithium ions to be stored with have a high level of cooling performance. This results in an increase in travel distance. With the 40 kWh battery pack, each battery module is constructed with an 8-cell configuration as standard, increasing charging efficiency. Due to its high durability and reliability, the battery capacity warranty is 160,000 km or 8 years.

Ride comfort

The Leaf's low centre of gravity results in flat and predictable handling around bends and compliments the progressive responses to the steering wheel. The ride isn’t too hard but the absence of engine noise means you hear the sound of tyres and wind more, but it could be subdued by increasing the volume of music.

Conclusion

Overall, it appears that the Nissan Leaf can be used on a regular basis in Malaysia, and range anxiety should not be an issue,around town at least. Aside from the ageing interior, it's a fascinating and impressive product that offers a peek into the future of the automotive landscape and EV incentives should be introduced to bring down the hefty price tag.