Nissan Leaf EV (2011) long-term test review
By the CAR road test team
Long Term Tests
Two sides to our Leaf
At once the Leaf is both soothing and stressful. Climb in, press the start button, and besides the dashboard lighting up to the accompaniment of a few bongs, you’d never know it was running. After any other car, the complete lack of vibrations is wonderful, so you glide along in relaxed comfort. You’re a little more aware of wind and suspension noise without a cacophony of explosions under the bonnet masking their sounds, but overall the Leaf is wonderfully refined. Good ride comfort too, comfy seats as well, inviting cabin at night, and your world is calm by the time you arrive home.
But while the actual driving experience is utterly relaxing, everything either side of actually being behind the wheel is more stressful than in a car with an engine. There’s the cable that needs to be unplugged and coiled into the boot before setting off – it feels like the 21st century equivalent of hand cranking your car. And it’s invariably wet, and drags leaves with it, so you dump it in the boot (rather than putting it into the special pouch) which keeps your hands cleaner but gets your boot dirtier.
Plus there’s the constant worry about running out of electricity. Battery life is definitely poorer in the cold weather, and I don’t think our constant charging is helping either. I let my phone all-but-die before plugging it in (which still needs to be done each night) but as the Leaf is whorred amongst the CAR office, and thus its usage is different every night, I can’t run it down if Tim Pollard is taking it on the school run the next morning.
Though at the moment it needs charging each day regardless. Work, to home, to my gym, home again, and work the next morning. Total distance: 45 miles. Remaining range as I arrived at work, having left there the night before fully charged? Five miles. The supposed range is 109 miles...
By Ben Pulman
Long Term Tests
Two sides to our Leaf
At once the Leaf is both soothing and stressful. Climb in, press the start button, and besides the dashboard lighting up to the accompaniment of a few bongs, you’d never know it was running. After any other car, the complete lack of vibrations is wonderful, so you glide along in relaxed comfort. You’re a little more aware of wind and suspension noise without a cacophony of explosions under the bonnet masking their sounds, but overall the Leaf is wonderfully refined. Good ride comfort too, comfy seats as well, inviting cabin at night, and your world is calm by the time you arrive home.
But while the actual driving experience is utterly relaxing, everything either side of actually being behind the wheel is more stressful than in a car with an engine. There’s the cable that needs to be unplugged and coiled into the boot before setting off – it feels like the 21st century equivalent of hand cranking your car. And it’s invariably wet, and drags leaves with it, so you dump it in the boot (rather than putting it into the special pouch) which keeps your hands cleaner but gets your boot dirtier.Plus there’s the constant worry about running out of electricity. Battery life is definitely poorer in the cold weather, and I don’t think our constant charging is helping either. I let my phone all-but-die before plugging it in (which still needs to be done each night) but as the Leaf is whorred amongst the CAR office, and thus its usage is different every night, I can’t run it down if Tim Pollard is taking it on the school run the next morning.
Though at the moment it needs charging each day regardless. Work, to home, to my gym, home again, and work the next morning. Total distance: 45 miles. Remaining range as I arrived at work, having left there the night before fully charged? Five miles. The supposed range is 109 miles...
By Ben Pulman
Categories:
Nissan Leaf EV,
Reviews
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