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The first-gen Leaf debuted all the way back in 2011, as Nissan entered the EV market, and over the course of its product cycle the very large hatch was effectively the best-selling electric car in the U.S. in its price range, holding off a raft of less popular EVs. By most measures the first-gen Leaf was a solid success, helping usher in the age of the electric car even as the economic case for electric cars (or fuel economy altogether) frayed a bit with the economic recovery; the decade started out as the age of gas-sipping hybrid hatchbacks, and ended as the second golden age of the SUV. Through these years the Leaf has gained range, going from 73 to 84 miles to 107 miles, and finally up to 150 miles, all while maintaining a grip on the more utilitarian side of the EV market.
The second-generation model that debuted a year ago picked up where the previous Leaf left off, keeping the profile of a large hatch but losing a bit of the bulbous styling in the process. The Leaf is more of a tall wagon this time around, complete with the now-mandatory floating roof C-pillar design, ditching the awkward styling of the original and gaining range in the process thanks to a new, more energy-dense battery pack offering 40 kWh of juice good for 150 miles on a full charge. A version with even more range is on the way, due next year, for those with extra-long commutes, but the new 150-mile Leaf has the commuter half of the EV market in its sights, leaving greater range and luxury features to the raft of German newcomers as well as Tesla. In short, Nissan knows why Leaf buyers are buying the Leaf, and how much money they want to part with at the dealership.
More than simply giving the Leaf a bigger battery for 2018, Nissan has revamped the hatchback's handling, giving the steering a quicker ratio and tightening the anti-roll bars to keep body roll in check. The Leaf has also kept most of its electric motor, but improvements including a new inverter give a solid kick to horsepower and torque, adding 40 hp and 49 lb-ft of torque for a total of 147 and 236. The result is quicker acceleration, but more importantly a greater (but not quite cross-country-worthy) range of approximately 150 miles on a full charge thanks to a more energy-dense battery.
At the moment this range places it between the bargain EVs on the market with ranges around 100 miles or less that are becoming less alluring with each passing month, and luxury or long-range EVs currently offering at least 200 miles of range. The Leaf's starting price of $30,875 is meant to make the economy EVs a much more difficult proposition than they already are, as its starting price lands squarely in the middle of the short-range EVs that have somehow been getting by in the marketplace.
Aside from the sharper looks and greater range, the Leaf now offers "one-pedal" driving via the e-Pedal option, allowing drivers to rely on the accelerator pedal a vast majority of the time, as the Leaf automatically provides gradual and gentle braking automatically using its powertrain. This feature is aimed to stop-and-go commutes, but it's equally applicable to in-town driving if not rapid deceleration from highway speeds down an off-ramp.
Available in S, SV and SL trim levels, the base Leaf model comes with a 6.6 kW onboard charger, a 7.0-inch touchscreen, an ePedal mode and other items. The mid-grade SV trim levels adds 17-inch wheels, Intelligent Cruise Control, and NissanConnect with Navigation featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, among other items. The range-topping SL trim level features leather seats along with a six-way driver's power seat, heated steering and seats, LED headlights, seven-speaker Bose premium audio, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot warning, and an around-view monitor.
The Execution
The new Leaf offers brisk acceleration, a quiet cabin almost free of road noise, as well as a comfortable and spacious interior. In fact, the acceleration is actually fun as the Leaf spins its front wheel eagerly while moving silently and quickly through traffic, daring the driver to take advantage of gaps without any drama at all. The Leaf's handling is still geared toward comfort, as the steering works to insulate the cabin from the horrors of modern urban pavement, but it permits an acceptable level of steering feel that's moderated a bit by the slightly stiff tires.
Overall, the Leaf exhibits good road manners in city driving and can hold its own on the interstate as well if you want to say "range be damned -- I'm just going to open it up." The Leaf's aerodynamics are so good that wind noise very modest at highway speeds, and there isn't much tire noise either even if these aren't the quietest tires out there. Handling at highway speeds is a little touchy -- the suspension reacts a little too much to sharp steering inputs -- but overall it's a nicely predictable experience even if lead-footing it tends to drain the battery much faster.
Speaking of the battery, discussions of non-luxury, commuter-type EVs inevitably tend to boil down to range and price, as their buyers are seen as filling a very specific need: Will this get me to work and back with a stop at a supermarket without having to recharge someplace, along with a comfortable safety cushion of range?
With a full-charge range of approximately 150 miles the Leaf can tackle a mean commute, and perhaps a detour or two, but its full-charge range doesn't exactly place it into the top tier of EVs at the moment.
Among the things I've learned while living with the Leaf for a week is that one's "comfortable" round-trip range is about 40 percent of an EV's total range: You have to plan to expend up to 40 percent of your range on the way to your destination and then the same 40 percent on the way back, leaving yourself a margin of 20 percent of its total range for unexpected detours and general peace of mind. During my time with the Leaf I had just such a round trip come up: I had to travel to the airport that's 61 miles away and back, with the round trip representing a good mix of city and highway driving. (About 2/3rds was highway). I departed with a fully-charged battery, not planning to even stop in for a coffee at a drive-thru, and successfully made the round trip with 18 miles to spare -- not cutting it too close -- but having about 25 minutes worth of driving time in reserve. Each leg of the trip took about an hour and a half, as I cruised in the right lane at about 5 mph under the speed limit, because as you know if you've ever driven an EV the concept of "miles remaining" can be quite an elastic one.
And so, with a few asterisks, the Leaf gives the opportunity to perform a round trip where each leg takes about an hour and a half, without recharging. And I'm sure that if I crawled at in-town speeds the whole way, seeking out 25 mph zones, I would have had more range left when I completed the trip.
For the majority of commutes, with the exception of some horrible ones, this is adequate if you're just relying on your home charger, but at the same time this underscores the almost commute-only nature of this version of the Leaf unless you live in a part of the country that's very well stocked with fast-chargers every few miles.
The Takeway
The Leaf makes more sense in the seat and on paper than it once did, but the 150-mile range may still be a bit of a nail-biter for some. The improvements to handling and acceleration can be readily felt in this model, which also sharpened the frumpy lines of the first-gen Leaf. With a starting price now in line with the entry-level EVs, those old entry-level EVs may want to pack up and get out of the segment entirely or double their battery capacity.
The Leaf's most relevant competitor at the moment is the 238-mile Chevy Bolt, which offers more range for the price of a well-equipped Leaf, and there is no shortage of competitors working their way through automaker pipelines at the moment that will make a 150-mile range feel even more dated in a year or two.
ON SALE: Now
BASE PRICE: $30,875 (before $7500 Federal rebate)
AS TESTED PRICE: $38,000 (est)
POWERTRAIN: AC Synchronous electric motor, FWD
OUTPUT: 110 kW at 1 rpm
CURB WEIGHT: 3,433 pounds (mfg.)
0-60 MPH: 7.4 seconds
FUEL ECONOMY: 151 miles range (mfg.) 112 MPGe(EPA City/Hwy/Combined)
OBSERVED FUEL ECONOMY: 150 mile range
PROS: Maneuverable, quick, spacious and well-designed cabin, good ergonomics
CONS: Range feels "outdated" for 2018
March 2019 is when Nissan sold the 400,000th Leaf since the first-ever example of the electric hatchback rolled off the line ten years ago. Fast-forward to the present day, and the Japanese brand celebrates 500,000 units with one eye on the past and the other on the future of EVs. 18 photos
"In marking these milestones, we firstly want to express our appreciation to all the customers who have come on this electrifying journey with us," said chief exec Makoto Uchida. "By switching to electric mobility, customers have brought us all closer to a more sustainable and resilient society." The question is, is the head honcho aware of the bigger picture?
For starters, Nissan’s quality has gone down since Renault joined the party. As a result of aggressive cost-cutting policies, the electric hatchback also happens to be hampered down by a multitude of problems. What’s worse for the Leaf, none other than Nissan is actively discouraging battery replacement. Clayton Brander’s case comes to mind, with the dealer asking more than 15,000 Canadian dollars (roughly $11,665) for the job.
In light of these infamous problems, Mr. Uchida should make a few changes to his company before talking about customer appreciation. But then again, Nissan got itself in this mess under the leadership of Carlos Ghosn who escaped house arrest last year in… wait for it… a black concert gear case.
Currently produced on three continents, the Leaf is sold in 59 markets around the world with a choice of two battery options. Over in the United States, the S Plus trim level with the 62-kWh pack has the longest range at 226 miles (364 kilometers). The United States also happens to be a lucrative market for the electric hatchback thanks to more than 148k sales to date.
Going forward, the Ariya utility vehicle will certain to cast a shadow on the Leaf unless Nissan comes up with a top-to-bottom redesign. Described as “the dawn of a new era,” the Ariya will be offered with two-wheel drive and a two-motor option as well as up to 300 miles (483 kilometers) of driving range.
The market for affordable EVs has been gradually getting more crowded and competitive, particularly from the likes of Chevrolet, Hyundai and Kia. That's a problem for Nissan and its Leaf, which, while still appealing in a number of ways, is packing some older technology. So the 2022 Nissan Leaf will get a major price cut across the board, with a few standard features added to the base model.
The new base price for the Leaf S is $28,375. That's $4,245 less than the same car last year. That's the short-range version, EPA-rated at 149 miles on a charge. For a Leaf S Plus, the long-range version rated at 229 miles, pricing now starts at $33,375, a drop of $5,845. Both of those prices include destination feeds but are before factoring in the $7,500 federal tax credit, which would put the short-range car just above $20,000 and the long-range car just above $25,000. We've included the pricing for all trim levels below.
On top of the price cut, Nissan has added some standard features to the base S models to sweeten the deal. All models get standard DC fast charging via a CHAdeMO port. Also standard are the features from the old SV Plus Technology Package. Those features include eight-way power drivers' seat, surround-view cameras, ProPilot highway driving assist, LED headlights, autodimming rearview mirror, driver alertness monitor and electronic parking brake.
Exact availability hasn't been announced, but the 2022 Leaf should start showing up at dealers this year.
Nissan is getting aggressive with pricing on its Leaf EV. The Japanese automaker recently announced a significant price reduction for all Leaf trim levels, but for folks who'd rather lease, Nissan has an even better deal. Depending on where you live, you could lease a brand new Leaf for just $89 per month. Putting that into perspective, it's about the same monthly expense as buying a zippy morning coffee on your way to work each day.
Scoring a brand new car for under $100 a month sounds too good to be true, and for many car shoppers in the US, it will be. According to Cars Direct, Nissan offers this lease rate only in select areas and they appear to be major urban locations like New York, Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
However, in other areas the lease rate is still impressively low at $149 per month, and you don't need to sell a kidney for a down payment. $1,449 is due at signing, and that includes the first month's payment. Furthermore, Cars Direct points out there could be other regional rebates and credits to lower the cost even further.
That said, this crazy lease deal is also crazy specific. It applies to the base model Nissan Leaf S, which only has a range of 150 miles and a maximum output of 147 horsepower (110 kilowatts). The terms of the lease are also specific – two years and 10,000 miles per year. Switch either of those metrics and the monthly cost skyrockets. Cars Direct cites residual values being much better on a two-year lease as part of the reason for the lower monthly payment. But merely adding 2,000 miles to the equation (12,000 annual versus 10,000) sees the monthly payment more than double. That seems suspiciously extreme for such a small mileage difference.
In any case, these lease deals are currently live on Nissan's configurator and they are good through the beginning of September. Of course, the fine print says you must take delivery from dealer stock, and at this point, it's unclear how many entry-level 2022 Leaf models are in stock. But if you can find one, you could drive a brand new car for an incredibly low monthly payment.
Heard this deal on the radio earlier this week, but it was $99/mo, from one of the many Houston Nissan dealers.
Former boss leased a Leaf for a similar rate a few years ago in Atlanta. At lease turn in, he was out of pocket very little, after the tax incentives.
He also had the luxury of free charging at work.
Just another example of how us Canucks are screwed over. With our gas prices, these things would fly off the shelf up here in Vancouver - easily pay for our gas and more.
But no... they've decided to price the Leaf the same as a Model 3 SR+. Even I would scratch my head at that.
The third-generation Nissan Leaf is going to look a lot different when it arrives. Nissan’s European boss, Guillaume Cartier, confirmed to Autocar that the new electric crossover the company plans to build would replace the electric hatchback. The switch from hatchback to crossover will happen around 2025, which means the new model is likely already in development.
According to Autocar, the new crossover will ride on the CMF-EV platform shared by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. The model’s body style switch is part of the company’s plan to invest £1 billion into its Sunderland factory in the UK, where it will build the new crossover, which had been rumored to be replacing the Leaf. The Sunderland factory is where Nissan currently builds the Juke, Leaf, and Qashqai, and the investment will allow the plant to build 100,000 units of the unnamed electric crossover.
The investment will help the automaker transition to an electrified lineup of vehicles, with big plans to electrify its entire lineup by 2025. That plan includes both fully electric vehicles, such as the Leaf replacement, and hybrid ones. The company’s bigger goal is to have 80 percent of its global sales be EVs by 2030, and 40 percent in the US. The new crossover is set to be a global model, so Europeans won’t be the only ones able to enjoy the Leaf’s replacement. The new model’s platform will also underpin the Nissan Ariya.
Details about the new crossover, and the Leaf’s subsequent replacement, are still fuzzy. The company released a teaser image of the new crossover when it announced its Sunderland investment back in July. However, it’s a fairly non-description, swoopy-looking crossover that bears no resemblance to the quirky Leaf. The Leaf first arrived a decade ago, offering a pithy amount of range at a time when mainstream electric vehicles were just a dream. A lot can change in 10 years.
Guessing the new Leaf will be the Nissan version of the Renault MeganE - a tinier and FWD-only version of the Ariya. The new alliance's designs have been surprisingly pretty good imho. The new Rogue and Pathfinders are quite the looker; same with the new Outlander. Hopefully the new Leaf looks much better than the current awkward design.
With the 2022 New York Auto Show officially kicking off tomorrow (April 13) for the press, and two days later for the public, several automakers have already presented some of the new cars that will be on display. Nissan is the latest, as they have just dropped the veils off the 2023 Leaf, which will go on sale this summer. 32 photos
At first glance, the company’s electric hatchback may look the same, but there are a few styling differences, which improve the aerodynamics, Nissan claims. The diffuser, rear spoiler, and wheel deflectors make the car more aerodynamic, and they are joined by the new grille, bumper molding, and darkened headlights.
Nissan’s new logo was added inside, on the steering wheel, and the EV features a new start-up animation in the instrument panel. The Leaf S, which is the entry-level model, has gray trim, whereas the Leaf SV Plus brings glossy black accents.
Speaking of the trim levels, the base grade, which rides on new 17-inch wheels, with a five-spoke pattern, has a 147 hp (149 ps / 110 kW) and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm) of torque electric motor, powered by a 40 kWh lithium-ion battery. The Leaf SV Plus uses a 214 hp (217 ps / 160 kW) and 250 lb-ft (339 Nm) of torque motor, fed by a 60 kWh battery.
The EPA-estimated range for both models has yet to be announced, but it is expected to be similar to the 2022 Leaf, which can travel for 149 miles (240 km) in the S, and 215 miles (246 km) in the SV Plus.
Equipped with an assortment of safety gizmos, with the upper-spec adding the ProPilot Assist semi-autonomous driving system, the 2023 Leaf is accompanied by an 8-year/100,000-mile (160,934-km) warranty for the battery.
Pricing will be announced in due course, though Nissan claims that the entry-level will be more affordable than its predecessor, which carries an MSRP of $27,400, before the $1,025 destination charge, undercutting the SV Plus by $8,000.
12-27-2018, 11:33 AM
Yeah, that's some crazy pricing.
32 photos
32 photos
