Nissan Leaf 7 day test drive
Discussion
Picked up a Leaf yesterday courtesy of the Nissan 7 day test drive offer
I'm very experienced with hybrid but all electric is completely new to me and wanted to experience for myself to form an opinion rather than basing my views on journalists and people who have strong views but never driven one
The car itself - typically Nissan, not luxurious but very solidly put together - feels like it will be squeak / rattle free for many years. Very spacious and good sized boot, certainly no battery pack penalty, clearly due to being created as an all electric car rather than an adaptation.
The drive experience - very light steering, not much feel but very direct
Performance is very strong if left out of Eco mode which noticeably dulls throttle response but does not seem to increase the amount of regenerative braking
Initial step off its very easy to spin the wheels, it certainly surprised several people alongside me at the traffic lights
You do have to keep your eye on the speedo, being so quiet its very easy for the speed to creep up, can honestly say I have never been in so quiet a car at 70mph
Modes are really simple, Reverse, Drive and B, Drive has no regenerative braking when you come off the throttle, B has very strong regenerative braking, it actually decelerates when coasting downhill, found it useful to select this when you know you're going to come to a standstill. There is an Eco mode, selectable via the steering wheel, really dulls throttle response but does not appear o noticeably improve range, after 10 miles or so I turned it off
Normal braking is fine, I was expecting the brakes to be very grabby but felt absolutely like any normal car, very easy to modulate
The biggie is obviously range. I collected it with 98% charge and showing a range of 92 miles - without driving any slower than I normally would its showing 65 miles and 64% battery charge remaining, despite me doing 56 miles yesterday - if its correct then that would give me 121 miles on a charge
Would I buy one - I'd give serious consideration to one actually, strong performance for town driving, incredibly quiet and refined at motorway speeds, spacious, well built, some good finance offers - as a car to have alongside the Jag it makes a huge amount of sense
For those who say electric is a dead end or not for you but have not actually driven one I'd suggest you try it - it might just surprise you
I'm very experienced with hybrid but all electric is completely new to me and wanted to experience for myself to form an opinion rather than basing my views on journalists and people who have strong views but never driven one
The car itself - typically Nissan, not luxurious but very solidly put together - feels like it will be squeak / rattle free for many years. Very spacious and good sized boot, certainly no battery pack penalty, clearly due to being created as an all electric car rather than an adaptation.
The drive experience - very light steering, not much feel but very direct
Performance is very strong if left out of Eco mode which noticeably dulls throttle response but does not seem to increase the amount of regenerative braking
Initial step off its very easy to spin the wheels, it certainly surprised several people alongside me at the traffic lights
You do have to keep your eye on the speedo, being so quiet its very easy for the speed to creep up, can honestly say I have never been in so quiet a car at 70mph
Modes are really simple, Reverse, Drive and B, Drive has no regenerative braking when you come off the throttle, B has very strong regenerative braking, it actually decelerates when coasting downhill, found it useful to select this when you know you're going to come to a standstill. There is an Eco mode, selectable via the steering wheel, really dulls throttle response but does not appear o noticeably improve range, after 10 miles or so I turned it off
Normal braking is fine, I was expecting the brakes to be very grabby but felt absolutely like any normal car, very easy to modulate
The biggie is obviously range. I collected it with 98% charge and showing a range of 92 miles - without driving any slower than I normally would its showing 65 miles and 64% battery charge remaining, despite me doing 56 miles yesterday - if its correct then that would give me 121 miles on a charge
Would I buy one - I'd give serious consideration to one actually, strong performance for town driving, incredibly quiet and refined at motorway speeds, spacious, well built, some good finance offers - as a car to have alongside the Jag it makes a huge amount of sense
For those who say electric is a dead end or not for you but have not actually driven one I'd suggest you try it - it might just surprise you
Edited by Andy665 on Sunday 12th April 09:17
I've ridden shotgun in a Leaf as a commuter several times, it's a great place to be, and it certainly has the power to rival something in the ~120hp range when going from the lights. Plus, it's a lot easier to launch!
I think the regen braking can be changed in the computer menu. By default I think it's set at lowest.
I think the regen braking can be changed in the computer menu. By default I think it's set at lowest.
gottans said:
All that aside, when you return the, car can you ask Nissan at what point does it become carbon neutral and actually green?
No car is ever going to be carbon neutral. Perhaps I'm wrong but I have not approached it on the basis of the environment and 'greenness' - its a car with an electric drivetrain as opposed to an internal combustion engine Andy665 said:
gottans said:
All that aside, when you return the, car can you ask Nissan at what point does it become carbon neutral and actually green?
No car is ever going to be carbon neutral.I'm pretty sure our next family car will be electric. Not for any particular environmental benefits but because for our usage, they're simply better than ICE powered cars. I'm looking forward to seeing what Tesla can achieve with the Model-3.
I don't think the comment is weird at all, the whole electric car thing is sold on being green but is there is solid info to back up the statements so I was hoping the OP might ask Nissan about its green credentials and how 'green' it really is. All I can see is it moves the point of pollution away from the point of consumption but nothing else.
Are electric cars any better that conventional cars in reducing overall carbon emissions? Funnily enough no one is answering that question.
Toyota ended up painting the prius factory in oxygen generating paint to try and improve the green credentials of the car. You buy one of these cars because it suits your needs not out of a misinformed attempt to be green.
Are electric cars any better that conventional cars in reducing overall carbon emissions? Funnily enough no one is answering that question.
Toyota ended up painting the prius factory in oxygen generating paint to try and improve the green credentials of the car. You buy one of these cars because it suits your needs not out of a misinformed attempt to be green.
gottans said:
I don't think the comment is weird at all, the whole electric car thing is sold on being green but is there is solid info to back up the statements so I was hoping the OP might ask Nissan about its green credentials and how 'green' it really is. All I can see is it moves the point of pollution away from the point of consumption but nothing else.
Are electric cars any better that conventional cars in reducing overall carbon emissions? Funnily enough no one is answering that question.
Toyota ended up painting the prius factory in oxygen generating paint to try and improve the green credentials of the car. You buy one of these cars because it suits your needs not out of a misinformed attempt to be green.
Which I believe is a mistake - green is still seen as uncool / nerdy - if it was sold as a quiet, cost effective drivetrain I think there would be less resistance. I would not buy one because of the environmental credentials but for 'fitness of purpose' - as a second car for my family it makes a lot of sense, the fact it might be greener is pretty much irrelevant to meAre electric cars any better that conventional cars in reducing overall carbon emissions? Funnily enough no one is answering that question.
Toyota ended up painting the prius factory in oxygen generating paint to try and improve the green credentials of the car. You buy one of these cars because it suits your needs not out of a misinformed attempt to be green.
gottans said:
All that aside, when you return the, car can you ask Nissan at what point does it become carbon neutral and actually green?
Which car is greener overall?Car A - A 2.0 Eco/Blue/Tec diesel driven by a reprobate who covers 50k per annum.
or
Car B - A V8 that does 4k per annum.
vikingaero said:
gottans said:
All that aside, when you return the, car can you ask Nissan at what point does it become carbon neutral and actually green?
Which car is greener overall?Car A - A 2.0 Eco/Blue/Tec diesel driven by a reprobate who covers 50k per annum.
or
Car B - A V8 that does 4k per annum.
I read somewhere that the fuel consumption of the vehicle is quite a small contribution to the overall carbon cost the car, the real carbon cost is making, maintaining and disposing of the car.
Therefore lets concentrate on reducing the bit that has least environmental impact I.e. fuel consumption.
Therefore lets concentrate on reducing the bit that has least environmental impact I.e. fuel consumption.
gottans said:
I read somewhere that the fuel consumption of the vehicle is quite a small contribution to the overall carbon cost the car, the real carbon cost is making, maintaining and disposing of the car.
Yes indeed and thats why manufacturers of cars like this and the Prius have looked very hard and recycling or reducing disposal impacts as much as possible, of course haters going to hate Quote
The new Nissan Leaf is an electric car that once it is produced it doesn’t generate new CO2 emissions –other than those associated to generating the electricity-.
The Nissan Green Program focuses on reducing waste at every stage of a car’s life, from development to disposal. Hence, the car is partly made from materials recycled from old interior parts, bumpers and plastic bottles. Nissan is using materials taken from vehicles that have reached the end of their life and reducing the use of non-renewable resources and substances that will end up as waste.
Insulation layers in the floor and skin fabric of headlining are made with fibres from recycled plastic, the fabric for the seats and armrests used in the Leaf is made from recycled plastic bottles, bumpers are made from used or damaged recycled bumpers, etc… At the end of life of the Nissan Leaf a new life starts with recycling: 99% of the car and 100% of the lithium car can be recovered. Since the battery maintains 80% of its capacity after 5 years of use it can be given a second life, otherwise it can be dismantled and its materials recovered.
Nissan Leaf is a good example of how to design waste out of the system: the environmentally damaging substances are reduced, a new chemical-free system to remove paint from the bumpers is used, the lithium-ion battery can get a second life as energy storage solutions thanks to a “Reuse, resell, refabricate and recycle” venture from the Sumitomo group, the aluminium wheels from end-of-life vehicles are recycled to create high grade suspension parts, etc…
For most of the trips I do, a Leaf would be the ideal tool. The problem is obviously the range which would not give me the flexibility to use it as my only car.
Leave it on charge so it charges up on off peak electricity which is more environmentally friendly than it going to waste as heat, so should be cheap (aside from the initial purchase price) motoring.
I dare say that they also require next to no maintenance either.
Leave it on charge so it charges up on off peak electricity which is more environmentally friendly than it going to waste as heat, so should be cheap (aside from the initial purchase price) motoring.
I dare say that they also require next to no maintenance either.
Not so sure the "green" aspect is the reason why many people are switching to EV. Like most things people look after themselves and these cars make a lot of financial sense. I'm basically paying my monthly payments on my leaf with the fuel savings I'm making, add the fact that they are really relaxing to drive. I wasn't looking at any green angle when I got mine.
For me the "green" bit doesn't count for anything. I looked at is as a car, does it suit my needs?
I seriously considered a used Leaf about 6 months ago when I changed my main car, but eventually went with something more conventional.
Wouldn't buy new though, looking at the residuals, the Tekna depreciates from £25K to £16K in a few hours.
I seriously considered a used Leaf about 6 months ago when I changed my main car, but eventually went with something more conventional.
Wouldn't buy new though, looking at the residuals, the Tekna depreciates from £25K to £16K in a few hours.
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