The Nissan Leaf isn’t exactly the cool kid of the car world. With its dowdy-looking shape, this electric-powered hatchback is more about the technology lurking beneath its squat and wide-eyed exterior. With a driving range of 107 miles, the Leaf has gotten better at becoming a viable transportation tool since it first arrived back in 2011. At that time, the best this little Nissan could do was about 70 miles before its lithium-ion battery pack needed a lengthy…
The Nissan Leaf isn’t exactly the cool kid of the car world. With its dowdy-looking shape, this electric-powered hatchback is more about the technology lurking beneath its squat and wide-eyed exterior. With a driving range of 107 miles, the Leaf has gotten better at becoming a viable transportation tool since it first arrived back in 2011. At that time, the best this little Nissan could do was about 70 miles before its lithium-ion battery pack needed a lengthy nap to recharge.
The Leaf scoots down the road in near silence courtesy of a permanent-magnet AC motor that sends 107 horsepower and 187 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels. One of the neat tricks with any EV is how rapid they are in city driving. Punch the accelerator and the little Leaf zings away quickly, much to the chagrin of other drivers who think the lumpy hatchback next to them is a performance pushover. Highway speed is far more mundane, though the ride is comfortable and the handling is agile, thanks largely to the Leaf’s low center of gravity. A full recharge using the standard 3.3-kW onboard charger and a 220-volt outlet takes about 6-7 hours.