When you want an affordable EV, the first choice is the Nissan Leaf.
One with a battery capacity of 40kWh and the other with an “e+” battery capacity of 60kWh.
The one I’m riding this time is the 40kWh cheaper grade.
Summary at the beginning
While it can be squishy and dangerous, it also has a stable and exciting ride.
It has a mysterious driving feel where these two contradictory elements coexist.
Test car specs
The new 2024 X grade price is 4.08 million yen .
As it is the cheapest grade, various equipment is omitted.
The tire size is 16 inches, there are only four speakers, and electric parking and ProPILOT are standard only on the upper G grade.
All models other than the “e+” have fatal weaknesses in terms of rapid charging speed, cruising range, and cooling during long journeys . a battery capacity of 40Kwh and have
the specifications and main equipment list on the official website . Write down
- Vehicle size is 4480mm x 1790mm x 1560mm
- Vehicle weight is 1520kg
- Motor output is 150Ps/320Nm
- Battery capacity is 40kWh
- EPA cruising range is 243km
- EPA electricity cost is 5.36km/kWh
- Minimum turning radius is 5.2m
- Tire size is “205/55R16”
- Front suspension is independent suspension strut
- Rear suspension is torsion beam
About the difference between e+ and regular model
If you go to e+, the battery capacity will increase to 60kWh and the EPA cruising range will increase to 364km. Motor torque has also been increased to 218Ps/340Nm. The weight of the vehicle has increased to 1670kg. My recommendation is e+.
According to the official website, the 40kWh model supports fast charging speeds of up to 50Kw, and the 60kWh model supports up to 100Kw.
Actual driving impression
My first impression when I got into the car was, “Even though a new car costs 4 million yen, it doesn’t feel luxurious…”
It’s on the cheaper side for an EV, though.
Now, since it is a compact car in terms of body size, you can drive it as a normal car without any problems.
About the powertrain
There are two modes, normal mode and eco mode, but in normal mode, you can accelerate with just a little more pedal pressure. Pretty fast.
Also, if you press even slightly harder, the tires will make a squealing sound.
Having driven many cars with acceleration performance of over 350Nm, I interpret this squealing noise to be due to the characteristics of the tires.
Now, its inherent acceleration performance is frightening, and cruising at 120km/h is no different from walking.
If you step hard on it, it will continue to grow with an acceleration force that requires determination. It’s so fast that you can’t even imagine it from its appearance in the compact car segment.
The acceleration performance of 320Nm is not just that. However, the acceleration is too fast to be dangerous. Enjoy EV life comfortably.
About braking force
The combination of the fact that the original weight of the vehicle is kept to around 1.5 tons and the ability to use the large motor torque for regenerative power quite strong deceleration G. makes it possible to generate
There will be a big nose dive and you will have to use the front two wheels to hold it down, but you will be able to stop with confidence.
Since the motor torque can reduce the speed considerably, it is safe even on icy roads and low-flow roads.
However, when the e-Pedal is off, the rise of the regenerative deceleration force relative to the brake pedal depression force is too weak.
You can’t slow down unless you step far into the corner, so even normal city curves can be a little scary.
As I said earlier, the vehicle’s absolute braking power is sufficient, so this point is even more disappointing. Now that I think about it, I should have tried the B range as well…
About e-Pedal and brake hold
The e-pedal can be used as a brake hold even when the vehicle is stopped .
My test car was of the type where you press the handbrake with your left foot, which makes it easier while waiting at traffic lights.
If you turn on the e-pedal while stopped, you can take your foot off the brake.
Even if you turn off the switch at hand while holding the brake on the e-pedal, the car will not start moving on its own thanks to the safety design that “the e-pedal will not turn off unless the brake is pressed.” .
Regarding the most important operation of the e-pedal, I personally don’t like this kind of one-pedal drive function because even the slightest release of the accelerator causes a shaky deceleration G.
Maximum regenerative power can be generated simply by taking your foot off the accelerator, so we recommend using it when you are descending a mountain pass, exiting a highway, or in a section where you have to repeatedly stop and go.
About ride comfort and unique body rigidity
This car has a strange, hard, and strange ride.
When I go over the step, my foot makes a fairly large stroke, and then it comes with a thud.
On large steps, the vehicle starts to move as if it were flying, but it suppresses the shaking before it starts to feel unstable.
This fluffy movement, the stroke of the foot, or rather the vertical movement is quite large, but it also suppresses the back sway.
In addition, the body rigidity is solid, but on the other hand, it also has the stiff feel of the mid-2010s.
is both rough and stiff . It has a strange ride that
Although it has the low-priced feel of the previous generation, overall it has a good balance of comfort and stability.
It’s comfortable even when you’re cruising slowly, and it’s stable even when you’re driving at speeds that are unimaginable in terms of cruising range or when you’re attacking winding roads.
It’s a ride like no other in the world.
About handling
The vehicle’s raw performance is high, but it’s spacious enough to be perfect for elderly people traveling at around 32km/h on country roads with a 40km/h limit.
At the beginning of the turn, the driving feel is calm and gentle, but when you sharply turn the wheel, it rolls to a certain extent and then gets suppressed.
There is a lot of dullness overall, but the turning performance is high.
Since becoming a Nismo, the steering wheel ratio has become sharper, and it seems that my legs have become more firm.
The nismo team made improvements that hit exactly the right spots.
exterior
A familiar design.
When you open and close the key, the Nissan logo and position lamp on the front light up.
The body color is black, but it has metallic elements that give it a luxurious feel. It even feels like a Lexus.
The back view is also familiar. The reflector reflected red from the light attached to her smartphone.
It’s a shame that the license plate light is cream colored because it doesn’t match the image of an EV. I have a desire to change to LED.
The wheels have narrow openings and are designed to emphasize aerodynamics. Although it has an unusual shape, it has a good design balance as a genuine product. There is no need to worry about heat dissipation from the brakes, as the regenerative braking alone generates a considerable amount of deceleration G.
The charging port is on the front. If there is a charging port on the front side, you can insert the plug head first, making it easy to start charging, but if the station is cramped, it will be difficult to take it out. I want the charging port to be on the back even if it’s a hassle to get it in.
The bonnet is made of iron. Obviously heavy. This is also a cost reduction factor.
Considering it’s an EV, it’s not that heavy at around 1.5 tons, which is good.
I looked into various things. It looks like the undercover is installed.
Sound insulating material appears to be attached to the bulkhead. You can also see the steering shaft.
Interior
Being the cheapest grade, to be honest, it doesn’t feel very luxurious.
The steering wheel is made of leather and soft padding material is used throughout, but the resin is noticeable and the seat is manual. From 2024 onwards, the generation will seem older.
It doesn’t feel bad when you sit in the driver’s seat.
The left side of the steering wheel controls the car audio and the info display in the navigation system. It’s simple and feels good to use.
On the right side are cruise control related and voice commands.
This car was not equipped with Nissan’s specialty ProPILOT.
However, the cruise control system is simple to use and can be used with confidence considering the complexity of today’s cars.
It can also be set to speeds over 120km/h.
A simple turn signal stick. In the auto position, auto high beam and manual high beam can be switched on and off naturally.
The front charging port can only be opened in this area on the right side of the steering wheel or with the button at the bottom of the key.
Operates the steering wheel heater, charging timer, and automatic brake function.
I thought that the reason why there was a gasoline mark on the charging port was because the switch parts were reused with gasoline cars, but there was a plug mark for an outlet on the tip. Let’s check next time to see how other Nissan cars were.
The operating system for the power windows and mirrors is simple, and I feel a sense of security.
Although it costs 4 million yen, only the driver’s seat is automatic.
The car navigation system is not bad to use, but not being able to connect it to my smartphone via Bluetooth . I ran into the fatal problem of
The map may look old at first glance, but it operates as smoothly and smoothly as Google Maps’ smartphone app.
Like BYD, I don’t like that the usability deteriorates significantly while driving.
When you operate the air conditioner, a pop-up appears at the top of the navigation screen. This is a cost-cutting design that eliminates the LCD on the air conditioner control panel.
This is the air conditioner control panel.
Having the temperature on the far left is a little difficult to use.
I also don’t know what “HEAT” on the top left means.
Change the wind direction with “MODE”. Overall usability is not particularly bad.
Is this meant to turn on “HEAT” when using the heater in winter, and also turn on “A/C” when you want to remove fog?
If so, why does HEAT turn on the moment I press the defog button, even if the air conditioning is set at around 20 degrees Celsius?
After looking through the owner’s manual on the official website, I found this to be the answer.
It seems that the control system for the air compressor and heater, which are integrated in a typical air conditioner, can be turned on and off separately to improve air conditioning efficiency. It would be great if this would increase the cruising range in winter by a few to 10%.
Below that are the start/stop button, USB port, seat heater switch and cigarette lighter socket.
There’s a space underneath where you can just drop your smartphone, but it doesn’t support wireless charging. I searched for it thinking it was an optional feature, but it doesn’t seem to be anything like that.
Shift, e-Peal, and Eco mode switches.
The shift is a so-called Prius shift, and you press the button on the tip to shift to P.
Behind it is a cup holder and a mysterious accessory case.
The room lamp is cream colored, which also takes away from the luxurious feel. I would like to change to LED.
I also sat in the second row, and found that the interior space and comfort were not particularly bad.
When I looked under the floor, I saw an iron plate exposed. When I hit it, it makes quite a bit of noise. Deadening is also easy to do, so if I were you, I would do some construction.
Also, the interior of the back of the trunk is hopelessly cheap, using plastic that looks like something from an early 2000s Toyota.
It’s probably nothing to be concerned about, but I didn’t know that a car in the price range of over 4 million yen had such a cost reduction element…
Regarding the suitability of sleeping in a car
Even if you fold down the second row, there will be a considerable difference in height.
It’s not a long segment from the front to the rear, so if you want to lay out a futon and sleep in the car, you’ll need to devise ways to compensate for the height difference. The legroom in the second row may also need to be filled.
However, it is important to note that the battery capacity is only 40kWh.
According to the official website, all cars are equipped with heat pump air conditioners, but especially when sleeping in the car in the middle of winter, we recommend that you reduce power consumption by covering the windows and using electric blankets.
Since the battery capacity is not large, it is relatively vulnerable to being stranded, so if you are going to operate it in such an area during such a period, you will need to be serious about stocking up on countermeasures.
About quietness/audio
Quietness is quite high. Although the interior looks cheap, the quietness is probably one of the reasons why the ride quality and driving feel are commensurate with the price.
Regarding the audio, according to the equipment list, it seems to have 4 speakers, but my feeling is that it ‘s only 2 front door speakers. That’s what I thought.
Although the acoustic space is poor, the performance of the stock speakers is surprisingly high.
Even at high speeds, you can listen comfortably without being drowned out by road noise, and even in the high range, the sound quality is surprising for a car with such a low-cost interior.
I’m not sure if I’d call it good, but it’s above average. It has a level of performance that can barely be tolerated without replacing the speakers.
About electricity costs and expected cruising distance for each driving situation
Flowing on the highway at 120km/h: 224km
When I drove on the expressway at about 120 km/h, the electricity consumption was 5.6 km/kWh.
this case The expected cruising range in 224km . is
Perhaps because it doesn’t have as large a projected area or weight as an SUV, the numbers aren’t bad considering its speed.
In the bz4x, I ran at the same pace and got 4.5km/kWh.
Normal driving on lower roads: 276km
When I continued driving at a normal pace on the coastal road of the Chita Peninsula, which has a 40-60km/h limit, I got 6.9km/kWh.
in this case The expected cruising range is 276km.
Based on this, it seems good to expect a cruising range of around 250km when the tank is full.
In particular, the 40kWh model Leaf has a fatal weakness in battery cooling during long journeys, so it is important to maximize the driving pace and electricity consumption on long distance drives in order to suppress wasteful power consumption and battery heat generation. It will be.
Recovery distance when connected to a 50kw class quick charger for 30 minutes
I visited a Nissan dealership that had a 50kW class fast charger and charged it from around 2:32 to around 3:10. I’m just recharging it a little.
This is the state before charging starts.
Unfortunately, I have no record of my trip as I jogged to a public restroom, which was a 10-minute walk away.
At 87%, the output is 20kw. No heat sagging occurred.
That means you’ve reached 29% in 22 minutes.
After a short delay, charging was completed around 3:10-11 p.m. It reached 96%.
29% in 22 minutes. 146km increased to 217km, an increase of 71km.
71km in 22 minutes is 96km in 30 minutes.
29% of 40kWh is 11.6kWh, and if the electricity cost is 6kWh, it is 69.6km.
the recovery distance when connected to a 50Kw class for 30 minutes is approximately 70km . It can be said that
