Once you see a Leaf coming at you, you know it. After it passes by, you look for it in the rear view mirror and it's gone. The 2012 Nissan LEAF™ is peppy and cute. No other words express quite how it differs from other electric vehicles being offered by major car manufacturers. It is cute; it has neat 16-inch alloy wheels and a superb sound system. It will take you where you want to go, so long as it's not more than 100 miles (without a charge), and you can top up at any of the charging stations you find using the LEAF™'s smart on-board display. My recent drive of the Nissan LEAF™ at the Snow Jam event in San Diego on November 11, 2011 took me along the quiet streets of Del Mar, California. The LEAF™ is responsive, with nice acceleration, handling and turn radius. It was overcast and chilly outside and when I went to turn on the head lights I was surprised to find the switch right there at the end of the turn signal. The dash display didn’t offer clear visibility for all of the dials and gauges, but with the extra digital speed display placed high up it was easy to know how fast we were going without being distracting. Once again major car companies seem to be trying to give drivers who want electric vehicles something familiar. The look on the outside and the feel of the inside of a LEAF™ does not seem that different of an experience than what you get with a non-electric vehicle. Indeed, the Nissan Snow Jam electric vehicle tour also provided the opportunity to drive the 2012 Nissan Versa, not an electric vehicle.
Once you see a Leaf coming at you, you know it. After it passes by, you look for it in the rear view mirror and it's gone. The 2012 Nissan LEAFâ„¢ is peppy and cute. No other words express quite how it differs from other electric vehicles being offered by major car manufacturers. It is cute; it has neat 16-inch alloy wheels and a superb sound system. It will take you where you want to go, so long as it's not more than 100 miles (without a charge), and you can top up at any of the charging stations you find using the LEAFâ„¢'s smart on-board display.
!ADVERTISEMENT!
My recent drive of the Nissan LEAFâ„¢ at the Snow Jam event in San Diego on November 11, 2011 took me along the quiet streets of Del Mar, California. The LEAFâ„¢ is responsive, with nice acceleration, handling and turn radius. It was overcast and chilly outside and when I went to turn on the head lights I was surprised to find the switch right there at the end of the turn signal. The dash display didn't offer clear visibility for all of the dials and gauges, but with the extra digital speed display placed high up it was easy to know how fast we were going without being distracting.
Once again major car companies seem to be trying to give drivers who want electric vehicles something familiar. The look on the outside and the feel of the inside of a LEAFâ„¢ does not seem that different of an experience than what you get with a non-electric vehicle. Indeed, the Nissan Snow Jam electric vehicle tour also provided the opportunity to drive the 2012 Nissan Versa, not an electric vehicle.
The 2012 Nissan Versa has an internal combustion engine with continuous variable transmission, starting at $10,990 MSRP, with just less than 40 miles per gallon. Looking at it from the inside (seats, configuration, etc.) it feels a good deal like the Leaf, except for that lovely sound system in the LEAF™, and the on-board display (I sat in the LEAF™ after the drive just playing with the sound system and the voice activation system). The real difference I noticed getting into the Versa after driving the LEAF™ was the retro metal key that had to be inserted into the ignition to start the vehicle. I didn’t really notice the different locomotion systems or even the difference in body styling (from up close).
At $37,250 MSRP, the 2012 Nissan LEAF™ SL is not cheap. The cheaper 2012 Nissan LEAF™ SV didn’t seem like the way to go, since it comes without the quick-charge port (for charging at commercial high-speed, high-voltage chargers giving an 80% charge in 30 minutes), the solar panel spoiler, the rear-view monitor, fog lamps, cargo cover and HomeLink® universal transceiver. HomeLink® is a Johnson Controls RF wireless control system. Both versions come with 36 months free subscription to CARWINGS™, which, among other things allows you to monitor your Leaf's battery charge state, start the vehicle charging event, and turn the climate control system on or off from your smart phone. It's still early in the game, but Nissan is definitely one to watch with regard to electric vehicles.
Image credit: Wired
