Leaf for car enthusiasts?

Among the cars of the car enthusiast public, I could not find any Leafs other than "mine". Strange, because the Leaf is one of the best-selling car models in Norway. Last year it was in 7th place.

At the weekend I visited Classic Cars Show Norway at Exporama outside Oslo. When car enthusiasts gather, there are many beautiful cars in the car park. I myself arrived in a Nissan Leaf, - 30 KWH with a range of 250 km.

250km?

There were only 187 km on the dashboard when I took over the car. Then it had been charging for over a day. The charging time for 30 amp chargers is 5,5 hours. Where had the last kilometers gone? Skeptical. But after driving exactly 40 km, I discovered that the batteries had only lost 25 km. Despite the fact that I didn't get the full range at the start, I see that it should be possible to get a mileage that comes well up to what Nissan promises. I would have preferred the indicator to be more accurate, but settled on the fact that this car can go significantly longer between charges than other electric cars I've driven. Thus, I stopped following the consumption.

I like the look of the Leaf. It resembles a duck, with a beak at the front and a kind of tail at the back. Everyone recognizes it on the road. "My" Leaf is a Nordic. It has LED lights, BOSE system, DAB radio, reversing camera and intelligent control functions for mobile. The seats are comfortable, but without a hint of sportiness. It felt like sitting in an ordinary armchair. The adjustment options are simple, but I quickly found an alright sitting position. The velor-like seat cover is pleasant to sit on and touch, but hardly suitable for coffee spills and small children.

The Leaf does not feel like a premium car, but it is not a cheap car either. The quality of the switches, instruments and infotainment system is completely up to par. I like the composition. The interior is unsophisticated. A lot of plastic, but still quite alright. I like to highlight the feelgood factor here.

On the road, the impression of comfort is reinforced. The noise level is amazing. No "tram sound" from the engine, no whistling wind and no rumble from the tires against the road, as you experience in the e-Golf. But the comparison is not real, since the Leaf was still on soft, stud-free winter tyres. The 109-horsepower electric motor ensures that the one and a half tonne heavy vehicle accelerates effortlessly. You can cruise at 100 km/h on the motorway without any problems. Of course, I know that you should stay below 90 km/h to get the most out of the batteries, but 100 km/h suited the Leaf very well.

I notice that the Leaf is not experienced as immediately and directly as the e-Golf during a "moose test" (steer away from game that suddenly appears). The comparison would be more fair on summer tyres, but this is perhaps where you can also notice the age a thought. When the Leaf hit the market in 2010, it wasn't the driving characteristics under extreme driving conditions the most emphasis was placed. At the time, it was big news that you could drive 10-15 miles with 5 people in the car - quickly and comfortably, like a normal car that didn't look like a Tupperware product.

Like other electric cars, the Leaf also has an artificial engine brake that regenerates electricity. You can switch between B (engine brake) and D (drive) on the gear lever. This may be a matter of taste and preference. Without an artificial engine brake, you can save electricity by letting the car roll freely. The Leaf's engine brake is basically not as powerful as on the BMW i3. In normal driving mode, it is roughly like the first step on the e-Golf, or like the engine brake on a normal petrol engine. By pressing the Eco button on the steering wheel, the artificial engine braking is reinforced. This is an effective way to increase your reach.

Place

The interior space is one of the Leaf's biggest advantages. This really is a full-fledged 5-seater. The boot is 370 litres, 29 liters more than the e-Golf, and 10 liters less than the standard Golf. The usefulness of the room is somewhat reduced by the fact that it is not flat, and that the tailgate is quite slanted. Also, the bag for the charging equipment steals some space, and I don't know if it's a subwoofer or what, which also steals some floor space. The Leaf is not particularly suitable for transporting large suitcases and prams, but perfectly fine for small packages.

Safety

The Nissan Leaf was tested by NCAP in 2012. What was most critical for the driver and passenger was the risk of injuries to the knees and hips in a frontal collision due to hard materials in the inner ear. In the test, some poor protection against whiplash was also demonstrated. The overall grades are still good. Compared to its competitors, the Leaf's overall marks are below the standard Golf, which was tested in the same year, - and marginally higher than the BMW i3.

Economy

The Nissan Leaf Nordic costs NOK 267 at the dealer. Put on winter tires and annual tax and you are "good to go". The competitor e-Golf costs approx. 990, with a 306 km range. It has similar equipment to the Leaf, but in addition a very extensive list of additional equipment.

I don't think the range increase is big enough to create new uses for the Leaf. It is still a car for urban areas and relatively short trips. The advantage is primarily that you don't have to charge as often, and that you are safer against running out of power. I recommend choosing the largest 30 KWH battery pack due to trade-in price. Unfortunately, there is no possibility to upgrade cars with 24 KWH battery packs to 30 KWH. When traded in, I think the Leaf will hold its value well, despite the fact that there have been extensive parallel imports.

Although the electric motors themselves are not very advanced, there is a lot of advanced electronics in the electric cars. When new models appear, people are naturally skeptical about durability. Will the cars work for many years or will they collapse like the Nokia phones did a few years ago? Because the Leaf has been in production for so long, a lot is known about maintenance costs. It is known that the cars last, and that they rarely cause big surprises for the owners. Everyone knows that the general, daily operating costs of an electric car are very favorable.

Conclusion

There was a lot of fun to see at the Classic Cars Show Norway for car enthusiasts. I think the ticket price of 250 was quite high, as many of the cars were exhibited by voluntary car clubs. It's still not every time you get to study Arnardo's old Mercedes-Benz 600, or see an Iso Grifo, Lamborghini Espada or Tatra Tatraplan in unrestored condition.

Last year, 4127 Leafs were sold in Norway. It is one of Norway's best-selling car models. Of course, there must be the occasional car enthusiast in the customer lists. The Nissan Leaf is unlikely to be the first choice of a "keen driver". It was initially a hit because it then competed with cars such as the Think, Buddy and Reva. It was an easy match for Leaf!

But today? Leaf is no Tesla. It does not have as good driving characteristics as the e-Golf. It's not as cool as the BMW i3. It is still my first choice in terms of space and comfort. It's a car I happily take for a ride. Another factor, which counts for many, is operational reliability. Leaf has proven that.