2018 Nissan Leaf: Turning Over Anew
Would you give the Leaf—Nissan’s gawky, fully electric five-passenger hatchback—greater consideration if it looked like a conventionally styled small car, offered 150 miles of range, and started at $30,875? That’s what Nissan is betting on with the newly revealed, all-new 2018 Leaf, which arrives early next year at dealerships in all 50 states. By giving the Leaf a revamped design, perkier performance, a longer range, and more emphasis on tech, the company is hoping a lot more people will consider going electric.
The 2018 Nissan Leaf packs a 40.0-kWh battery pack, a big upgrade over last year’s 30.0-kWh unit (and the 24.0-kWh pack offered prior to 2016). That allows the Leaf to leapfrog past other low-priced EV rivals such as the Volkswagen e-Golf, the Hyundai Ioniq Electric, the Honda Clarity Electric, and the Ford Focus Electric. Although the Leaf still falls short of the 238-mile range and 60.0-kWh capacity of the Chevrolet Bolt EV, Nissan will take on that model with a 60.0-kWh version, badged Leaf e+, due later next year as a 2019 model.
More Miles, Less Money
Nissan claims that the base Leaf S will have more than twice the range of the original version (that 2011 model was good for 73 miles, by current EPA procedures); and yet it sells for less than the original $34,000-plus starting price. Economies of scale for lithium-ion cells and greater energy density played a part in these more favorable numbers—perhaps with a competitive nudge from Tesla, too.
The battery-pack layout reprises that of the current model: 192 cells arranged into 48 modules, but with a third more capacity. The performance of the same EM57 permanent-magnet AC electric motor is improved via a new inverter, permitting an output of 147 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque, versus the previous 107 ponies and 187 lb-ft. And the gearing is shorter for the motor. Nissan claims these changes combine to make the 2018 Leaf about 15 percent quicker from zero to 60 mph—which would cut its time down to 8.8 seconds. Nissan claims it’s about 30 percent quicker from 60 to 100 kph, the metric equivalent of our 30-to-50-mph and 50-to-70-mph top-gear acceleration tests.
Better Fit in the Family Tree
When the Leaf first sprouted in 2011 after massive development investments from Nissan, the automaker optimistically hoped that EVs would make up 10 percent of the global market by 2020. Although EV sales are on the rise, in 2016 they accounted for just 0.2 percent worldwide, 0.5 percent in the United States, and roughly 1.0 percent of Nissan’s U.S. passenger-vehicle sales.
If today’s Leaf is that one-percenter, this new-generation car is formed and fettled to be a 10-percenter. Whereas Nissan designers took liberties to make the first-generation Leaf stand out visually from Nissan’s other models, the emphasis this time is on shedding the geeky persona and helping it fit in alongside its gasoline-powered brethren. The new styling features boomerang-shaped head- and taillamps and Nissan’s Vmotion front styling, with only a hint of blue in the 3D mesh-patterned grille and in the diffuser striping to signal it as an EV.
The designers did work with some constraints, however. The 2018 Leaf carries over many of the body-structure hard points of the outgoing Leaf; so, while the sheetmetal is all new, it keeps to the same form factor as the previous model, albeit with a “lower posture,” as chief engineer Hiroki Isobe put it. Nissan added additional crossmembers, for a 15 percent improvement in torsional rigidity, and worked to lower the center of gravity as well as bolster crashworthiness with high-strength steel for the side pillars and side sills.
In all, the Leaf’s body in white is about 100 pounds lighter than before, but with its slightly heavier battery and additional active-safety and tech features, curb weight has only increased a modest 33 pounds or so. Exterior dimensions are close to those of the old car. The new Leaf is 0.4 inch lower, 0.8 inch wider, and 1.4 inches longer (based on preliminary international specs), and the wheelbase remains the same.
Surprisingly, there’s something in the way these proportions play out that makes the new model look slightly taller and narrower than the previous version, from some angles. The effect is the opposite in Leaf models with the blacked-out side pillars and the “floating” roof. U.S. customers will be able to get that blacked-out-pillar look only with white, but that could be expanded; a new Scarlet Ember Metallic Red color will be offered for an initial limited-edition run.
Inside, in keeping with Nissan’s other recent redesigns, the Leaf has a more horizontal dash with the front corners pushed outward. The gauge cluster is simplified, with an analog speedometer and a reconfigurable TFT display just to its left. Hard plastic surfaces are still abundant, but the color tones make the ambience warmer and airier. The seats are more supportive, and the materials and trim are more mainstream. There’s blue stitching on the seats and on the new three-spoke steering wheel. And the power button now glows blue rather than orange. Rear-seat space is ample, headroom is decent, and the cargo floor is now flat behind the rear seats.
Less Overtly Geeky
While the Leaf has shed its bloblike styling, it won’t take a lot of digging to find some geeky touches—even if you manage to miss the startup movie that’s all about “giving the driver a sense of excitement about driving an electric car.” Not far from the carried-over hockey-puck shifter is an e-Pedal button. Press it, and you get essentially one-pedal driving. While Nissan has outlined this function pretty well in this video, we should emphasize after some experience with it that it is not just a gimmick. This mode allows 0.20 g of maximum deceleration without pressing the brake—instead of 0.10 g in the shifter’s B setting and 0.05 g in drive. Lift off the accelerator, and e-Pedal will bring you to a stop (albeit gradually), even on a downhill grade of up to 20 percent.
We found the feature intuitive, although Nissan has tuned out low-speed creep entirely, which takes some getting used to. (Drivers also have the option of switching off the e-Pedal.) Nissan claims that with its e-Pedal drivers can minimize the use of the brake pedal and do 90 percent of daily driving without it.
The other star feature is ProPilot Assist, which uses inputs from four cameras, 12 sonar sensors (six front and six rear), and millimeter-wave front radar to maintain speed, lane position, and following distance—and even stop, automatically restarting as long as the stop lasts less than three seconds. Simply put, it lets you take your hands off the steering wheel, briefly, when you might need to. We experienced this system on a test track; engagement is much like any other smart-cruise-control system, with one additional button. Although Nissan is cautious to say that ProPilot is a driving aid and not an autonomous or self-driving mode, it’s a bridge toward that goal. The system scolds you after 10 seconds to put your hands back on the wheel, and it starts slowing after 15 seconds if you don’t; also, full functionality is restricted to a maximum of 62 mph, limiting its value for U.S. freeway driving.
Most 2018 Leaf models will offer a package of active-safety technologies that take advantage of that sensor set, including active lane-keeping assist, automated emergency braking, and a 360-degree monitor with moving-object detection. The 2018 Nissan Leaf will be offered in S, SV, and SL models. ProPilot Assist will be included as part of a technology package on the SV and SL. Infotainment gear includes a 6.0-inch interface for the base S, with others offering or including a 7.0-inch unit with navigation, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.
Quieter and Perkier-Performing
Earlier this summer we got a brief preview of the Leaf—in well-equipped SL guise—on a closed course in Japan, with about 20 minutes of time behind the wheel. From the cars we briefly sampled, we can confirm that the new model feels quieter, quicker, and more pleasant to drive than the outgoing one.
The 2018 car’s new steering gear, quicker steering ratio, and revised weighting make a significant difference in tracking and low-speed handling, and the steering unwinds more predictably out of corners. The previous Leaf rode quite softly, and we can say the same about the new car. We were cautioned that U.S. models will have different damper tuning and stronger steering weighting than the preproduction cars we drove, so we’ll reserve further judgment until we can try a production version.
Nissan has targeted noise levels equivalent to those of a premium sedan; it claims to have lowered them by one decibel at 62 mph compared with the outgoing model. The difference sounded even more dramatic, though—perhaps due to the Dunlop Enasave EC300 tires on the prototype. Although you still hear the Leaf’s motor whine from outside the car, it’s now harder to distinguish inside the cabin.
More Charging Options, Hardier Battery
All Leafs have a 6.6-kW onboard charger that allows charging at Level 2 (J1772) in about eight hours. On the base S, you’ll need a charging package to get two items that are standard on the rest of the lineup: CHAdeMO fast charging and a new Level 1 and Level 2 combination charging cord that will allow the Leaf to be plugged into a 120-volt or 240-volt outlet. With a Level 3 CHAdeMO fast charger, the Leaf can recover 90 miles of range in 30 minutes. Next year’s 60-kW Leaf e+ will be the first CHAdeMO-capable car to offer 100-kW charging in the United States (versus a 50-kW max for the standard car).
Nissan says that the new battery can retain 90 percent of its capacity after 500 charge/discharge cycles (more than 60,000 miles, in practical terms), and the company will continue its current warranty, guaranteeing about 70 percent of original capacity or more for eight years or 100,000 miles. Both the batteries and the vehicles will be made at Smyrna, Tennessee, as well as at a total of four global assembly facilities. The company also continues to hint that the Leaf is just one of several EVs in development—one of which could be the daring BladeGlider.
Nissan’s moon-shot, mass-market EV played a big part in resuscitating the electric car, and the fact that there is a second-generation Leaf seems like something significant. In some ways, its reboot feels like a Hail Mary pass to regain lost sales ground; yet, at the same time, it’s the amalgamation of the future, electrified and on the road to autonomy.
