ELECTRIC cars like those from Tesla Inc may have taken all of the glamour in the electric vehicle (EV) world but when it comes to sheer number sold though, the Nissan Leaf is the plain old Nissan Sunny of electrified motoring.
Just like the best-selling hit from the 80s, Nissan Motor Co Ltd has sold outrageous numbers of Leaf, with 400,000 units cruising about silently worldwide since it was introduced in 2009.
Fast forward a decade, there are a plethora of EVs in the works or being introduced by the big manufacturers. However, while most of these new entrants are fresh off the design desk, it is only the Leaf, launched in Malaysia earlier this week, that is in its second generation.
Nissan already has a clear lead in the EV race, and the proof is in the new car it produced. The 2019 Leaf has had a major upgrade from its predecessor, and now packs a 40kWh lithium-ion battery, which gives it a range of 311km on a full-charge.
The electric drivetrain produces 150ps and a massive 320Nm of torque. The Leaf is no slouch, even out-accelerating its petrol-powered approximates with a century sprint of 7.9 seconds. Top speed is 155kph, which has been electronically limited by Nissan.
The 2019 Leaf is now sleeker than ever before. A new diamond holographic grille takes the centre stage, flanked by headlights with “boomerang” LED daytime running lights.
The styling is sharper and crisper but it is not just merely cosmetic, given the Leaf’s Cd of 0.28. Other design cues on the Leaf include two-tone “floating” roof and 17-inch “Diamond Cut Turbine” rims.
Inside, the Malaysia-specced Leaf is practical, albeit spartan.
It has a flexible cargo space with up to 435 litres of space, or 1,176 litres with the seats folded down. It is spacious enough to cater to the daily needs of most Malaysian motorists.
A five-inch touchscreen infotainment system is situated on the dashboard at a location that is ready to accommodate a much larger screen, while the instrument cluster is made up of a single seven-inch screen.
For charging, the Leaf comes standard with a 6.6kW (Type 1) wall box charger that takes approximately seven hours to fully charge. Using a 50kW CHAdeMO quick charger, the Leaf can be charged in a quick 60 minutes.
Currently, these chargers are available free-of-charge at ABB Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Subang Jaya, Nichicon (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Bandar Baru Bangi and PLUS Ayer Keroh R&R in Melaka.
However, overnight charging with the 6.6kW charger is the preferred route to retain battery longevity.
Range anxiety is real for EV drivers in Malaysia, and to circumvent this, with the Leaf, Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) has provided the option of charging for free at 17 ETCM locations nationwide with 6.6kW wallbox chargers.
ETCM is also giving Leaf owners the option of using a Serena, X-trail or Navara in case they need to go for outstation trips beyond the charging infrastructure, a deal which is on for three years and capped at 23 days of usage per year.
THE DRIVE
We drove a batch of Leafs from ETCM Glenmarie 4S centre to Bandar Baru Bangi, then proceeded to Putrajaya before driving back.
The first thing that hits you when you enter the Leaf is how raised the seating position is. The battery resides underneath the floor, raising the entire contents of the interior a few notches up. As the steering can only be adjusted for rake and not reach, finding the ideal seating position takes a bit of time and adjusting.
The gear lever is a peculiar implement that looks more like an air-freshener than a proper gearknob. But other than that, the interior of the Leaf, just like its exterior, is not much different to a regular hatchback.
This perception quickly changes once on the move. The Nissan Leaf is extremely quiet. With noise levels at just 62 dB while at 100kph, the Leaf is as quiet as a Rolls-Royce when it’s on the roll.
And boy does it roll. The Leaf packs a punch that is unbecoming of its modest appearance. Liftoffs from zero are achieved with very little drama.
The drive included a stop at Nichicon Malaysia’s capacitor manufacturing facility in Bangi. Nissan arranged a little demonstration in the form of a short drag race with a Nissan 370z they brought along. Two dozen journos went up against the Z in the Leaf, winning almost every time.
The Leaf isn’t just fast off the mark. In-gear acceleration leaves a smile on your face as the full brunt of 320Nm of torque is immediately available on demand. Overtaking is easy, while the handling and brakes are competent enough for a little bit of spirited driving. It’s no GTi hot hatch, but the Leaf is definitely no humdrum econobox.
While at Nichicon, our Leaf was hooked to a power box that in turn, powered an ice shaving machine that made a round of “ice kacang” for participants at the event. You can’t do that with your regular ICE hatchback.
The ice machine took a toll on our battery reserves though. We left for Putrajaya with 190km left on our range indicator, having lost six per cent power in the process of making the ice kacang.
An interesting difference that you will see while driving the Leaf is the e-Pedal that allows you to do one-pedal driving with a flick of the e-Pedal switch.
Once activated, just ease off the pedal, and the car starts braking. Release it completely, and the car comes to a stop. It makes driving more fun and engaging, and just takes a bit of time to get used to.
The Leaf is priced at RM188,888 on-the-road without insurance, and you can drive it out the showroom with a monthly instalment of RM3,200 if you sign up for five-year loan with a 10 per cent down payment and 2.6 per cent interest rate.
That’s quite a lot to pay for something that hardly garners a second look when being driven around Malaysian roads.
But looks and trim alone don’t define what the Leaf is. The Leaf was designed as a budget EV car in its primary markets. It is a product that is starting to make more sense with each iteration, the first of a new wave of cars powered by electric that could likely take over the world.
Is electric car technology slowly coming to maturity?
There is little doubt that it the Leaf is one of the most competent EV package available to date.
The only question remaining then is when to make the switch.