Automobile club Luxembourg

Greater range

The Leaf was introduced in 2011 and has since lost its curves and upped its technological game to make it the radically different, decidedly more mature model we see today.
 
Innovations to the current Leaf model have focused mainly on what customers want most from a 100% electric car: range. It is available with a choice of two engines, with Nissan offering a new 62kWh battery with an electric motor delivering 217hp (160kW) in addition to the 40kWh battery, and has a range of 385km (40% more than the standard version).
  
In terms of appearance, this new Leaf should appeal to a broader market but has lost some of its individuality along the way. To remedy this, however, it is available in a number of new body colours and several two-tone combinations. The interior is very spacious and features an infotainment system with an 8-inch screen and additional connectivity features.
 
In addition to its electrical capabilities, the Leaf now has ProPilot and ePedal functionality. ProPilot is a driver assistance technology that continuously monitors traffic using the lane assist system to ensure that the vehicle stays in its lane, as well as adaptive cruise control and automatic parking, among other features, whilst the ePedal system allows the car to brake when the accelerator pedal is released and remains active until the vehicle comes to a complete stop, meaning that the energy released by regenerative braking can be used to recharge the battery. Other electric cars also offer this function with varying degrees of braking.
 
The e+ version is available at a base price of €42,052.

Photo ©Nissan