DIGITAL EDITOR ANDREW STOY: My evening with the 2011 Nissan Leaf SV marked my first real experience with an all-electric vehicle as a “real car.” I've had electric cars in parking lots and tried them around proving grounds, but those experiences don't equal what it's like taking a car out of One Autoweek Tower, hot-footing it onto I-75, then doing the traffic shuffle for the 10-mile drive home.
Before all that, though, I had to bolt my kids' car seats into the back of the Leaf. Despite a battery pack lurking somewhere, all went smoothly, thanks to plenty of usable room. Likewise, unplugging the Leaf from the 115-volt outlet to which it remains tethered in the parking garage was simple, and the cord/charger went into a surprisingly large hatch area with a dropped floor.
Into the driver's seat, push the button, toggle the mouselike transmission controller into D, and away you hum. Thanks to ample torque, there's no issue moving away from lights or accelerating onto the freeway, and by the time you're up to speed, the moderate tire and wind noise makes the Leaf sound about like driving nearly any other well-soundproofed car at speed.
The drive itself is better than that of most similarly sized subcompacts thanks to the “road hugging weight” (sorry Ford) offered by a few hundred pounds of batteries hanging out below the center of gravity, along with the lovely electric torque. It's certainly a more enjoyable drive than the similar Nissan Versa--granted, at about twice the cost.
Knowing my Leaf was fully charged and my total commute was only about 13 miles (which could take as much as 40 minutes, depending upon who hit what), range anxiety didn't enter into the equation. I didn't lead-foot it the whole way home, nor did I putter in the slow lane. I drove the Leaf in ”average” fashion.
I was surprised to find that, upon arriving home, I'd used just eight miles of my available range. Either the regen had been doing its job, or Nissan has itself a near-perpetual-motion machine here. Either way, I was impressed.
Granted, conditions were near ideal for EV driving: The day was mild and overcast, so I needed neither heat nor A/C (or headlights). Traffic was relatively light, so the drive took about 25 minutes. I left the stereo off so I could experience the silence of the EV powertrain.
Once home, the kids had fun plugging in the car, but otherwise, the experience was utterly normal. In the morning, we got in and did it again. No muss, no fuss, no noise, and I never got the car below 70 miles of remaining range, even with multiple kid dropoffs, headlights on and heavier traffic.
Overall, I was really impressed with the Nissan Leaf. Yeah, the price is kind of high, and I wouldn't want to be stuck in central Nebraska with it, but if this is a first-generation EV, I'm suddenly excited about what an electrified future might look like.
At least as long as I can still get diesels, too.
2011 Nissan Leaf SV
Base Price: $33,600
As-Tested Price: $33,930
Drivetrain: 80 kW AC synchronous electric motor; FWD, single-speed reducer
Output: 107 hp, 207 lb-ft
Curb Weight: 3,366 lb
EPA Fuel Economy Equivalent (city/highway): 106/92 mpg-e
Options: Splash guards ($140); floor mats and cargo area mat ($170); cargo net ($20)
More information: Check out the Nissan Leaf at shopautoweek.com
