2011 Nissan Leaf Review

Nissan Leaf

The Nissan Leaf isn't for everybody. The Nissan Leaf is the first mass-market, full-use battery-electric car intended for the whole country — and, as such, the whole world.

Equipped with a 340-volt battery pack and a 107-horsepower electric drive motor, the five-seat Nissan Leaf hatchback has an estimated range of 100 miles, though this will vary with weather, terrain, driving style and how much you carry in passengers and cargo. This illuminates the main advantage boasted by the current market's only other high-profile electric car, the Chevrolet Volt, which can serve as a family's only car. When the Leaf's battery is empty, the car is simply done until it's recharged.

The overarching impression our editors get from the Nissan Leaf is that it's a real car. The Nissan Leaf will follow suit. The Leaf uses traditional, hybrid-style regenerative braking, where the brake pedal actually modulates the regeneration and the braking rate, giving the sensation of regular braking. Hybrid car regenerative braking often grabs when it first engages. The Leaf's is more gradual.

Forget about answering the question who killed the electric car? That's because Nissan is bringing the electric car back from the dead. Sure, the Tesla Roadster has made the electric car cool again, but the 2011 Nissan Leaf is the first, full-electric mainstream vehicle to be put on sale for the American consumer. The Nissan Leaf stores its power in a lithium-ion battery pack, making it one of the first vehicles to use this advanced battery technology. Fully charged, the Leaf is estimated to have an effective range of about 100 miles.

Unlike a plug-in hybrid like the Chevy Volt, there's no backup gasoline engine to keep you moving once the Leaf's batteries are depleted. For all that, the 2011 Nissan Leaf promises to be a very useful vehicle. An electric car is definitely not for everyone. The 2011 Nissan Leaf is an all-electric four-door hatchback available in SV and SL trim levels.

Standard equipment on the SV includes 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlamps, keyless ignition/entry, full power accessories, cruise control, automatic climate control, height-adjustable driver seat, tilt-only steering wheel and 60/40-split-folding rear seats. The Leaf SL adds a spoiler-mounted solar panel, automatic headlamps, fog lamps, a rearview camera and a cargo cover.

Additionally, every Nissan Leaf comes standard with Nissan Connection, a remote vehicle access system that reports battery recharging data and can activate the climate control via a cell phone. Optional are a home charging station and a quick-charge port, which allows for charging to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes at a public charging station.

The 2011 Nissan Leaf is powered by an 80-kilowatt synchronous electric motor fed by a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Nissan estimates a range of 100 miles, but this depends on driving style, traffic conditions, cruising speed and battery age. The EPA has given the Leaf an energy efficiency equivalent rating (MPG-e) of 106 mpg city/92 mpg highway and 99 mpg combined and an estimated driving range of 73 miles.

The 2011 Nissan Leaf comes standard with antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front side airbags and side curtain airbags. Because the Leaf's battery pack resides under the floor beneath the seats, the rear seat is quite comfortable for adults. The center control panel features a touch screen, which controls the standard navigation system as well as special features like cruising range.

As an electric car, the Nissan Leaf benefits from an abundance of torque available from the first touch of the accelerator pedal. The 2011 Nissan Leaf is the first production electric car to be sold by a major automaker in more than 80 years. Unlike the range-extended electric 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the 2011 Leaf is a pure battery electric vehicle. It is powered solely by grid electricity, which charges its 24-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack.

With the 2011 Leaf, it's all about kilowatts and driving range. The Nissan Leaf uses proprietary batteries co-developed between Nissan and NEC, and mounted between the wheels under its floor. The one huge question over the Leaf is its range. Part of the Nissan Leaf program includes a home visit from Nissan contractors to set you up for Leaf ownership with a 240-volt charging station. For one, you'll want to start out the driving experience with a fully charged battery—to avoid the range anxiety that GM will use as a bludgeon to beat down the Nissan Leaf and try to convert green-car buyers to its range-extended 2011 Chevy Volt, which has a backup gas-powered engine to charge its batteries.