In early- to mid-2019, Nissan is bringing the second generation Nissan Leaf to NZ, and early reviews suggest that it’s going to be incredible.  

The first generation Nissan Leaf was the first ever mass-market, all-electric zero-emission vehicle. Since it was released in Europe in 2010 and New Zealand in 2012, it’s sold over 360,000 units and won countless awards including World Car of the Year, European Car of the Year and Japanese Car of the Year.

The electric experience

Putting your foot down in the first generation Leaf was a weird but wonderful experience. Since the car is powered by an electric motor, it provides instant torque, and near-instant acceleration. Plus, despite how quick off the line the car is, it’s almost completely silent even when your foot’s hard to the floor.

The second generation Leaf offers the same thrilling acceleration, turned up past 100. They’ve near doubled the battery capacity from 24 kW to 40 kW, which gives the car  close to 150 hp and 320 Nm of torque.

That’s an extra 40 hp compared to the older model, which means despite producing zero-emissions and being kind to the environment – this thing really goes.

A larger battery also gives the new Leaf a far longer range. Early estimates from Nissan indicate that the car can drive for 270 km on a single charge – 100 km more than the first generation Leaf.

With all that in mind, it’s no surprise that the all-new Leaf just won the coveted Green Car of the World Award.

Smarter driving than ever before

As exciting as the Nissan Leaf’s increased power is, the best thing about the upgrade has to be all the futuristic tech they’ve packed into the car. For one, there’s the new e-pedal, a system that you can switch on and off using a button on the dash.

This allows you to drive safely without using the brake, as the car automatically slows itself when you take your foot off the acceleration, using the kinetic energy to recharge the battery. It takes some getting used to, but it’s a feature you’ll love once you have.

There are several other features that seem like they’re straight out of a sci-fi movie, including:

• Intelligent Trace Control: If you veer from your course when cornering, the brakes are automatically applied to one or two wheels at a time to gently correct your direction.
• Intelligent emergency braking: The car senses when you’re about to collide with an car, object or pedestrian and automatically applies the brakes to avoid an accident.
• Blind spot recognition: If there’s a car in your blind spot when you’re changing lanes, the car will alert you to help avoid a collision.
• Intelligent around-view monitor: Four cameras installed at each corner of the car give you a 360-degree view of every surface on the car’s dash-mounted touch screen to make backing or driving through tight spots easy.

The car also steers you back into your lane if you veer of course, has keyless start, automatic headlights, heated steering wheel, intelligent cruise control and so much more. All of this is wrapped up in a sleek, improved design that doesn’t look boxy or bizarre like EVs tend to. Instead, it’s sleek and subtle with just a hint of the wonderful weirdness it’s hiding under its exterior.

Get in touch with the team at your nearest Nicholson Auto dealership and express your interest so that you’re the first to hear when the second gen Leaf reaches our shores.