Is it time to finally consider an EV? It all depends on what you want out of a car. With the second-generation Nissan Leaf, there’s 60% more range than before, so you now get more than 300 km per full charge, and that will suffice for many drivers on the road, especially if your daily travels are within the confines of the city.
But beyond just range, there are many attributes of an electric car which makes it compelling. Imagine never having to visit a petrol station ever again, imagine coasting in near silence like in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, imagine out-accelerating just about every car (or motorbike) at the traffic lights…at least up to 60 km/h.
While the Leaf is unconventional in the way it is powered, it offers all the usual trappings of a ‘regular’ C-segment hatchback. There are no compromises in packaging; headroom and legroom are ample, and the boot even measures 435 litres, more than most hatchbacks with similar dimensions. And we think it looks far more fetching than its predecessor.
The best-selling EV in the world has been improved. The electric motor driving the front wheels now offers 150 hp and 320 Nm, good for a 0-100km/h time of 7.9 seconds, with an electronically governed top speed of 155 km/h.
There are also more safety features, including autonomous emergency braking, but the technological tour de force has to be the ‘e-Pedal’ function which encourages one-pedal operation while reclaiming energy without diluting the fun that comes with driving an EV. Price? RM 188,888.
