2012 Nissan Leaf Electric

The Nissan Leaf is offered in two trim levels and comprises the exact same parts mechanically. It starts with the SV trim level and ends with the SL trim level. However, the base model’s features itself are plenty including LED headlamps, heated exterior mirrors, keyless ignition and entry, full power accessories, cruise control, automatic climate control as well as heated front and rear seats, and so on.

Which trim should you buy?

Since the Nissan Leaf is a small car that is rather on the pricier side, and since it is an experimental vehicle be at not sure of how much of a good buy the SL trim level would be. However, at $29,650, the SV trim level promises a lot of standard features and is a mechanically identical car to the higher trim level. Since the amenities offered in the higher trim levels are not exactly important on an everyday basis, the SV makes for a better buy.

The 2012 model of the Nissan Leaf comes with an 80 kW electric motor and a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that generates 107 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. However, despite the heavy torque figure we would be lying if we said that the car feels fast. The acceleration is delivered quickly but the car only manages the 0 to 60 mph time of 10 seconds which is pretty much the same as regular patrol hatchbacks.

Transmission is a single-speed automatic like most electric cars. No other transmission is optional on any trim like we have mentioned before. Being a small car, however, it is very easy to maneuver and drive around the city as well as parking in tight spaces. The driving experience is more reliant on the technology side with great infotainment features.

One can see that the Nissan Leaf seriously manages to undercut the price of all of its rivals except for the Toyota Prius which is a hybrid. One has to note that there are no direct rivals to this car apart from the Ford Focus electric which is the only other fully electric car here. In terms of performance, however, all cars are lackluster despite their rivals offering much better power figures on paper. 

When it comes to fuel efficiency, Nissan manages to do a good job of it with the new Leaf. The electric powertrain inside the Leaf returns an MPG equivalent or MPGe of 129 MPG in the city, 102 MPG on the highway, and 115 MPG combined. The battery capacity is 24 kWh which is a bit small even in this class with relatively humble electric cars. However, the most worrying aspect is that the driving range is quite low at just 75 miles.

The Nissan Leaf offers the best fuel efficiency figures in its class and despite its battery is much smaller than any of its competitors, its range is adequate for city use. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid competitors offer much better range but one has to account for the fact that these cars also burn fossil fuels to achieve the same. Hence this is not a direct comparison and the Ford Focus seems to have bettered the range at 115 miles.

The interiors of the 2012 Leaf are not exactly the most futuristic or well-designed but are definitely good-looking. It has a nice design which is both ergonomic as well as good-looking. But the biggest advantage in the car has to be that it offers a lot of space despite its very tiny dimensions. This has to do with the excellent packaging of the battery under the floor of the car. One very important fact is that the car has excellent fit and finish and sets a new benchmark in this department.

The seats are extremely supportive and very comfy which makes for very good support during long rides. It also performs decently in terms of cargo capacity with 24 ft.³ of storage. It also offers excellent features right from the base trim level. But certainly, the most exciting aspect has to be the large amount of interior space offered in the airy cabin. It seats five people with utmost ease and also carries the most cargo.

Interior space of all the cars in this category is pretty much on par, but Nissan has definitely managed to set the benchmark when it comes to cargo space. And especially when considering that it is a tiny and easy-to-drive car with excellent interior space, it only establishes the car’s credentials as a great buy for city use. However one definitely feels more at home inside the Ford Focus than any other car in this category. Some standard features include:

• Heated front bucket seats
• 60/40 fold-down heated rear bench seat
• Leather-appointed seat trim
• 3-spoke leather-wrapped heated tilt adjust the steering wheel
• Automatic climate control w/rear HVAC vents
• Chrome interior door handles
• HomeLink universal transceiver

What’s there to keep you entertained in the 2012 Nissan Leaf?

The Nissan Leaf has a 7.0-inch touchscreen interface as well as a split-level instrument cluster that absolutely dominates the cabin. It is nice and well-integrated into the dashboard. There is a lot of vital information displayed in these touchscreens and that definitely seems more futuristic than many cars. There is even a display for things like cruising range and energy efficiency as well as recharging information. We are definitely impressed by the infotainment features of this car. Some features of the infotainment system include: 

• 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• 6-speaker audio system
• Bluetooth hands-free phone system
• SiriusXM satellite radio
• Nissan navigation system w/SiriusXM NavTraffic
• Pandora link for iPhone

In terms of looks, the Leaf was never one to attract many buyers. It looks pretty much like a regular hatchback except for some blue detailing that signifies that it is an electric car. This is not a bad thing as the car does manage to look fairly modern and neat overall. It has LED headlights right from the base trim and looks a bit premium because of that. The design is not dramatic but is very clean.

Despite looking like very different cars, most cars in this category managed to have very similar dimensions. Both in terms of weight as well as size, all these cars are nearly on par. It is a shame that none of its competitors offer the kind of interior space that the Leaf offers. It also has the best ground clearance in this category. The Chevrolet Volt offers 5.0 inches of ground clearance which is a bit on the low side but definitely not anything to complain about. Some standout features include:

• LED headlights w/Auto on/off
• Body-colored remote-controlled heated power exterior mirrors
• Chrome exterior door handles
• Rear diffuser and aerodynamic underbody cover
• Photovoltaic solar panel spoiler
• 17-inch 5-split spoke alloy wheels)

The Nissan Leaf sedan has scored overall ‘Good’ ratings by the IIHS which is a testament to how safe the car is. It has also earned a five-star safety rating from NHTSA which is the highest honor conferred by the governmental organization responsible for crash testing. We are very much impressed with the car offering lots of airbags, rear-view camera, traction and stability control, and so on. Some of the standout safety features include: 

• Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) and Traction control system (TCS)
• Hill-start assist (HSA)
• Dual-stage front airbags w/occupant classification system
• Front side-impact airbags
• Front/rear side curtain airbags
• Nissan Connection telematics w/36 month complimentary roadside assistance
• Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) w/easy fill tire alert

The 2012 Nissan Leaf is a brand-new model from the brand and has represented practicality and frugality in every aspect of it. It manages to fulfill all the priorities that the person who’s buying an electric car would have. The only thing that is yet to see is how reliable the car turns out to be. But coming from Nissan, we certainly have high expectations regarding this too. Overall it is not a car you can never regret and hence makes for a good buy.