Second Opinion Test Drive: 2012 Nissan Leaf SL

Steve Ross as the Cowardly Lion and Kyle Blair as the Scarecrow, with the 2012 Nissan Leaf, in front of Toronto’s Elgin Theatre. Click image to enlarge

More Nissan Leaf reviews on Autos.ca Manufacturer’s web site Nissan Canada

Review and photos by Peter Bleakney

Photo Gallery:
2012 Nissan Leaf

The resurgence and subsequent viability of the electric car is currently a highly charged topic. I’ve driven a few EVs at press events and even been for a ride in Jay Leno’s 1908 Baker Electric, but until now I’ve never had an honest-to-gawd fully electric conveyance in my driveway.

So here sits a Nissan Leaf, looking as normal as a five-door hatch can, save for the 110-volt charging cord snaking into my garage. The Leaf, Canada’s first mainstream EV, is here to ferry me on several 90 km, 100 per cent emissions-free round trip commutes from Oakville to the Elgin Theatre in downtown Toronto.

Here’s hoping.

2012 Nissan Leaf SL. Click image to enlarge

Fittingly, I’m working on a show called The Wizard of Oz, which as we all know is the story of a strange journey over an unknown road fraught with perils. Hmmm. Substitute Dorothy for your humble scribe and the Wicked Witch of the West for range anxiety and we’ve got life imitating art.

Yes, the Leaf has a claimed range of 160 km, but it’s early winter, it’s chilly and I won’t be able to plug in when I get to the Big Smoke. Plus, I ran a couple of errands in the ‘hood, and without the 240-volt charging station (approx $2,200 installed) that all Leaf owners must purchase, I’m not running on a full charge.

Kinda like the Scarecrow.

I hum out of my driveway with the colourful digital display showing a range of 144 km, suggesting I have a 50 km cushion: piece of cake.

The five-seat Leaf is a surprising pleasant car to drive. Like all compact Nissans, the ride is wonderfully compliant (much better than the Mercedes C 250 Coupe I just stepped out of) and the seats are comfy. Looking around the cabin, it’s bright, airy and modern with quality materials and crisp tolerances. No lack of amenities in the base $38,395 SV model (before $8,500 Ontario rebate) – navigation, heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, Bluetooth, XM and USB. My $39,995 SL added back-up camera, fog lights, Homelink, cargo cover, auto headlights and a solar panel on the hatch spoiler that trickle charges the 12-volt accessory battery. Clearly, Nissan isn’t asking early adopters to adopt a Spartan motoring lifestyle.

2012 Nissan Leaf SL. Click image to enlarge

I punch up the Economy Information screen while sweeping past a cluster of gas stations and am struck with a strange revelation. If I owned this car I’d never have to go there again. Acceleration is smooth and linear, and with its low centre of gravity and decent steering, the Leaf feels good in the corners too. It’s dead quiet except for some faint motor whine and a bit of well-suppressed wind noise. Maybe the future ain’t so bad after all.

Merging on the QEW I glanced down at the screen. What the heck? My projected range was dropping faster than my RRSP portfolio. Within a mere five kilometres of home, I’d lost about 30 km worth of range.

At this point, I’d be, er, lion if I didn’t confess to feeling mighty cowardly. The Leaf’s range predictions on the highway are apparently as optimistic as a Kardashian wedding vow.

2012 Nissan Leaf SL. Click image to enlarge

I dropped below 100 km/h and selected the more frugal and less spritely Eco mode. When firing up a Leaf, the auto climate control defaults to off, and here the screen informed me if I turned it on I’d lose another 19 km of range. Well then, it’s going to be a chilly ride.

Luckily, I encountered a major traffic slow down. Normally, this would have me cursing like a sailor, but projected range actually improved thanks to the slower speeds and energy captured during regenerative braking. I made it to the theatre with 82 precious kilometres remaining.

Nissan’s app for the iPhone, Carwings, will monitor your charge level and if the Leaf is on the grid you can start or stop charging and fire up the climate control. Needless to say, I had my eye on Carwings a few times, viewing those claimed 82 kilometres with a mixture of hope and distrust.

2012 Nissan Leaf SL. Click image to enlarge

Getting home was a close one. Factor in the headlights and a bloody stiff headwind and I rolled in with only one bar remaining on the charge display. Chanting, “There’s no place like home… there’s no place like home,” may have saved my bacon.

In the morning I took the Leaf to my local Nissan dealer to top it up using their 240-volt charger. After a full night on 110 volts it wasn’t even half there. Oh, and with the rear seats folded you can toss in a mountain bike for just such occasions.

With a full charge, my next commute was less of a nail-biter; in fact, quite pleasant.

I have to say I loved driving the Nissan Leaf. It is a terrific inner city and short commute vehicle. Take range anxiety out of the equation, and the Leaf is a therapeutically calming way to negotiate rush-hour and downtown Toronto. While not inexpensive, this EV is a claimed 70 to 80 per cent cheaper to run than a comparable gas car.

But I have to wonder, is the electric car really our attainable automotive Oz or are we merely chasing a funny little man hiding behind a green curtain?

Range and charging point issues notwithstanding, this present set-up is hardly a sustainable business model. While it’s very nice of the Ontario government to wave the green flag and toss $8,500 in the direction of early adopters, if the populace started buying EVs en mass that would change in a real hurry. Could the grid handle it? What about lost revenue from gasoline taxes? Would they tax the bejeezus out of our hydro bill to keep our roads smooth and bridges from crumbling?

Oh, and about that word “hydro.” With 21 per cent of Ontario’s electric power coming from coal-fired plants and eight per cent from natural gas, I’m not exactly off the hook environmentally either.

Somewhere over the rainbow, indeed.