Finally ... I could preview * take the wheel of the first Nissan electric Portugal, a few months of its launch. The Leaf meets expectations and shows both powerful and smooth driving. But why Portugal? Because it is the first country where the Leaf will be launched in January 2011. It is also a nation where the government has invested heavily on electric taken with 1500, including 50 fast charge under the project Mobi E. As a
wink, the Japanese manufacturer has chosen to launch at the Museum of Electricity in Lisbon. The Portuguese capital has been the scene of our test. I'll speak twice, with today and my first
wink, the Japanese manufacturer has chosen to launch at the Museum of Electricity in Lisbon. The Portuguese capital has been the scene of our test. I'll speak twice, with today and my first
impressions of Nissan's strategy as regards the electric car tomorrow.
Watch the video of the Leaf in Lisbon:
As with any electric car, it nothing happens when you press the start button. But then either ... The silence is even more religious than aboard an Infiniti and it hardly means the whistling of the electric motor. The only noise we hear from the outside is a small buzzer that is activated at slow speed in traffic and reverse.
Want to see what it looks like inside?
Here's the video:
Driving, Leaf proves surprisingly handy. It looks like a Clio, while a car is 4.45 m, the size of an SUV the BMW X1. With a torque equivalent to a V6 petrol engine (280 Nm), the Leaf of times very frank. No problem to fit into the traffic and even make a trip (short) on the highway, its authorized speed of 140 km / h. But it is better to use in town and play the game of eco driving. You are more gentle on the accelerator pedal, the more you grow trees on the dashboard. And it shows the level of autonomy. A computer recalculates based on the driving state of the charge and converts it into miles and time. The GPS also takes into account the autonomy to propose routes and displays the list of charging stations. In Portugal, where they are already located, we could see that it works. The system is updated in real time via satellite, thanks to technology derived from CARWINGS (the bulletin board of Nissan in Japan).
View slideshow of test:
In this regard, how does the refill?
Watch the video:
So verdict: a Leaf that keeps its promises. We can always discuss the design, but Nissan has treated the aerodynamics and there is nothing wrong with regard to driving behavior. So what about side defects? Besides autonomy that will always be insufficient for some, the bias of relief results in a finish more "cheap". As always, the production version of always a little disappointing compared to concept cars and lounges. My teammate (Maria, an Austrian journalist) found that the charging cable was not easy to use. It must collapse after use in a small bag in the trunk. We'll see how to use the patience to do so.
The rest of my impressions tomorrow ...
* I am indeed the first French journalist to come on the international trials in Lisbon, a week before the others. But some colleagues who are part of the jury Car of the Year (COTY: Car Of The Year) could do a screen test, including Le Figaro, which was pleasantly surprised.