Nissan Leaf

The Malaysian car market gets the Nissan Leaf with two upholstery options – dual-tone black and grey and all-black. While the cabin is high on space and comfort, it lacks novelty and shows the age of the car, with the lack of features further affirming this fact. 

The familiar three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel of the Nissan Leaf has a decently modern-looking instrument console with a 7-inch TFT screen and analogue speedometer behind it. The cabin of the Leaf has trapezoidal-shaped AC vents on the dashboard corners and centre console, whereas the centre console is dominated by an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

The lower centre console has functional round dials for automatic climate control, while also housing a push start-stop button and USB charging ports. The other features one can find in the Nissan Leaf are a 4-speaker audio system, driver seat height adjustment, 60:40 split rear seats and leather upholstery. For a modern-day all-electric car, the lack of many new-age essential features makes the Nissan Leaf too old-school on the inside.  

While the second-generation Nissan Leaf has existed for more than half a decade now in the same form, it still looks fresh, courtesy of the sleek lines and smooth contours in its exterior profile. At the front, the blacked-out closed grille design with all-black garnish panels at the bottom and sides catches one’s attention, which also makes the Leaf look premium. The grille is flanked by angular trapezoidal all-LED headlamps, which have boomerang-shaped LED DRLs on their inner edges. There are LED fog lamps on the sides of the front bumper, which also has a central air dam. 

The side profile of the Nissan Leaf also looks fresh with a new design for the 17-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, with the Leaf also having swooping curves over the bonnet and the C-pillar. With blacked-out pillars and chrome door handles on the sides, the Nissan Leaf continues to have modernity in its exterior appeal with the new LED inserts for the boomerang-shaped tail lamps. 

With independent Macpherson struts with coil springs at the front and a torsion beam with coil springs at the rear as its suspension setup, the Nissan Leaf feels light to drive, while delivering a plush ride quality. Unlike modern-day electric vehicles, the Nissan Leaf lacks driving modes, which dilutes the overall driving experience a bit. 

Like in other global markets, the Nissan Leaf is powered by a front-mounted electric motor, which is capable of generating 150 PS of maximum power and 320 Nm of maximum torque. With a single-speed transmission, the Nissan Leaf also gets a 40kWh lithium-ion battery, which delivers a maximum range of 311 km. 

The Nissan Leaf was one of the first models from the Japanese brand to get the Nissan Intelligent Mobility suite of ADAS features. This package includes assistance functions like lane departure prevention, lane departure warning, high beam assist, cruise control, moving object detection, around view monitor, blind spot monitoring system, driver attention alert, and autonomous emergency braking. Other safety features that are standard in the Nissan Leaf are front and side airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, hill start assist, electronic parking brake, vehicle dynamics control, and reverse camera.

While the Nissan Leaf might feel a bit dated and old in certain ways, especially design and equipment list, it is still a highly practical hatchback for urban families and first-time electric car buyers.