Nissan Leaf passed a comprehensive test on Ukrainian roads

This week, the Ukrainian premiere of the Nissan Leaf took place, organized by the official Nissan representative office in Ukraine. Over three days, leading automotive journalists from the country tested the iconic electric car. In total, the test fleet included 6 Leafs, each of which covered an average of 600 km during this time. AutoPortal also attended this event.

Nissan Leaf 2

The second generation of the Nissan Leaf was introduced in 2017. It differs from its predecessor in many parameters. This is not only a new body, but also a more powerful motor, a larger battery, and a richer list of equipment. By the way, the new Leaf has two battery options to choose from – 40 and 62 kWh. In Ukraine, the electric car is available only with the smaller battery – the larger unit comes only with the ProPilot autonomous driving package, which is currently being tested on our roads. In short, the Nissan Leaf e should appear in Ukraine next year.

Nissan Leaf 2 presented in Ukraine

According to the specifications, the range of the Nissan Leaf 40 kWh is 270 km in the combined cycle, but strictly urban driving is 389 km according to the WLTP cycle. According to statistics, the average European drives 80 km per day, so in this case, you can only think about plugging in for charging once every three days. By the way, from a regular 220-volt outlet, the Leaf fully “refuels” in 21 hours, from an accelerated 32-amp one – in 7.5 hours, and from a fast one – in 40 minutes (up to 80%).

New Nissan Leaf in Ukraine

The Nissan Leaf 2 arrived in Ukraine in a single trim – the rich N-Connecta. It includes, among other things, climate control, LED headlights, multimedia with a rear-view camera and 360-degree view, adaptive cruise with the ability to come to a complete stop and move in traffic jams (maintains the set speed, distance to the car ahead, monitors signs), and an emergency braking system.

Our Nissan Leaf costs 962,340 UAH (35 thousand dollars) – a considerable amount, but if you take paper and pencil and do the calculations, you can easily come to very optimistic figures that indicate that buying an electric car is a good, profitable idea. And it's not just that electricity is cheaper than gasoline/diesel. An electric car also needs maintenance less often, and the service itself costs several times less. For example, the first scheduled maintenance in three years costs only 6,500 UAH, which includes only replacing the cabin filter, brake fluid, and coolant.

But the Leaf in Ukraine has advantages not only over fuel cars, but also over other electric vehicles. It's no secret that most “electric cars” in our country are either very expensive (this applies to premium brands – Audi, Porsche, BMW) or are imported by unofficial dealers. And the advantage of the Leaf is that it is one of the few electric cars in the mid-price category that can be bought officially.

The official importer provides a warranty for 3 years or 100,000 km of mileage – whichever comes first. Additionally, a warranty is provided for electrical components – for 5 years or 100,000 km of mileage. Finally, there is a warranty on the battery itself – 8 years or 160,000 km of mileage. On the Leaf's dashboard, there is a capacity indicator consisting of 12 divisions. So, the manufacturer guarantees that if the mark drops below 9 divisions, the battery will be replaced. Under warranty!

First impressions

The first impression when starting the electric Nissan Leaf is pleasant acceleration. The acceleration is fast (0-100 km/h in 7.9 seconds), but at the same time smooth. And all this, of course, happens in complete silence. And as the kilometers pass, you begin to get used to this silence – so much so that an excellent audio system and good music are no longer needed.

The new Leaf is also interesting because it is perceived and felt as a full-fledged car (which could not be said about the first generation). Both the exterior and the interior indicate that we have a stylish, high-quality, and well-equipped car in front of us. Just with a somewhat different powerplant.

In conclusion, it should be said that with a fully charged battery, we drove 200 km on the roads of the Kyiv region, plus the on-board computer showed a remaining range of 50 km. The outside temperature ranged from 29 to 33 degrees Celsius. The crew moved using the economical Eco mode and the e-Pedal mode (activates deceleration of the car when the accelerator pedal is released).

Nissan Leaf sales start in Ukraine