The new Leaf has proven to be a major commercial success for Nissan, with the Japanese carmaker claiming that it’s already Europe’s fastest-selling electric vehicle.
Nissan sells a new Leaf every 12 minutes, with orders in Europe now past the 19,000 mark, giving the new Japanese electric model a significant edge over its not-so-many rivals in the region.
The new Leaf appears to have improved in every single aspect compared to the original. It now offers more power, as it features a 147hp (150PS) electric motor, and can travel further on a single charge thanks to the new 40kWh battery pack.
The official range of the 2018 Leaf is rated at 235 miles (378km) on the NEDC cycle, but in real life it’s safer to expect the new electric Nissan to travel up to around 150 miles (240 km) before it depletes its battery charge, according to Carwow’s review.
The more powerful electric motor also means that the new Leaf is also quite swift, with Nissan claiming a 0-62mph (0-100km/h) acceleration time of 8.2 seconds. The innovative e-Pedal also works great, allowing the driver to basically operate the vehicle almost without touching the brake pedal.
Add to that Nissan’s semiautonomous ProPilot system, which apparently works better than similar self-driving systems in other cars, and you get the feeling that the new Leaf is not just another electric car but a really clever purchase.