The all-new 2018 battery electric Leaf that Nissan showed at the Washington Auto Show on Media Day not only has better features than its 2017 widely predecessor model, but it also costs less.
The 2018 Leaf EV features Nissan Intelligent Mobility, with technologies that make driving easier and offer safety features such as automatic electronic braking, rear traffic alert and pedestrian sensors. The car’s dashboard can be integrated with Android, a tablet or Amazon’s Alexa.
The 2018 Leaf has a more aerodynamic look to make it more in line with other Nissan vehicles, said Brian Maragno, director, marketing and sales strategy, Electric Vehicle Operations. Aerodynamic features include a V-motion grille, floating roofline and boomerang lamp. Among the EV accents are a layered blue grille, blue accent molding and a zero emission emblem.
The powertrain has a 110 kW electric motor, up from 80 kW, 37 percent more hp (bringing it to 147 hp) and 26 percent more torque. New this year is a Level 2 charging capability, which can be done overnight at home with equipment that comes with the car, enabling the car to drive 150 miles. For shorter trips, it can drive 90 miles on a 30-minute charge, or 105 miles on a 40-minute charge.
Pricing starts at $29,990 for the base Leaf S (down from $30,680 last year), $32,490 for the mid-level SV, and $36,200 for the top-level SL.
Nissan says next year’s model will have larger batteries that can go 245 miles on a single charge, and more than 200 hp.
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