Video: 2018 Nissan Leaf: Review

and with its redesign for 2018, it gets even more mainstream with more conventional styling inside and out and greater driving range of up to 151 miles, according to the EPA, thanks to a higher capacity battery pack. The changes make the Leaf a better car that should find wider appeal, even in an era of low gas prices, but Nissan missed the chance to fix some of the Leaf's glaring shortcomings. The original Leaf was designed to stand out from the crowd, but now it seems content to blend in. Gone are the headlights that extended up the front fenders and the tail lights that reached toward the roof line. And they've been replaced with the front end design that really wouldn't look out of place on one of Nissan's gas-powered cars. And it also gets a design cue that we see on the Nissan Murano, and its floating-roof look. The more conventional styling theme follows the competition, like the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Hyundai Ioniq Electric. (car engine roaring) So what's this thing like to drive? Well, when you get used to it's quiet, overall performance, it's actually a really ordinary driving experience. And I say that with a lot of respect. Because when you drive other alternative powertrain vehicles, usually there's some shortcoming in the driving experience. Whether it's jerky braking response or something else. In the Leaf, there's none of that. Acceleration is smooth and quick in the normal driving mode and braking response is remarkably linear. There are some downsides though. The ride is harsher than it should be. And the eco drive mode takes a lot of the zip away from the driving experience. But overall, the Leaf doesn't ask you to drive it any differently than a gas-powered car. The 2018 Leaf's, 40 kilowatt hour, lithium ion battery pack, has greater capacity than the previous Leafs, but it also takes longer to charge. On 220 volt service, it takes about seven and a half hours to reach a full charge. And if you're on a traditional household outlet, it's about 35 hours. So a 220 volt service is gonna make the most sense for most buyers. But I like the inclusion of a standard Chademo, quick charge port on SV and SL trim levels. With this port, you can charge the battery much quicker, though it's not designed to bring the battery pack beyond an 80% charge. I tested it out in my 30 minute charging session. Cost $11, added 17 and a half kilowatt hours to the battery pack, which brought it to 75% capacity. And it added an additional 79 miles of driving range, according to the instrument panel. Not bad for a quick lunch break. My big disappointment with the new Leaf is that Nissan didn't fix some of the car's biggest shortcomings. The old one didn't have a telescoping steering wheel and the new one doesn't either, which makes it harder to find a comfortable driving position. Meanwhile, the rear seats position, relative to the floor, results in a knees-up seating position for adult passengers. Same as in the old Leaf. There's also this massive ledge between the cargo floor and the top of the folded rear seat, which reduces the cargo area's versatility. In SL trim levels come with a Bose premium stereo, that includes a subwoofer that's poorly placed right in the middle of the cargo floor. Nissan initially had the mainstream electric car market mostly to itself, but the 2018 Leaf faces a host of new competitors, including longer range versions, like the 238 mile rated Chevrolet Bolt EV. Nissan has promised a long range version of the Leaf for the 2019 model year. But if 151 miles is enough range for you, the Leaf will make the transition from gas car ownership to electric car driving, pain-free. (upbeat music ending)