Burning through fuel with a naturally aspirated, shouty V8 is fun and everything, but there’s an opposite end to that spectrum, too. There, you’ll find cars like the electric 2019 Nissan Leaf, which happens to also be a joy to drive in a wholly different way.
Nissan was kind enough to loan me the Leaf Plus for a week, which has a higher capacity battery (62 kWh) and a more powerful, 160-kW motor. It makes a claimed 214 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque, according to a press release. The standard Leaf has a 40 kWh battery and a range of 150 miles. The Plus version here claims 226 miles.
The interior, refreshingly, looks as a car interior should: Easily adjustable vents, buttons, dials and switches. Nothing confusing there. Nothing that you would really need to take your eyes off the road in order navigate. That shifter takes a little getting used to, though.
The car was mildly unsettling at first, but I’m now fully accustomed to driving around a silent car. There’s no start-up sound when you turn it on and there’s no vibration because there’s no idling. It makes a charming little chiming noise when backing up, though, so that everyone around you will know that you’re there.
The Leaf Plus’s MSRP starts at $42,550, but mine comes out to $44,270 because it has some nice paint and kick plates.
So! What do you want to know about it?