New Nissan Leaf 2023 Rivals of Chevrolet Bolt EV and Tesla Model 3
The 2023 nissan leaf air illustrates the difference between being attractive on paper and competitive in the real world a starting price below 30 000 for any ev this before any applicable tax credits gets our attention but when compared to its rivals the leaf’s driving range isn’t as good and its outdated charging technology makes it less user-friendly the leaf’s
Longest range battery pack enables barely more than 200 miles of driving range the chevy boltev and the considerably more expensive kia ev6 and tesla model 3 all beat that by considerable margin what’s more not all public charging stations are compatible with the nissan chadmo charging connector but if you’re someone who plans to drive only around town and can set
Up for charging at home the leaf might work and it provides a low cost point of entry into the world of evs it’s a small hatchback which means it’s easy to thread through congested city traffic and find street parking for its cabin is spacious for a small car comfortable and nicely equipped with tech features unfortunately the same can be said of several competitors
Many of which offer more everyday usability longer range and access to more charging stations nissan’s electric car receives a few styling improvements for 2023 including a revised grille front bumper and exterior lighting elements a set of cool multi-spoke wheels and an illuminated nissan badge round out the leaf’s exterior changes the lineup has been trimmed to
Just a basis model and the longer range sv plus the best deal here is the sv plus because it carries a reasonable price the longest driving range the more powerful electric motor and offers a decent package of standard equipment it has an 8.0 inch infotainment system with apple carplay and android auto capability automatic climate control keyless entry with push
Button start and automatic headlamps leafsa front-wheel drive cars the standard leaf s comes with a 147 horsepower electric motor and a 40.0 kwh battery pack both dinky by today’s standards leaf sv plus gets a gutsia 214 hp electric motor and a larger 62.0 kwh battery an s managed a 7.4 second zero to 60 mph time at our test track but it feels perkier than this
Number suggests thanks to the instantaneous power delivery of the electric motor this result makes it slower than the bolt ev and the model 3 though upgrading to the more powerful plus model will no doubt result in quicker acceleration but we won’t be able to confirm that until we are able to test one the leaf sea pedal feature allows the driver to toggle back and
Forth between regenerative braking modes one of which allows the car to coast when the driver lifts off the throttle and another that slows the car when you take your foot off the gas and uses that energy to recharge the battery the leaf can be plugged into a regular 120 volt outlet or a 240 volt outlet but the charging times vary dramatically between the two on
A 240 volt connection nissan says both the standard leaf’s battery and the larger one in the leaf plus can be replenished in seven hours a dc fast charging connection is standard on all trims the leaf s comes with a 40.0 kwh battery that provides a relatively limited range of 149 miles this might be enough range for some drivers with short commutes but it’s less
Than half of what the model 3’s long range model provides the sv plus provides 215 miles of epa rated driving range thanks to its larger battery pack our sv plus test vehicle exceeded its epa highway rating of 94 mp gay by delivering 98 mp gay over our 75 mph highway fuel economy test route however we saw 180 miles of range during this test evs generally get less
Than their epa rated number on the highway for more information about the leaf’s fuel economy although the cabin of the leaf has a lot of black plastic the well-assembled and uniform textures help it avoid looking cheap the gauge cluster features a large analog speedometer next to a 7.0 inch digital readout that can be reconfigured to show a variety of displays
The leaf seats are a z-boy comfortable the spacious rear seat offers plenty of room for adults too despite the fact that the leaf’s back seat doesn’t create a flat load floor when folded we found the cargo capacity to be among the best in its class we fit seven carry-on suitcases behind the back seat and a whopping 19 with the back seat folded for comparison the
Bolt ave held five in its cargo area and maxed out at 16 with its back seat stowed the neroev which sports a more suv-like body style held slightly more cargo in our testing but the leaf still is tops among electric cars all leaf models come with the same 8.0 inch infotainment display with apple carplay and android auto integration navigation is optional the latest
Nissan connect software interface while not particularly pleasing to the eye is intuitive and quick to respond to inputs audio files may be disappointed with the leaf standard six-speaker audio system a seven-speaker bose system is optional but it didn’t impress us during our test drive either nissan safety shield 360 suite of driver assistance features are standard
Across the lineup and the brand novel pro pilot assist semi-autonomous driving mode is optional for more information about the leaf’s crash test results visit the national highway traffic safety administration nhtsa and insurance institute for highway safety iihs websites key safety features include standard automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection
Standard blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert available adaptive cruise control with semi-autonomous driving mode
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New Nissan Leaf 2023 Rivals of Chevrolet Bolt EV and Tesla Model 3 By Auto TopSV
