Nissan Leaf nets middling 78-point Consumer Reports score, still beats Volt

Consumer Reports has wrapped up its five-month road test of the 2011 Nissan Leaf and reports the electric hatch scored 78 points. That puts the EV into the middle of six recently tested fuel-efficient hatchbacks. The Leaf ranked two points shy of the Toyota Prius and 11 points above the Chevrolet Volt. Meanwhile, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid scored a disappointing 69, 20 points below the conventional Sonata GLS.

Of the Leaf, Consumer Reports states:

The Leaf is a civilized vehicle with very low running costs. It's quick, very quiet, rides comfortably and is easy to get in and out of. The Leaf's main drawbacks are a limited driving range of only about 75 miles per charge. The Leaf rides well but handling, though secure, lacks agility. Braking is Very Good. The interior is nicely finished but not posh.

As we all know and CR proved once again, the Leaf's range varies dramatically depending on driving style and weather conditions. For example, CR discovered that, under gentle driving conditions, the Leaf averaged 90 miles on a full charge. But in cold weather, CR's testers report the range dropped to approximately 60 miles. It's for this reason that CR refers to the Leaf as an urban runabout.

In terms of efficiency, the tested Leaf returned 3.16 miles per kWh, or the equivalent of 106 miles per gallon in mixed driving. The operating costs for CR's Leaf rang in at approximately 3.5 cents per mile, as figured at average national electricity rates of 11 cents per kWh. With reliability of the Nissan Leaf still unknown, CR has decided it can't put its Recommended tag on the electric hatch.



Source: Autoblog Green