Published:
6 April 2012If electric power compels manufacturers to equip their cars with interiors like the Nissan Leaf’s, you will find absolutely no complaints from us.
Although relatively conventional in its layout, in light grey the Leaf’s cabin is bright, airy and cheerful. Perceived quality is high; the feel of the switchgear and materials is first rate at the Leaf’s money. It’s a large improvement on the 2013 models, with got an even tighter build and the option of a matt black interior finish.
The driving position is set modestly high (those batteries are in the floor, after all) but ergonomically it is sound. The pedals are well spaced and, although the steering wheel wouldn’t suffer from a higher vertical range of movement, all of our testers easily found a comfortable driving position.
A split-level display, with speedo above the steering wheel and ancillary gauges behind, is clear. The depth and clarity of information just falls on the right, comprehensive side of fussy.
In the dashboard’s centre sits the rest of the IT systems, comprising sat-nav, entertainment and vehicle monitoring systems, which are as comprehensive as you’d want. They include the possibility of sending the car’s charging status remotely to an App on your mobile smartphone, which can also be used to, among other options, remotely engage the air conditioning. Most useful during driving, however, is the screen of gauges that display how much energy is being used by the drive motor, and ancillary power drains, separately.
