Nissan has released more details of the new third-generation Leaf, which was unveiled back in March and will be fully revealed later this month. The revelations come as part of the first of a three-part short video series detailing the electric vehicle, which has grown from a hatch to a sub-Ariya SUV.
Based on the same electric Common Module Family (CMF-EV) as its larger sibling, the Leaf gets a striking design with full-width light bar and a cascade of curved rectangular daytime running lights, along with a chiselled bonnet, prominent rear haunches, a low-slung blacked-out roof and hidden rear door handles.
That was all already known, but what wasn’t known until now is that thanks to an active grille shutter, flush door handles and a flat underbody, the Leaf has a drag coefficient as low as 0.25 (in European spec at least, with unique door mirrors and wheel design; it’s 0.26 everywhere else).
That’s not very low at a time when the most advanced EVs on the market are in the low-0.20s, but this is still the most aerodynamic Nissan ever made, the company claims. Unfortunately, we still do not know what the rear of the Leaf looks like, although we have been told the rear tailgate creates an aerofoil effect in concert with the fastback roofline.
We also haven’t gotten a glimpse of the interior save for the panoramic glass roof, which has an optional electrochromic dimming function that, as with a conventional sunshade, can be “opened” or “closed” in stages (and shows the “Leaf” script when half-dimmed). This has an added benefit of improving aerodynamics, as the ditching of the sunshade means the roof can be lowered by 12 mm without sacrificing headroom.
The goal was to imbue the Leaf with “impressive” highway efficiency, and while range figures are still not known, the car has been designed to “confidently take a holiday journey of 300 to 500 km between stops,” said vice president of global product strategy Richard Candler. He added that the car is able to gain over 250 km in range with just 14 minutes of DC fast charging, although no specific input figure was released.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.