Dad Drives An EV For The First Time | Nissan Leaf e+ Tekna Review

Sometimes less is more. The last time I went in the back of the car was in 1992, when I was caught in your mother, hello, whats. The dipstick lets bring his dad to work day in it biggest thing of me, though, is it something else to plug in isnt it watch phone tablet? Shaver lets have a go just plug in Music. Now the intro to this video wasnt strictly true, because you have actually driven an electric car before for about half an hour about a year or so ago, didnt you yeah, I did that was the uh Volkswagen, ID3 yeah. I think and well like I said you drove it for about half an hour and its fair to say you werent, really convinced after you still got a few Hang Ups yeah it was. It was a strange experience and um. I found it very plasticky and very not very welcoming as a car, it wasnt very comfortable. I didnt think – and it was just a strange experience but uh, but weve got this brand new shiny, Nissan Leaf top of the range on the e plus tech nerve. Now, from the outside well jump into it and well have a drive in a minute, but first impressions from from the outside, would you yeah, I think it looks really nice. It looks really sporty its like a its, not too small, its, not too big. I love the black over the silver, which is good and I, like the silver and black alloy wheels.

I think it looks. It looks quite impressive, its quite nice at the back, where the rear tailgate has like a spoiler over it and uh yeah in the front. The fronts quite impressive if as well, some of them look a bit a bit Bland, but I think its quite the front spoiler. I think that looks quite decent. I could. I can see myself driving it yeah its quite its quite a nice looking car its a bit smaller than what youve got at the minute, though yeah I drive a Volkswagen Tiguan diesel tank at the moment, Shes a Beauty but um, and I really like it. I feel when Im in the Tiguan, I feel as though Im really surrounded by a good, solid car. You know – and I can I can get nearly 700 miles to a tank of diesel out of it. But Im not doing my bit for the environment. Am I oh no Im, you know Im chugging along in it and Diesels really expensive and uh, but I can still still cost me about. It cost me about 105 pounds to fill it up, um but yeah its uh, its its a very good car, its a very reliable car, and it will take something special to uh to convince me to change it. Well, youve seen all the different cars that Ive had on test and take you for a spinning, but this is a just a box standard sort of middle of the road, easy theyre, certainly better ones on the market.

Theres, certainly a lot worse out there, but yeah. This is just a nice middle of the road one so yeah from the outside thumbs. Up from you, then so far, not that Im trying to sell this Im, not a used car salesman here. Well, no, its just its a nice looking car its theres. Just me um, it looks quite roomy. I can people go out here. Weve got room in the back um. How much is one of these uh, this top of the range one starts from just over 36 000 pounds yeah see thats thats a thats, affordable thats, the thats doable isnt it. You know youre looking at uh if I was to get a new TIG one now Ill be up around be up around the 40 Grand Mark, and you know and uh itd be interesting to see if you know like X, demonstrators and theres, not really much of A secondhand market for electric cars at the moment is there its growing its growing. It needs to yeah. It needs to develop thats one of the yeah. The sort of biggest obstacles for the the mass adoption of EVS really is that that secondhand Market in that used Market needs to grow a little bit but its getting there year after year, its growing yeah. No. But as I say it looks a really nice car. It looks nice and Sleek, they all look. They all look much of a muchness, but this is I dont know this has gone a little bit.

I know this. It just looks a little bit. A little bit nicer looks a little bit sleeker its a bit angular its got, a nice mean face to it. Shes got a yeah shes, a nice car, and I love the Alloys. I really do like the look of the Alloys and uh. You know and Id say black over silver is always a winner, isnt it and uh yeah good good little car. Should we get inside and have a look? Should we ever go, lets go nicely rude not to right. Okay were inside out the cold and the rain and the wind so its a bit more pleasant. Now, what do you think interior yeah very good? I like steering wheel like a nice leather steering wheel. I can see that its got a heated steering wheel. Um, lots of buttons and electric mirrors a heated seats, not too dark its its all right for you, yeah, no, its its fine, its uh. I like I like a dark interior. I dont like a light interior um. It makes it a little bit more enclosed. A little bit more cockpiti shall we say I like the cockpit I like the armrest. I like the way that the center console is uh level, with your knees, um yeah, its very leatherish and good. Like you like a boring interior, then uh yeah. Well, sometimes less is more sometimes, but everything you want. Is there climate control heated seats? You know I dont like heated seats personally, because its like driving along, like you wet yourself, but now youve, seen in some of the EVS weve.

Had you get this like massive iPad style, infotainment screen, not really your cup of tea. That is it a bit too much for me its just. I can just about get through a smartphone right. Okay, so I like a car should have a speedo a die or and a few little bits of bobs a decent radio. I dont need an infotain entertainment system all along the front of the car right, so this setup, for you, then, is pretty perfect just exactly what I want everything I need is here and more. I mean Ive Im more excited about the heated steering wheel than I am the stereo well lets focus on the space in the back. Lets jump out. Have her sit in the back, see if theres plenty of Lake room yeah for you as well, and have a look at the boot as well? Yep, okay, right in the back, you do look a bit squished, so not the most room, no, its all right! Headroom! My knees are up around the ear holes at the moment. Um I mean Im not designed to go in the back of cars really. The last time I went in the back of a car was in 1992 when I was caught in your mother, but we havent got to do that anymore. So yeah thank you um, but if Im just gon na move swiftly on past that, thank you. But so if this was your car anyway, you wouldnt be in the back anyway, because youd be driving at night yeah.

But I mean even for me, Ive got enough leg room here behind the passenger plenty of Headroom as well. My heads not poking out like the dinosaur from Fred Fred Flintstone. So, oh nice, fine, its fine Ive, noticed as well. Weve got a heated rear seats. Ooh now wonderful, theyre gon na range out these cars, the amount of stuff youre running off the ball battery Id have to get a trailer. I think with a battery in it, but no its all right. At the end of the day, like you, can you can hunker down over your legs, you could you could do half hour 45 minutes an hour in the back here quite comfortably its nice and Squishy the seats theyre not uncomfortable seats. I dont think youre doing half an hour with me. Mum anyways, no dont underestimate boys. No, no its! Not! I love it. Its got its all right, its everything I would want in a car Im not going in the back of it. So Im really not bothered yeah, you know and um. I dont know if this video has gone the way I thought it was gon na yeah were having a look around and we were having a good look, its all right, its not its a nice motor heres. A nice mic, its a nice car. All new cars are nice arent. They Id like to see one 10 years old, but you know thats the big question isnt it though yeah but yeah.

Okay, I think weve done the back to definitely Music right. Nice big boot for you as well. I know thats important for you so big enough. What do you reckon yeah? What yeah? Well, my two little dogs have got two little terriers um and they come everywhere with me Ill. Take the parcel shelf out. I quite I dont think Id get a set of cages in it because of the depth of it um and you can uh you wouldnt be able to open the doors unless you raised it, but then itd be too high, but thats perfect with a boot liner And close down that thats, quite I quite like that. Thats quite a high sided deep Boot and the dog with a boot line. The dogs would go in there. Fine and theyd, be nice and safe as well. Yeah and youve got nice little Cubbies here, yeah yeah! You need to charge those and things yeah. I like that. I do like the boot yeah. I your bag down again and the dogs in yeah no problem at all. It fits all my. It fits all my requirements and its it Cates for my needs. I think bang the dogs in there and bags and then away you, go and Away you go its quite good and like this is all nice and solid, yeah good Ill. Tell you one thing: thats impressed me as well be easy to clean, because you know what Im like when I clean the car I like to go around the inside.

You can actually get your hand in there and clean it its the small things that matter. Just my thing just exactly right, so I think weve looked at it enough should we take it for a spin yeah coming in, but before we do anything on the new Jeremy sparkson of the EV world, dont forget to click like And subscribe. Is that not it Music? First impressions yeah its good? Oh, I do like it yeah its a nice car, its a bit of road noise on it, though isnt there, but its uh youll probably get the road noise, because everything else is so quiet, so youre not being mum yeah, not being um ruffled over by an Engine are you, but it was strange when you start it up, and you dont get that you dont get nothing from it. You know its just its ready to go, you turn it off and you just go and theres no other noise to it. I do like the pickup on it. I know its not the fastest one. There is but yeah, but were coming to a good bit of okay National speed limit here, Junction on the left. If you stay there little Fiat 500 and theres a nice straight, we can give it a little bit of a squeeze see were only doing just under 60, but it seems like youre doing faster than that. Yeah then dont get me wrong. There are. Electric cars are known for having that sort of yeah instant talk and yeah.

Being quick. Im like this isnt, a particularly fast electric car, but its still not 60 and seven seconds so yeah thats, yeah, thats, thats, fine in it thats sort of like thats like petrol. Passat, what sort of figures that is, but the most impressive thing about this is that regenerative braking. I do like that when Nissan had their own brand, its this e pedal, which right I dont personally, think its as good as other regen sends on other cars. But I suppose, if its your first sort of experience of using that then is I thought it would take a bit of getting used to, but you seem to have picked up. I really like it. I do I really like it. I dont like Im, not one of these ones. You know, as you know, Ive had a bit of driver training and I I dont Im, not a tappy break person. I try and read the road without keep touching me breaks and you know expensive, brake pads and discs are yeah. You know theres nothing worse than that the person thats in the Range Rover or the Land Rover or whatever you know, the big Chelsea tractor theyre driving along and every two minute they accelerate and then the brake, accelerate, break and theres. Absolutely no acceleration sense whatsoever. But thats another one of those benefits for electric vehicles is because of regen braking. You save so much on servicing costs as well. Yes, brake discs and yeah, and things like that, so it all builds into that picture of the the sort of cost effectiveness of an electric vehicle and thats, not to mention charging and stuff like that, as we touched them before, youve got the means to be able To charge at home so youre your sort of use case, if you like, is perfect for an electric vehicle nice now the range on this is well.

The wltp, which is the official certified range, is 329 miles so yeah for you. I know you have big question marks over the range thats. Probably your biggest sticking point of electric vehicles isnt it. So how does that sound? 329 miles? Like you said, you usually do sort of eight miles to work, yeah and back so yeah, realistically and obviously theres going to be different situations will pop up where you need to go a little bit further for whatever reason yeah. But you really realistically should be able to get away with charging once a week. Yeah tops yeah easy. I fit into the electric vehicle category perfect, but theres a story that right now you talk to different people right all the time that Ive got well with my diesel. In my Tiguan right I could go to Scotland in my TIG one. I could drive from my house to Glasgow in oneit, okay, I wouldnt have to worry about recharging or anything, okay and thats it that, whereas, if you was to go in this, you was going to drive to Glasgow and you would have to charge this perhaps twice On the way up there or whatever so youd have to plan in stops. Now, the argument is: is that good for road safety it gives you regular brakes theyre, always encouraging you. If you feel tired, stop you know rather than getting it. I think right. Ive got the Ive got to get to Scotland, and Ive now got to uh break.

You know my personal best of getting to Scott London to get there as quick as I can. You should be able to stop. You should be having regular breaks for safety and to make it a more the road trip, a more pleasurable experience, but my argument is I: if I wanted to do it in a one up in my TIG one, I could do that in one year. I could go and do you know a 550 mile Journey on one tank of diesel, but the thing is in the last 30 years: Ive not been to Scotland yet exactly its a stupid argument where people say it its if youre doing that on a regular basis. Its probably not for you its not for you, but whereas I I cant have that argument eight miles to work each way and only work three days a week and then on Thursdays and Fridays. I go to the I go to the perhaps to Wellingborough, to the gym or whatever and thats four miles: yeah no Services. If youre ever going to go to the football, you go from Huntington Station, which is half an hour 40 minutes, which is what 21 22 miles exactly. So if you build that picture of one charge every week, which yeah its probably gon na cost you about, I dont know 14 15 quid yeah see if we can beat the wagon away, see thats good its got some great pickup. Look at that.

Thats got some quality pickup. That was the old things will be screening for Mercy. Now she would shed be tapping out pushing her up there and that was good yeah. We know we just joined the the main 509 and were coming from the slip Road there. There was a wagon coming up there when Arctic Im about to let him go and I wouldnt have had to pick up, but we was able to squeeze and go there little blind spot check and away. We go why I dont know Im just talking as a talk as Ill drive thats it. I always like to you always check your blind spots. Charlie, always check your blind spots, especially these days with these bloody cyclists. You never know youve got sort of a mammal middle aged man in Lycra, coming up the inside all right, so Dad youve had the car for the day. Youve done a fair few miles in it. Youve had a look around it youve been inside it final verdict. What do you reckon yeah Im impressed? I um it its its good once you get used to it, um like the gear, selection and um, the actual Silence of it, its its quite impressive. I love the pickup. I love the speed. I love the acceleration. The thing that impressed me, as all dads, we all think were the greatest drivers ever lived. What impressed me the most was the Driving Experience. I love the regen, braking that, when youre driving on one of the biggest things that annoys me were drivers, especially with people that have have bought a car, perhaps too fast or too quick for them.

That theyre not used to when theyre driving along theyve got no acceleration sensor and they keep tapping on the brakes, keep tapping on the brakes and when people break that causes a concertina effect and its just not good its, not a good driving experience. But with this, when youre driving that regen allows you to concentrate more on your acceleration sense, so as youre coming up to a Bend, you can ease off and you can bring the speed off the vehicle without having to touch your brakes Etc and its the same Effect youre doing it, but youre not sending the signal to anyone behind you youre using more acceleration sense, and I really I really like that, and I found that it was a very good on that. The back Lanes we went on. I thought it was a really good driving experience. I really enjoyed it um yeah, but its ergonomic isnt. It everythings there at fingertip control um the most. The first thing that got me was when, when you get in and start it up, nothing happened. I know you. I said: are we ready to go, and you said yeah were ready, were ready to go just go its like. Oh well, theres, nothing yeah, something moved on the dash. You know normally Im expecting to put in press the button and the way she goes, but um. No, that was that was really strange, but yeah um and then weve talked about range.

Like I said, the range is the biggest issue for you: isnt, it really yeah. But I I live eight miles from home. I work eight miles from home and you know eight miles there eight miles back and you know perhaps a trip out of the weekend. I could. I could seriously justify having one of these. I think the biggest thing to do is get yourself into a routine. When you get home and youre not going out for the evening plug it in so youre ready to go and then just keep it chopped the biggest fit. The biggest thing with electric vehicles is to think about them less of the car, but more of just plugging your phone in overnight. So yeah you go. Whenever you go to bed, youve got your phone, you put it on your bedside table, charge up and its ready to go and thats the same principle for the electric car and youve. Also, where you live, youve got the means for to have a home charger as well, so you shouldnt have to rely on public charging, which is another big issue, for I know its a big issue for a lot of people out there. The biggest thing with me, though, is its something else to plug in isnt it watch phone tablet, shaver Ill. Forget, oh no Ill forget to punch the car in or something and Ill get up in the morning and go go to work. Eight miles away, yeah yeah gon na be late this morning, Ive got to put some theres some batteries in my car, but I suppose the big question is then.

The whole purpose of this video is have you been converted to. Electric vehicles is electric the future. For you, I think so. Yes, Im gon na Im, Really Gon na seriously have a look at my cars due for changing in the next six months. Um theres some, you know, I know the used car uh petrol diesel Market is really struggling at the moment. Um. I was considering a new car but whats impressed when Ive looked at electric cars in the past. Ive just had a quick glance. You know 50 60 Grand thats thats out of my my pay scale. Um 36 000 is very, very doable, um and would – and it would suit me it would suit me. The mileage that I do an electric vehicle would suit me, and I love it now that you know its nice and wrapped around you. Its got all the bells and whistles um and its, and because when you buy a car you know youre sold by bells and whistles. You know you use them once and then thats it. You never use them again. I bought a car once with Flappy paddle gears. Changing I used it once never used it again, but no its uh its in pretty it has impressed me. It has impressed me. The driving experience was really really good and um. So in six months time were going to see you in a brand new, its a very, very good chance.

Um yeah Ill certainly have a look at it, but uh well see what theyve got to offer there. We go thats all for this video. If you liked it, then please do drop us a like and be sure to subscribe, as well for more electric car reviews like this, you can head over to our Channel and for daily news coverage, features and much more. You can also head over to evpowered dot. Co, dot.