Used 2017 Nissan Leaf SL for sale 

Nissan Leaf is offered in three trim levels with the base S trim level priced at $34,200. The second trim level, the SV is priced at $34,200, while the top of the line SL trim level is priced at $36,790. All the trim levels of the Leaf get the same powertrain and suspension but largely differ when it comes to the features and amenities that are offered on the inside.

The basic S trim level of the Leaf gets features like front heated seats and 60/40 split-folding rear seats. You also get a rearview camera, a 5-inch central display, Bluetooth connectivity, a USB port for streaming audio and charging your smartphone. The mid-spec SV trim level comes with alloy wheels, a 7-inch touchscreen display, NissanConnect navigation system, and Nissan's web connectivity system. The top of the line trim SL trim level of the Leaf additionally gets LED headlights, fog lights, and heated rear seats.

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Comparing all the three trim levels carefully, we find the basic S trim level of the Nissan Leaf makes more sense. Practicality and functionality are what most buyers will be looking for in this car, and the Leaf S does that really well. At $30,680, the Leaf S also will not make a big hole in your pocket.

Engine? Nah. The Nissan Leaf comes with an electric motor. The 80 kWh AC synchronous motor of the Leaf makes 170 horsepower and delivers 187 lb.-ft of torque. Electric motor means there is no hassle of shifting gears, and all the power is sent to the front wheels.

The Leaf isn't the most powerful car in its category, rather it is the least powered car in the competition. But one must keep in mind that the Leaf is also the cheapest car in the lot. 

The American rival of the Leaf, the Tesla Model 3 sedan makes 258 horsepower. Another American rival of the Leaf is the Chevrolet Bolt EV, and it makes 200 horsepower and delivers 266 lb.-ft of torque. The only car that makes power equal to the Leaf is the German offering BMW i3.

2017 Nissan Leaf Electric Acceleration

The Nissan Leaf is not a sports car, and acceleration figures shouldn't really bother you. Yet, we have them here for you. Step on the pedal and the electric motor will shoot the Leaf from rest to 60 MPH in 6.3 seconds. If you ever happen to take this EV to a drag strip, the Leaf will cover the quarter-mile distance in 17.3 seconds.

Credit to its smaller motor, the Leaf is the slowest car of the lot. The Tesla Model 3 sedan is the quickest car in the competition and does a 0-60 MPH in 4.6 seconds and hits the quarter-mile mark in 13.3 seconds. The BMW i3 does a 0-60MPH in 7.0 seconds and covers the quarter-mile in 15.6 seconds. The Chevy Bolt, on the other hand, hits the quarter-mile mark in 14.9 seconds.

2017 Nissan Leaf Electric Ride and Handling

The handling of the Leaf is great. It goes exactly where you want it to go. Being acompact car, it has the ability to zip through corners and tight spaces. The steering wheel also provides good feedback to the driver, making it a car fit for driving in tricky traffic conditions.

The ride quality of the Nissan Leaf is also good. In fact, quiet and complacent are the two perfect words for the type of ride the leaf offers. The absence of a gearbox means that you don't have the head nods that you get in normal cars during gear shifts. An ample amount of torque is available at your beck and call, which makes overtaking in city traffic conditions a pretty easy task.

2017 Nissan Leaf Electric Braking

The Nissan Leaf gets disc brakes at both ends. Upfront, you get 11.1 inches diameter discs, and at the rear, you get 11.5 inches diameter discs. Slam on the brakes, and the Leaf will come to a standstill at a distance of 129 feet from 60 MPH.

The braking stats of the Leaf are just okay, and there isn't really anything exceptional about it. The Tesla Model 3 has the best braking stats in the competition, and it will come to a halt from 60 mph at a distance of 119 feet.

The hatchback gets a large 180 kWh battery as standard across all the trim levels. If you take the Leaf around the city, it will go for 101 miles in a single charge. If you take it on the highway, the Leaf will go for 124 miles in a single charge. The Leaf gets a combined city and highway range of 112 miles.

In comparison, the 2017 Tesla Model 3 offers the best in segment combined range of 126 miles. It is followed by the Chevy Bolt EV and the BMW i3 with both the cars offering a combined range of 119 miles and 118 miles, respectively. The Leaf offers the lowest range of 112 miles on the table.

The Nissan Leaf is a spacious car. Hop on to the inside, you'll find a roomy cabin with lots of space on offer, which is unfortunately not accompanied by quality materials. The plastic used on the dash and on the air-con vents is cheap and not something you'd expect from a $30,000 car. Although Nissan has employed environment-friendly materials to build the interiors, the levels of fit and finish are not all that really great.

An interesting quirk in the Nissan Leaf is that they have dumped leather and have used a sustainably sourced, suede-like polyethylene terephthalate to build the seats. As stated earlier, the cabin of the Leaf is quite spacious. The leaf can easily accommodate 5 adults. At the front, you get a head/shoulder/leg room of 41.2/54.3/42.1 inches, respectively, while at the rear, you get a head/shoulder/leg room of 37.3/52.5/33.3 inches, respectively. You also get heated front seats as standard across all trim levels. You get the rear heated seats only with the SL trim level.

The Leaf is the 3rd most spacious car in the segment. The most spacious car in the competition is the Tesla Model 3 which offers a total head/shoulder/leg room of 39.6/56.6/42.7 inches at the front and 37.7/54.0/35.2 inches of head/shoulder/legroom at the rear. The Tesla is followed by the Chevy Bolt. The BMW i3 can only accommodate 4 people and is the least spacious car in the lot. Some of the cool features on the inside of the Nissan Leaf are listed below.

• 60/40 split-folding seats.
• 5-inch center display.
• Front heated seats.
• NissanConnect EV telematics system (available with SV and SL trim levels only).
• Automatic climate control.
• Optional Bose audio system.

2017 Nissan Leaf Electric Infotainment System

The infotainment system of the Leaf is pretty intuitive and user-friendly. It comes with a 5-inch infotainment display, a USB port, a satellite radio, Bluetooth, all clubbed to a 4-speaker audio system. You can also opt for a larger 7-inch touchscreen infotainment display with a 7-speaker Bose audio system for a better in-car entertainment experience. With the SV variant of the Leaf, you also get a NissanConnect EV telematics system. Major infotainment features include-

• 5-inch Infotainment Display.
• Nissan Navigation System.
• USB, Aux, and iPod Support.
• Bluetooth Audio Streaming. 
• SiriusXM Radio.
• CD Player and MP3 Support. 
• Speed Compensated Volume Control.
• Portable Charge Cables (120 V/ 240 V).
• 7-Speaker Audio System. 

2017 Nissan Leaf Electric Cargo Capacity

The Nissan Leaf's unique selling point is practicality and functionality. To prove that point, the Leaf offers a decent cargo volume of 23.6 cubic feet. The trunk can easily swallow a couple of large bags or a golf kit easily. Nissan manages to dominate over rivals in the cargo space practicality.

The Leaf has the best in segment car volume capacity. The Leaf is followed by the Bolt EV which offers a cargo volume of 16.9 cubic feet. The BMW offers a luggage volume of 15.1 cubic feet, while the Tesla Model 3 offers the least luggage volume of 15 cubic feet.

The 2017 Nissan Leaf's squat 5-door hatchback design looks sleek and futuristic despite its age. While not particularly exciting, it stands out thanks to its lighting treatments. The headlights sweep way into the body and the taillights form part of the entire rear design of the car, standing tall against the hatch.

The Leaf is a smart-looking car. The Leaf is 175 inches long, 69.7 inches wide, and 61 inches tall and also offers a decent ground clearance of 6.3 inches, and has a wheelbase of 106.3 inches. The car weighs 3,323 lbs.

The Tesla Model 3 is the biggest car in the lot with length/width/height dimensions of 184.8/72.8/56.8 inches, respectively. The Nissan happens to be the second-largest car off the lot and is followed by the Chevy Bolt and the BMW i3. The Tesla, at 3,549 lbs. is the heaviest car of the lot, while the BMW i3 is the lightest vehicle at 2,961 lbs. 

While buying any car, safety should always be on top of your list. The Nissan Leaf does care about your safety and hence offers some advanced safety features as standard. In fact, being electric kicks in a lot of contemporary assistance features that are rather difficult to be integrated with the conventional gasoline powertrains sometimes. Some of the safety features of the Nissan Leaf are listed below.

• Lane Departure Warning
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
• ABS And Driveline Traction Control
• Dual Stage Driver And Passenger Front Airbags
• Blind Spot Sensor
• Forward Collision and Rear Collision
• Left Side Camera
• Tire Specific Low Tire Pressure Warning
• Airbag Occupancy Sensor
• Curtain 1st And 2nd Row Airbags
• Dual Stage Driver And Passenger Seat-Mounted Side Airbags

Nissan Leaf vs Tesla Model 3 Sedan

The Tesla Model 3 is the American heavyweight rival of the Nissan Leaf. The Model 3 beats the Leaf on all the fronts like power, acceleration, range, braking, and even passenger space. The Leaf only has the bigger trunk on offer, and it costs around $5,000 less than the Tesla. If you don't mind extending your budget by $5,000, then you should definitely go for the Tesla, which is the better car of the two. The Tesla will certainly offer more value for your money than the Leaf.

Nissan Leaf vs BMW i3

The i3 is the German rival of the Leaf from the house of BMW. The i3 and the Leaf make equal power and torque figures. Both the cars have similar acceleration timings. The i3 has slightly better braking stats and also offers a slightly better range than the Nissan Leaf. The Nissan, on the other hand, is more spacious, can carry 5 passengers, one more than the BMW, and also has a larger trunk. Practicality takes a big hit in the BMW i3 while the Nissan Leaf scores big in this case. Also, the BMW i3 costs $14,450 more than the Nissan Leaf. Clearly, the i3 makes no sense at all, and if you ever have to choose between the 2 cars, go for the Leaf.

Nissan Leaf vs Chevrolet Bolt EV.

The Chevy Bolt is yet another American rival of the Nissan Leaf. The Chevy Bolt makes more power than the Nissan, has better acceleration timings, offers a better range, and also has better braking stats. Also, the Chevy is more spacious than the Nissan. On the flip side, the Nissan offers a larger trunk and costs about $6,000 less than the Nissan. If you can stretch your budget by $6,000 then you should definitely go for the Chevy Bolt. If not, the Leaf is also a good proposition.

One of the best-selling EVs in the market, the name of the Nissan Leaf instantly pops into your mind when you think of EVs. The current version of the Leaf is still based on the 2011 platform which is slowly aging. More players have made their way into the market that offers better features and is equipped with advanced technology.

In spite of being based on an older platform, the Leaf still gives tough competition to these newer cars. The Leaf desperately needs an upgrade, and it will be interesting to see what Nissan would do to help the Leaf regain the spot in the best-selling electric vehicle.