Friday, May 9, 2025
Teesdale Mercury
  • News
  • Features
  • Test Drive
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Art & Leisure
  • Buy your paper
  • Buy our photos
  • Digital edition
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Features
  • Test Drive
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Art & Leisure
  • Buy your paper
  • Buy our photos
  • Digital edition
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Teesdale Mercury
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT

Test Drive: The new Nissan Leaf Shiro

by Teesdale Mercury
November 27, 2024
in Test Drive
Test Drive: The new Nissan Leaf Shiro

On the Road: The new Nissan Leaf Shiro

Ian Lamming takes a leaf out of the EV market and drives the latest offering from Nissan

DEPENDING on your perspective Nissan is to blame or to thank for the electric revolution in motoring.

The debate may rage on about the veracity of electric vehicles in sustainable motoring but Nissan’s Leaf has been plying our roads for the past 14 years having become the world’s first mass produced EV.

ADVERTISEMENT

Globally, 646,000 units have been sold to eco warriors and tax side-steppers. Is that a lot in almost one and a half decades, I’m not sure? Did it spark (see what I did there?) a revolution? Well, I’m not sure about that either.

Is the EV agenda being pushed by city-based bureaucrats who don’t even have to drive? Probably. Are EVs here to stay? In some form yes. You can even buy an electric Rolls Royce and a Lotus nowadays. But are they a panacea for our environmental transport ills. Nope, don’t think they are.

Despite the sands of time slipping merrily by there have only been two generations of Leaf and the latest, which emerged in 2018, has now spawned a sibling, the Shiro.

ADVERTISEMENT

Modest in size, the Leaf remains big on innovation. You can even power your house with one should the electric supply go off this winter.

Shiro, which means white in Japanese and, guess what, it comes in white, is an affordable starter EV coming in at sub-30K despite having decent specification.

Leaf hasn’t really dated over the years and with black spoke alloys, that caught the eye of my partner, still looks relevant.

The £28k Shiro comes with ProPILOT Assist, Nissan’s popular driver assist package, which features traffic jam pilot, intelligent lane keep assist and an electronic parking brake. You also get synthetic leather trim with cloth inserts but it is only available with the 39kWh battery.

The power is down then on the original GenII model which turned out 217hp. But you would never know. Leave it in normal and it feels like ‘sport’ as the Leaf is rapid away from the mark and in the mid-range for hill climbs and overtaking. Put it in eco to extend the range and the power drops off to eke out the miles. For the sake of the modest increase I think I prefer the extra oomph.

For a small family hatchback the driving sensation is surprisingly sporty. There may only be 150hp coming from the copper coils but the 320Nm torque figure from zero means the benchmark 60mph is a hot-hatch beating seven seconds. Top speed is a modest but still illegal 90mph but the faster you go the shorter the range.

Pootling around the rural roads the Leaf will last for 170 miles or so. Head on to the motorways, dual carriageways and even fast open A roads and that figure quickly drops to 140. Is that enough? For most people probably. For a battle hardened long distance commuter like me, no. But then if I was buying I’d go for the larger, rangier, Nissan Ariya anyway, so no problem.

Oh by the way Leaf Shiro is built in the UK, at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, so is supporting local jobs and the British economy, which matters to many consumers, and so it should.

With so many years and miles under its belt I did think the latest Leaf might have moved on a bit more. It’s a hard car to fault but the competition in the EV market has never been so fierce – they have all taken a leaf out of Nissan’s book, so to speak – with some utterly amazing models to choose from.

I think by launching the Leaf Shiro Nissan is reminding us all just who started the EV ball rolling. There simply must be a GenIII waiting in the wings somewhere and I can’t wait to give it a go.

Fact file

Nissan Leaf Shiro

Engine: 39kWh electric

Power: 150PS, 320Nm torque

0-62mph: 7.9secs

Top speed: 90mph

Range: 168 miles (combined)

Transmission: auto, 2WD

CO2 g/km: 0

Price: from£28,495.00

ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

Fell running hotelier’s thanks to supporters who raised almost £2k

Next Post

Review of Cluedo 2 – Darlington Hippodrome

ADVERTISEMENT
No Result
View All Result

Stay connected

Facebook Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

Most popular

CLEANING UP: Josh Jenkins and Pauline Connelly look on as George O’Brien hands over the litter-picking equipment to Laura Drew

Anti-litterbugs gear up for work

May 8, 2025
PAIN FREE: Emily Towler treating pet Labrador Maple to a session of laser therapy to ease pain of osteoarthritis

Emily’s mission to help pets in pain

May 9, 2025
SHARING ANTHEMS: The choir at St Mary’s Parish Church, Barnard Castle

Singing from the same song sheet

May 7, 2025
APPEAL: Cieran and Claire Chidzey are determined to make memories for their son Ryan who suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Their most recent memory making event included a trip to London for the avid football fan to see Arsenal play Chelsea

Family must raise thousands for special wheelchair to keep poorly Ryan mobile

May 3, 2025
SMART: Well thought out and well designed, the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo is fun to drive and easy to live with

Plenty of pep in Skoda’s sporty offering

May 5, 2025
Barnard Castle and Bridge, from upstream, painted c1825 (Tate). Turner sketched the chapel in the centre of the bridge in 1797 and retained it in the finished watercolour over 20 years later, even though it had disappeared by his second visit in 1816

Turner in Teesdale, a birthday tribute

May 6, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

15C Harmire Enterprise Park
Barnard Castle
Co Durham
DL12 8BN

Email: [email protected]

Registered in England as Barrnon Media Limited. No: 12475190

VAT registration number: 343486488

Explore

  • Art & Leisure
  • Business
  • Country Life
  • Features
  • News
  • Sport
  • Test Drive
  • Digital edition

Useful links

  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Buy your paper
  • Photosales
  • Digital edition
  • About us

Follow us on

© Barrnon Media Limited 2025

Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy

This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Features
  • Test Drive
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Art & Leisure
  • Buy your paper
  • Buy our photos
  • Digital edition
  • Contact

© 2024